You’re reading a story from Sidelines 100, a project showcasing a century of student storytelling at Middle Tennessee State University. Sidelines 100 plans to highlight 100 stories from the newspaper archives this fall and spring.
This story originally ran in the Dec. 22, 1988, edition of Sidelines. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay on top of all things Sidelines 100.
Trailing 81-70 with under 6:30 remaining and with the Soviet National team riding a 15-0 lead, it seemed that MTSU’s chances for an upset were slim to none. Closer to none.
Thankfully, the Blue Raiders did not remember they were playing the same team which won the gold medal in Seoul.
Thankfully, they forgot they were supposed to lose.
After all, North Carolina, Kansas State, Ohio State and Vanderbilt all fell to this team. Only Tennessee and UNLV (two top twenty teams) had beaten the Soviets and both of those times Arvidas Sabonis, the dominating 7-2 Soviet center, was absent with a leg injury. Sabonis was playing in this game. Thankfully, the Raiders forgot they were at a distinct height disadvantage.
The MTSU front line was 6-6, 6-7 and 6-9. The Soviets were 6-3, 6-9, 7-2. Thankfully “Lightning” struck the Soviets.
With 6:15 Gerald Harris got two points off of a fast break and Mike Buck added a bucket to make the score 81-74. Valdemaras Khomichus countered for the Soviets. Randy Henry hit both ends of a 1-and-1 to make it 83-76 when Chris “Lightning” Rainey swished an NBA three-pointer to bring the underdogs to within 4.
Aleksandr Volkov followed for the gold medal team to give them a 6-point advantage. Then disaster struck the Soviets. Sabonis fouled Kerry “Thunder” Hammonds with 2:18 remaining and was obliged to exit.
Harris hit two freebies to make it 85-81 and with 29 remaining Lightning struck with another three-pointer to bring the Raiders to within 1.
Rimas Kurtinaitis hit the front portion of a 1-and-1 to give the Soviets a one basket lead. With 16 re- maining Rainey provided the basket to tie the battle and send the contest into overtime.
“They just rolled up their sleeve and went to it,” a smiling MTSU coach Bruce Stewart said after the game in a manner which made the listener think he was talking of his kid who just was named valedictorian. “They just wanted to win. It’s unfair that this game doesn’t count,” Stewart said.
At the outset of overtime the basket trading which marked the first 30 minutes of game continued. Volkov scored first, Hammonds tied the contest, Valeri Goborov dunked one to put the Soviets up 90-88. Henry tied it with two freebies and with 3:13 left Hammonds hit a free throw to give MTSU the lead.
Khomichus scored on a fast break to change the lead, Harris countered and Khomichus nailed a three- pointer to put the Soviets up 95-93 with 1:00 left in overtime.
However, 03 later, Kur- tinaitis fouled out and sent Harris to the line with a 1- and-1. Harris came through and nailed both to tie the contest. Thirty seconds later, Rainey was sent to the line and put the Raiders up 97- 95. After Harris missed the front end of a trip to the charity stripe, the Soviets attempted to take a time out.
Unfortunately for them, they did not have one and were called for a two-shot technical. Lightning nailed both to ice the win and then was intentionally fouled on the inbounds pass.
He put the game out of reach 101-95 by hitting his fifth and sixth free throws in the final :27.
“All I was thinking of was to make the first one so I could shoot the second one,” an estatic Rainey said of his last-second free throw heroics.
This 101-95 overtime win was bigger than the National Invitational Tournament wins over Southeastern Conference opponents Tennessee and Georgia last year, Lightning said.
“It’s a much bigger win,” he said, “since they won the gold medal.”
Rainey led the Raiders in scoring with 27. Khomichus also had 27 to tie for game high. Rainey led the game in assists with 5, rebounds with 11. Thunder and Lightning each had two blocked shots to lead the game.
When asked after the game what coaching magic he had when the Raiders were down by 11, Stewart replied: “I told Chris Rainey to shoot the ball.”
“He needed to have the green light,” Stewart said.
The Soviet coach took a different approach to his third loss in the 11 game U.S. Friendship Tour. He saw a team which was outquicked. He also blamed the officiating.
To contact the Sidelines 100 editor, email sidelines100@mtsusidelines.com.
For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, and follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on X and Instagram at @mtsusidelines. Also, sign up for our weekly newsletter here.
