Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 6, 1990 TAG: 9003061810
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Short
The Spiders (22-9) avenged the worst defeat in Dick Tarrant's nine years as coach - a 77-43 loss to the Dukes earlier this season - and earned the league's automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.
Top-seeded James Madison's record fell to 20-10.
Fess Irvin scored nine consecutive points to give the Dukes a 55-52 lead midway through the second half.
But Atkinson scored five points and former Patrick Henry High standout Curtis Blair had three as second-seeded Richmond went on an 8-0 run, taking the lead for good at 62-59 on a three-point play by Blair at the 6:48 mark.
The closest James Madison got the rest of the way was 72-70 on Irvin's 12-foot jumper from a wing with 1:12 left.
Richmond's Terry Connolly converted a three-point play with 34 seconds remaining to give Richmond its biggest lead of the second half, 75-70.
The Dukes missed five shots in the closing seconds.
Richmond led almost the entire first half, building its advantage to as many as six points four times, the last at 35-29 on a short jumper by Scott Stapleton with 2:55 left.
Steve Hood, who led James Madison with 29 points, scored four as the Dukes closed the half with an 8-3 run that cut the margin to 38-37.
Hood, with 91 points in the three-game tournament, broke the CAA record of 80 points set by Navy's David Robinson in 1986.
Kenny Wood added 15 points for Richmond, Blair had 12 - all in the second half - and Stapleton 10.
Irvin added 17 for James Madison and Billy Coles had 13.
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB