Women Impress In Debut Atlanta Wins Exhibition As Roundtree Looks Sharp

(From Replay, October 17, 1996:) Atlanta Glory professional women’s basketball player Teresa Edwards was misidentified in Wednesday’s photo caption on page C1.

It didn’t really look like a professional basketball exhibition.

No slams, no going through the motions, no inyour-face disgrace, everybody signing autographs after the game.

This game, won convincingly by the Atlanta Glory 81-65 over the Seattle Reign, was a victory for women’s professional basketball. If every game in the American Basketball League is played with this kind of honest effort, the new league has a shot.

But if dedication doesn’t sell quite like fireworks, well, there’s Saudia Roundtree to bank on. The swift, 21-year-old guard out of Georgia, the reigning NCAA player of the year, led the Glory with a game-high 24 points on shots ranging from the hanging layup to the buzzer-beating 3-pointer. She threw in a couple of behind-the-back passes, stole the ball five times and eventually stole the show.

“This league has given me freedom to just play,” Roundtree said. “I love to do things for the kids in the stands - they want to see the excitement. They don’t want to see you set it up all the time. They want to see the steals and the 3-point shot. Just make them feel like they’re a part of getting into it.”

In keeping with the sisterly nature of the dawning of women’s pro hoops, Roundtree deferred credit to her running mate, the older but equally impressive Teresa Edwards (14 points, seven assists, four steals).

“It’s an honor to be on the same court with her,” Roundtree said. “Sometimes I really can’t believe it, I’m on the same floor with Teresa Edwards. She runs this team. We’re here just to make it better.”

The Reign did have their moments while dropping their second exhibition start heading into Friday night’s regular-season opener in Denver. Tari Phillips delivered a rousing national anthem, then scored the game’s first points, beating everybody for a layin off the break.

Where else in pro sports will you see that combination?

Admittedly playing herself into basketball shape, Phillips still has a quick first step - especially for a strong, 6-foot-3 forward. She used it to score 11 points. University of Washington great Rhonda Smith came off the bench for 12, mostly with putbacks off her six offensive rebounds. Angel Aycock, a 6-2 forward from Kansas, had 11 points for a Seattle team that had to do without starting center Venus Lacy.

Slowed by a knee strain, Lacy was limited to 9 minutes, all in the first half.

Many of the 1,841 left the Arena buzzing over the glory of the guards, Edwards and Roundtree, who’s 11 years Edwards’ junior.

The Reign played from behind almost from the start, trailing 7-2 after 2 minutes.

Said Roundtree: “I don’t believe in half doing something, even if it’s an exhibition game. I want to go out and play hard. I see NBA teams just going through the motions. Hey, they don’t play until playoffs and that’s crazy.”, Can the 5-7, 143-pound darter from Anderson, S.C., play this hard 40 games into the season, or will she learn to pace herself and save her body? Like a pro.

“Game 40?” Roundtree said. “It’s going to be mental. You have to keep pushing.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo