ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 18, 1996 TAG: 9601180092
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
If Virginia was attempting to make a statement Wednesday night, prospects are not bright for the second half of the Cavaliers' basketball season.
UVa, hoping that a weekend victory over Duke would provide some momentum, instead took a step backward in a 67-53 loss to 10th-ranked North Carolina.
The 14-point margin did not begin to tell the story as the Tar Heels (13-3 overall, 4-1 ACC) dominated Virginia in all phases and pulled away despite shooting 38.6 percent from the field.
``I thought the scene was set for a heckuva contest [with] a ranked team coming in here, the students back and us having a little more confidence,'' UVa coach Jeff Jones said. ``But this game was all Carolina.''
Virginia, once ranked as high as 15th in the country, fell to 7-6 overall and 2-3 in the ACC as it prepared for a three-game road stretch against Georgia Tech, No. 6-ranked Wake Forest and No. 5 Connecticut.
``In some ways, we're fighting for our lives,'' Jones said. ``We're not going to chuck it and say, `What happens, happens.' But, the truth is, that's [the opposition] not really important.''
Virginia, coming off a season-high 51-percent shooting effort against Duke, shot only 32.2 percent from the field. But that wasn't UVa's most glaring inadequacy. The Tar Heels outrebounded the Cavaliers 57-32.
``I can remember being outrebounded before,'' Jones said. ``But, I can't remember us being outrebounded by 25. At times, they shot till they made it or threw it away.''
And, there's no help on the way. Jones confirmed after the game that 6-9 signee Melvin Whitaker, who has met NCAA academic guidelines, will not be admitted to school for the second semester.
Jones said it is Whitaker's intention to find a job in Charlottesville for the remainder of the school year, enroll in UVa's Transition Program this summer and play for the Cavaliers next season.
For the second game in a row, 7-foot-4 Chase Metheney started at center for the Cavaliers, but Metheney did not score and had only one rebound in 13 minutes - that coming with 10.8 seconds remaining, against the Carolina reserves.
Fifth-year senior Chris Alexander had one of his best games of late, with 10 rebounds, but he was no match for the younger, quicker Tar Heels. UNC got only one rebound from 7-2 Serge Zwikker in the first half but still outrebounded the Cavaliers 28-13.
Antawn Jamison, a 6-7 freshman who is one of the leading candidates for ACC rookie of the year, led the Tar Heels with 16 points and 20 rebounds. The last Carolina player to have 20 rebounds in a game was Mike O'Koren in 1979.
``It's the kind of player I am,'' Jamison said. ``Most people say they want to go out and score 20 points. I say I want to get 13 or 14 rebounds.''
Sophomore guard Curtis Staples had a team-high 17 points for Virginia, which cut a 39-28 halftime deficit to 41-33 early in the second half. But UVa failed to score on three straight possessions when it could have cut Carolina's lead to six or less.
A 3-point basket by Staples - his fourth of five - brought UVa as close as 43-36 with 16:39 remaining, but Carolina went on a 13-3 run that effectively put the game out of reach.
Harold Deane, averaging nearly 24 points in ACC play, made only three of 14 shots from the field and finished with 10 points. Courtney Alexander needed seven points in the final 3:59 for a total of 10, his eighth straight game in double figures.
Alexander scored 19 points Saturday in a 77-66 victory over Duke, but did not make his first appearance Wednesday until 12:44 remained in the half. His anxiety was visible as he sat on the bench.
``I never got in sync, never got in a groove,'' Alexander said. ``Was I angry? I was more confused than anything. It definitely stayed on my [mind] for the whole game, and part of that was my fault.
``It's funny because, before the game, I thought we were on an all-time high. We were really focused, really ready to play. But, they basically outworked us, outhustled us and flat-out outplayed us.''
Jones, who usually inserts Alexander around the first television timeout, said the absence of fouls and stoppages of play caused him to stick with his starting lineup longer than usual.
UVa was as close as 19-18 with 8:59 left in the half, but that was followed by a 10-0 Carolina run.
``When the game starts, we don't know what team is going to show up,'' Deane said. ``When you can say that in January, that's bad.
``Virginia has always prided itself on defense and rebounding and right now we're not a typical Virginia team.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 90 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. 1. Vince Carter (right) of North Carolina leans intoby CNBVirginia defender Jamal Robinson during action Wednesday night in
Charlottesville. 2. Dante Calabria (left) of UNC ties up Virginia
guard Harold Deane in the first half. color.