Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 19, 1995 TAG: 9503210072
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Florida women's basketball coach Carol Ross had been telling people she had a different, better team than the one Virginia dusted off and sent home in the second round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament.
Ross didn't mention that Virginia had changed, too. Two years ago, the Cavaliers didn't have freshman Monick Foote.
Foote set a tournament record by burying seven 3-point goals as Virginia beat the Gators 72-67 on Saturday night at University Hall to advance to an NCAA East Region semifinal March 23 in Storrs, Conn. The Cavaliers will play Louisiana Tech, the 1994 NCAA runner-up and a 48-36 winner Saturday over Oklahoma.
``I really don't feel anything right now,'' said Foote, who made seven of 12 shots from beyond the arc on the way to scoring a career-high 23 points. ``After we finish doing what we're supposed to do, I'll feel like celebrating.''
Virginia (26-4) shot 50 percent for the game, 52.2 percent in the second half (12-for-23) while holding the Gators to 33.3 percent shooting in the second half.
Virginia beat Florida 69-55 in the second round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament the last time the teams met. That also was victim No.25 in a Virginia home winning streak that grew to 55 games Saturday.
``Their experience paid off [tonight]. ... I thought that was the difference in the game,'' Ross said.
Foote scored 11 of her 23 points after halftime.
``When she's hitting like that, there's no way anybody can stop her,'' said Virginia guard Jenny Boucek.
As a team, Virginia made 11 of 21 3-point attempts. Tora Suber added three more and Boucek another.
Boucek's came at a particularly harrowing juncture. Florida had rallied to thrice take three-point leads, the last time 58-55 on Takilya Davis' 3-pointer. Foote countered with a 3-pointer with 7:13 left to spark an 8-0 charge.
``We respected the 3-point shot, but we didn't think they'd go on a rampage and shoot with that kind of accuracy from the outside,'' Ross said.
Merlaika Jones cut the deficit to three on a jumper, but Boucek's bomb put the Cavaliers back up by six. Boucek drove into the lane for a layin, after teammate Amy Lofstadt had flagged down a Jones miss, to give Virginia a 68-60 lead with 1:54 left.
Florida got as close as 70-67 when Crystal Parker dropped in a 3-pointer with 51.8 seconds remaining, but the Gators didn't score again.
Florida took 76 shots - 26 more than Virginia - and outrebounded the Cavaliers 41-36, including 18-6 at the offensive end. Wendy Palmer, the ACC's player of the year, had a tough night offensively, scoring only nine points, but she had 15 rebounds to match Davis.
``You're not going to be on every night,'' said Palmer, who scored nine fewer than her average.
Jones struggled, too, shooting 9-for-27 and scoring 21 points, 14 of which came in the second half. Her defense was handled mostly by Charleata Beale in the first half and Boucek in the second half.
``Jenny played her very, very well,'' said Debbie Ryan, Virginia's coach.
Suber finished with 18 points, five rebounds and six assists in 37 minutes.
Suber also made five of nine free throws but was 2-for-6 in the final 1:04. Palmer added a pair of free throws on a one-and-one with 30.9 seconds left to provide the final margin.
Foote was almost as cool while accepting postgame questions as she was on the court in front of 4,250 howling U-Hall customers.
``I didn't feel any more comfortable than I did at any other time this year,'' she said of her performance.
For 30 minutes' work she also chipped in two assists and two blocked shots. That was a little less spectacular than the rest of her night.
\ see microfilm for box score
by CNB