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By Terry Holman
Monitor Sports Editor
Original Print Date: October 19, 1975
EDINBURG - Guard Mike Newlin and forward Rudy Tomjanovich pumped in a pair of free throws apiece in the closing seconds of overtime Saturday night to ignite the Houston Rockets over the San Antonio Spurs in the Pan American University field house, 113-109, to claim the Texas pro basketball championship outright.
One week earlier, the Rockets shot past the Spurs 108-95.
Guard George Karl had knotted the count at 109-109 with 35 seconds left, but then Newlin got two when he was found by the desperate Spurs, then Tomjanovich put it on ice with a couple of freebies with just four seconds remaining.
The Spurs had overcome a last-ditch Rocket rally as James Silas missed one free throw then deliberately missed the second with San Antonio on the short end of a 101-99 score. But Silas grabbed the rebound that bounced right back into his hands and fired a 15-foot jumper with two seconds left in regulation to deadlock it at 101-101 and force the five-minutes overtime period.
Silas led all scorers with 31 while teammates George Karl, Larry Kenon and George Gervin popped in 17, 13 and 10 points respectively. Little Calvin Murphy paced the victorious Rockets with 28 followed by Tomjanovich with 18 and Ed Ratleff and Kevin Kunnert with 17 each. Newlin counted 12.
This marked the final exhibition games for the ABA Spurs, who dropped to 5-3. The Rockets, of the NBA, hiked their record to 5-1. The first half was run by NBA rules and the ABA rules, including the red, white and blue ball, were used in the last 24 minutes.
The lead switched ownership 15 times and there was no more than a seven-point advantage by either club. Houston grabbed a seven-point lead, 43-36, with Murphy’s 15-footer with 4:15 left in the second quarter. San Antonio got its six-point advantage, 76-70, on Silas’ 17-foot side shot with just six seconds left in the third period.
Both teams were sizzling-hot from the floor with the Rockets a hair better, 42.6 percent to 41.8 percent for the Spurs. Houston’s Newlin was the top rebounder for the night with 17. Billy Paultz of San Antonio swept the boards for 11 and Kenon got 10.
Use of story courtesy of The Monitor
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