ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 4, 1996 TAG: 9602050077
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LEXINGTON
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
After dispatching with Division I plebe Wofford on Saturday, VMI finally could turn its thoughts toward its archenemy, The Citadel.
As if the Keydets weren't thinking about Monday night's barracks battle with the Bulldogs already.
It took VMI about 31 minutes of college basketball time before finally turning its attention to matters at hand and running off with an 80-66 win over once-victorious Wofford.
Like most snowbound Western Virginians, the Keydets were glad to be home, as VMI (9-7) ran its Cameron Hall record to 7-0 this season. The Keydets, who have won 14 straight home games dating to last season, are off to their best start at home since the 1977-78 team started 9-0 at the old VMI Fieldhouse.
VMI shot 70 percent in the second half and used a 22-2 explosion late in the game to wriggle itself free of the Terriers (1-16), who had pared a seven-point halftime deficit to 55-53 with 9:17 to play.
``It was easy to take this game lightly because of their record,'' said VMI forward Brent Conley. ``We weren't mentally prepared early. We were pretty sure we were going to win ... we just had to play through. Our press eventually wears teams down.''
Conley had 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds, and his 3-pointer from the left corner with 8:36 left was a key basket in a 9-0 run that opened VMI's lead to 64-53. Lester Johnson, who also scored 15, followed Conley's basket with a three-point play and Jason Bell made a fast-break layup off a behind-the-back pass from Jon Dillon to finish the scoring surge.
Bobby Prince scored 11 on 5-for-5 shooting.
Wofford had stayed close behind Natter Miller's game-high 23 points, but the Terriers managed just one field goal during a late six-minute stretch.
``Sometimes you forget what got you here, and for us that's defense,'' said VMI coach Bart Bellairs. ``Defense creates offense for us. When they were getting good looks at the basket, we weren't doing what we wanted to do.''
VMI led by 13 points in the first half by making seven straight shots at one point. A couple of the more impressive of those were by senior reserve center Larry Osborne, a 6-foot-9 shot-blocking specialist who was averaging 1.1 points per game in his career.
Osborne, a favored son of Cameron Hall fans, warmed up with a long jumper from the free-throw circle and followed that with a 10-footer as the crowd chanted ``Lar-ry! Lar-ry! Lar-ry!''
He finished with a career-high seven points on 3-for-3 shooting, grabbed five rebounds and blocked a shot in 18 minutes of work - double the amount of playing time he sees on average.
``Larry's the man,'' Bellairs said. ``I told him I was going to hire a hypnotist to get him going. He has such athletic ability, he can be an intimidating inside presence.''
It didn't take much to deter the smaller Terriers, who gave a decent showing for a team that has beaten only NAIA Division II Tusculum this season.
Wofford, a former solid NCAA Division II program which joins the Southern Conference in 1997-98, has had a tough indoctrination to Division I. Its schedule has been ranked among the top 40 in the country.
The Terriers, who bussed from Spartanburg, S.C., to Roanoke on Friday, have played at - and lost to - N.C. State, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Auburn and South Carolina (a game they led 39-36 at halftime).
``It's a little less enjoyable now than it was a month ago,'' said Wofford coach Richard Johnson, whose team plays at 24th-ranked Clemson on Tuesday. ``The scheduling and recruiting as an independent is difficult. The travel is fatiguing. We got caught in the first `Blizzard of '96' in New York [at Army] and the second `Blizzard of '96' in Roanoke. That's made it tough.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 72 linesby CNB