Two-for-One Deal for Tournament Host

The Pittsburgh Johnstown (Pa.) men’s team, forced to play two games Saturday after a last-minute cancellation in its tournament, lost the first one to St. Augustine’s (N.C.), 79-78, and beat Goldey Beacom (Del.), 102-82, in the second four hours later.

Wright State Lake, a Division III school from Ohio, had agreed to play in the UPJ Classic--which was being played for the first time--but backed out Wednesday, said Ed Sherlock, the athletic director for Division II Johnstown.

“Their coach had even booked a hotel room,” Sherlock said.

Sherlock said Wright State Lake never returned a signed contract about its appearance, but he said oral agreements are typical in Divisions II and III.

He made last-minute change forced Johnstown (7-4) to play twice Saturday because the other schools don’t play on Sundays. apart.

In the first game, Clarence Lewis had 25 points for St. Augustine’s (4-4) and made with a jumper from the free-throw line with 6.6 seconds left for the decisive basket. Johnstown’s Josue Nieves tried a 20-foot jumper as time ran out, but it rolled around the rim and came out. Nieves, Kwame Washington and Justin Walther each played 36 minutes in the first game. Walther had 32 points and eight rebounds.

Nieves scored 23 points and played 27 minutes in the second game against Goldey Beacom (4-7).

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The women’s basketball team at Kentucky State University, with its players suspended while a sporting goods company investigated a possible theft, was reinstated Friday and played its first game Saturday, defeating Fort Valley (Ga.), 70-62, at Frankfort, Ky.

No players have been charged, but athletic director Derrick Ramsey last month suspended 13 team members. The suspensions left the Thorobrettes unable to field a team, and all five games scheduled in November were canceled.

The players were suspended while the sporting goods store investigated the alleged theft of $12,000 in merchandise. Ramsey said a store representative told him a student working at the store “knew our young ladies and allowed them to take some [merchandise] out.” The issue is whether any players are criminally liable, he said.

On Friday, however, Ramsey said: “I can’t keep them off the floor,” The store failed to provide evidence of player involvement, such as surveillance videotape or written statements, Ramsey said.

“What we have are allegations. Hibbett hasn’t come forward, nor have the prosecutors,” he said.

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John A. Goldner, responsible for Madison Square Garden’s college basketball schedule and the National Invitation Tournament for four decades, died Friday. He was 88. Goldner became associated with Ned Irish in 1934 when Irish introduced major college basketball in the Garden and was responsible for scheduling and managing its college basketball events until his retirement in 1975. The NIT began in 1938.