Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 9, 1993 TAG: 9302090203
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: TALLAHASSEE, FLA. LENGTH: Medium
SEMINOLES THUMP CAVS
The mysterious hex Virginia has held over Sam Cassell continued Monday night at Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center - for a few minutes.Cassell, shackled by the Cavaliers in three previous meetings, took charge early as 10th-ranked Florida State beat No. 24 Virginia 99-84 and moved into a tie for first place in the ACC basketball standings.
It was the ninth victory in 10 games for the Seminoles (16-6 overall, 7-2 in the ACC).
Virginia (13-5, 5-4) lost despite a career night by senior center Ted Jeffries.
Jeffries matched a career high with 23 points, including his first 3-pointer, and finished with 19 rebounds, the high for a Virginia player since Ralph Sampson in 1982.
"I wish we had everybody playing as well as Ted's playing right now," UVa coach Jeff Jones said. "He's playing well and playing with heart; he's doing a lot of good things out on the floor."
Cassell, a senior guard, scored on four of Florida State's first six possessions and assisted on a fifth as the Seminoles went on a 10-0 run that helped propel them to a 31-14 lead with 7:00 left in the half.
"I wanted to set the tempo," said Cassell, who is playing point guard with Charlie Ward sidelined by a shoulder injury. "I never had a great game against them. This wasn't great, but it's the best I've played against Virginia."
Cassell, a 6-foot-3 senior, was 14-for-54 against the Cavaliers before Monday night, but he took the ball right at UVa point guard Cory Alexander. It was to little avail when UVa went to a zone, then put Cornel Parker on Cassell.
"I'm sure he knew that we had given him trouble," said Alexander, who led UVa with 24 points, 15 in the second half. "I always know when some team has been tough on me."
As potent as Cassell was on the offensive end, it was the Seminoles' trapping defense that threatened to turn the game into a blowout early. UVa had 10 turnovers in the first 13 minutes, seven in a span of 11 possessions.
"That's about as well as we can play offensively," Jones said his team's 50-point second half, "but at no point did we have a handle on Florida State at [the Seminoles'] offensive end."
Florida State's 99 points were the most against Virginia since Michigan defeated the Cavaliers 102-65 in the 1989 NCAA Tournament - a span of 116 games.
"In the first half, I think we were very fortunate just being down eight," Jones said. "We can't get in a situation where we're trading baskets with them."
Virginia trailed 42-34 despite a first-half double-double by Jeffries, who had 12 points and 10 rebounds in the first 20 minutes. Parker hit all five of his field-goal attempts and combined with Jeffries and Alexander to score all but three of UVa's first-half points.
Jeffries scored eight points to start the second half, including a baseline turnaround that cut the deficit to 50-44 with 15:38 left, but the Seminoles used a 9-0 run to stretch their lead to 63-46 before a UVa timeout with 11:24 left.
Florida State, ranked seventh in the ACC in free-throw percentage, made its first nine free throws and 15 of 16. Sophomore guard Bob Sura, a 61-percent shooter on free throws in conference games, made nine of his first 10.
The Seminoles scored on 15 of 21 possessions to start the second half, one reason the Cavaliers were unable to cut into the deficit despite going without a turnover for the first 14 minutes.
Douglas Edwards finished with a game-high 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Seminoles. Sura finished with 20, Cassell added 18 and senior guard Lorenzo Hands had a career-high 13 off the bench.
"Florida State is a really good basketball team that is playing very well right now," Jones said. "I'd hate to see them if they can play much better than this."
Jones' old officemate, Wake Forest coach and former UVa assistant Dave Odom, better beware. The Deacons bring a seven-game winning streak here Wednesday night.
"We beat them up there and they're ranked ahead of us," Cassell said of the ninth-ranked Deacons. "We've beaten them three times the last two years; don't anybody give us credit, and we don't want no credit." \
see microfilm for box score
Memo: a different version of this story ran in the New River edition.