Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 9, 1993 TAG: 9302090157
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRIS BACHELDER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
MAROONS SURGE TO VICTORY
Roanoke had a comfortable second-half lead over Lynchburg on Monday night before the Hornets turned the game around.Maroons shooter Mike Thornton turned it back.
Thornton's made-to-order four-point play with 2 minutes, 30 seconds remaining sparked a game-winning run in Roanoke's 73-69 Old Dominion Athletic Conference basketball victory at the Bast Center.
Hilliary Scott added four of his career-high 34 points and Rick Becker swatted away two key shots in the final 1:40 of the Maroons' drive.
Lynchburg's Ryan O'Rourke hit his second straight 3-pointer with 2:41 remaining to cap a 22-6 run and give the Hornets a 66-62 lead.
Eleven seconds later, Thornton nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key as Lynchburg's Jay Gentry knocked him down. Thornton converted the free throw to make the score 66-66.
"That was a big-time shot," said Roanoke coach Page Moir. "That was the key play of the game."
"I didn't see it go in, but Hilliary ran over and told me it went," said Thornton, who made one field goal and five free throws in 15 minutes. "[Fellow shooting guard] Kevin [Martin] and I are used to coming off the bench cold. You've got to be ready to shoot."
With 1:40 left, Becker blocked Tirrell White's shot back to him, and Maroons point guard Dustin Fonder stripped away the ball. On the other end, Scott hit a contested 15-foot baseline jumper to put the Maroons (15-5 overall, 10-4 ODAC) up 70-68 with a minute to go.
With 35 seconds remaining, Becker stuffed Anthony Cummings' shot and Roanoke made five of six free throws to pull away.
"Rick is a good shot blocker," Moir said. "He's 6-8 and he's got long arms. It's bad when we've got our 6-3 or 6-4 guys going for the NBA block, but Rick has the freedom to go for it."
Becker, in his second game back from a shoulder injury, made seven of 10 free throws and finished with 11 points. Martin made three 3-pointers and also had 11 points.
Scott, a junior from Lynchburg, again was Roanoke's top offensive threat. He scored 22 points in the first half and finished 13-for-17 from the field and 7-for-7 on free throws.
For the 14th time in 20 games, Scott led Roanoke in scoring. He also set a career high against his hometown college for the second time this season. He had 32 points in an 81-70 win last month.
"I know all the guys on Lynchburg, and I take it personally when we play them," Scott said. "We've got to win so I can go home over the summer."
Cummings, the former Cave Spring High School player, led Lynchburg (5-15, 3-11) with 22 points. He scored eight straight in one stretch to help the Hornets turn a 12-point deficit - 56-44 at 11:41 - to a four-point lead.
Scott scored 16 of his team's first 26 points, and the Maroons led by 14 in the first half. Roanoke took a 39-27 lead into halftime. \
see microfilm for box score