Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 2, 1990 TAG: 9003023086
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
A festive crowd never had a chance to celebrate as Wake Forest stunned the Cavaliers 51-50 in Holland's final game as UVa's basketball coach at University Hall.
The Deacons, coached by former Cavaliers aide Dave Odom, rallied from a 10-point deficit behind sophomore Anthony Tucker, who had 12 of Wake's last 14 points.
"If we had to lose, I guess it's best that we lost to Dave Odom and Wake Forest," said Holland, who is stepping down after 16 seasons to become the athletic director at Davidson.
Wake, which led for the first time at 48-47 with 4:15 left, enjoyed its widest margin at 51-48 following a reverse layup by Tucker with 2:01 remaining.
Tucker missed the front end of a one-and-one with three seconds remaining, giving Virginia one last opportunity, but Matt Blundin's length-of-the-court inbound pass went over the head of Bryant Stith and out of bounds.
Stith, held to a season-low seven points on 3-of-13 shooting from the field, had stepped out of bounds on a drive to the basket with six seconds left.
"We all realized it was Coach Holland's last game and wanted to play our best," Stith said. "When things didn't go our way - in particular, when things didn't go my way - we let it get to us.
"I'm not disappointed with the loss. I can accept the loss. I'm disappointed in my individual performance, even though I should be more team-oriented than that."
It was the second consecutive ACC victory but only the second of the season for the Deacons (2-12 in the conference, 11-15 overall). They defeated Maryland 84-74 on Saturday. Virginia's record dropped to 6-7 and 17-9.
"It was bittersweet, but much more sweet than bitter," Odom said. "It helps that they're in the [NCAA] Tournament. There's no way they can keep them out."
On hand for Holland's finale were more than 25 of his former players, as well as Holland look-alike Tom Smith, president of Food Lion Inc.
It was believed that Smith's appearance would add some levity to an occasion that otherwise might have been to emotional for some of the participants. The UVa promotions office distributed masks with Holland's likeness on one side and Smith's on the other.
Other notable guests included NCAA Executive Director Dick Schultz, ACC Commissioner Gene Corrigan, three past or present UVa presidents, former Holland assistant and NBA head coach Mike Schuler and songwriter Bruce Hornsby.
Minutes after his team had taken the floor for pregame warmups, Holland emerged from the locker room to a chorus of "Hail to the Chief" from the UVa pep band and a standing ovation from the crowd.
The game also marked the final U-Hall appearance for seniors Jeff Daniel and Mark Cooke, both of whom were in the starting lineup. Cooke hit UVa's first shot and Daniel made a block on the ensuing Wake possession.
The Cavaliers raced to a 7-0 lead but, after going ahead 10-2, missed their next nine shots. It was a sign of things to come on a night when UVa shot a season-low 30.8 percent from the field.
"I think maybe our guys were trying too hard," Holland said. "I think we did the things we normally do except for making a few shots. I think you could see the frustration finally start to affect us."
Stith, who had 37 points in the first game between the teams this season, did not score in the first half. John Crotty had nine points in the first 7:56, but only four thereafter.
"I missed about five layups and that was indicative of the whole team," said Kenny Turner, who had a game-high 16 points for UVa. "We played good defense, but you need to score to win."
Wake had beaten Virginia only once previously during Holland's tenure - in 1977, when Odom was a first-year assistant on the staff of then-Deacons coach Carl Tacy.
\ see microfilm for box score
by CNB