January 24, 1988:
UNLV holds Temple scoreless for the last four minutes of the game, wiping out a seven-point deficit, and Anthony Todd hits a short jumper with two seconds left to give the Runnin’ Rebels a 59-58 win over the previously unbeaten Owls at the Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV (17-1) completes its late surge without leading scorers Jarvis Basnight, who fouls out, and Gerald Paddio, who leaves with an injury. It’s the second time in two seasons that UNLV has beaten Temple on a last-second shot.
B I R T H D A Y S
Giorgio Chinaglia b. 1947
Mary Lou Retton b. 1968
Tshimanga Biakabutuka b. 1974
January 20, 1974:
At age 26, Johnny Miller captures the Tucson Open by three strokes over rookie pro Ben Crenshaw and becomes the first golfer to win the first three events of the year on the PGA Tour. Following his impressive wins at Pebble Beach and Phoenix, Miller is now 37 under par for the year. A 40-foot birdie putt on the 10th hole today clinches the event in what will prove to be his finest season. He’ll lead the PGA earnings list and be named Player of the Year.
B I R T H D A Y S
Carol Heiss b. 1940
John Naber b. 1956
Ozzie Guillen b. 1964
Ron Harper b. 1964
Brian Giles b. 1971
January 19, 1987:
Unassuming role player Louis Orr earns the hero’s laurels for the Knicks on Martin Luther King Day at Madison Square Garden. After the Knicks squander a seven-point lead in the final minute, Orr hits a 22-foot jumper off glass from the head of the circle as time expires to beat Boston, 111-109. It’s a fleeting moment of triumph for a struggling Knicks team against the defending NBA champions, and Orr is quickly engulfed by his joyous teammates after sinking his game-winning buzzer-beater.
B I R T H D A Y S
Bill Mlkvy b. 1931
O.J. Anderson b. 1957
Stefan Edberg b. 1966
Junior Seau b. 1969
Tyrone Wheatley b. 1972
January 18, 1964
The two-time defending champion Toronto Maple Leafs are thoroughly embarrassed on home ice by the worst team in the NHL as the Boston Bruins skate to an 11- 0 romp at Maple Leaf Gardens. Boston scores six goals on only seven shots in the first period against Toronto goalie Don Simmons. Andy Hebenton and Dean Prentice each have hat tricks as Boston wins its third straight game for the first time in almost four years. Shaking off this debacle, the veteran Leafs team will win their third straight Stanley Cup this spring.
B I R T H D A Y S
Syl Apps b. 1915
Curt Flood b. 1938
Mark Messier b. 1961
Brady Anderson b. 1964
Mike Lieberthal b. 1972
January 17, 2004
Delonte West leads St. Joseph’s to an 81-73 victory over Xavier in Cincinnati. West, a junior guard and silky-smooth left-handed shooter, hits 9-for-9 from two-point range, 3-for-3 on treys and 6-for-6 from the foul line for a career-high 33 points. The Hawks will complete a perfect regular season (27-0), earning their first-ever No. 1 national ranking, before stumbling to Xavier in the Atlantic-10 tournament and Oklahoma State in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tourney.
B I R T H D A Y S
Jacques Plante b. 1929
Kip Keino b. 1940
Muhammad Ali b. 1942
Chili Davis b. 1960
Jeremy Roenick b. 1970
