Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, February 24, 1991                   TAG: 9102240068
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Bill Brill
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE                                 LENGTH: Medium

DAWN OF WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SHINES BRIGHTLY AT UVA

Magic Johnson. Larry Bird. The kind of basketball players about which it has become a cliche to say, "They make everybody else better."

Meet Dawn Staley.

The Dawn of women's basketball - later we will discuss the first legitimate home sellout for Virginia - has career averages of 17 points, six rebounds and five assists.

The scoring and rebounding is down this year. The assists are up, and so is UVa, which played in the Final Four in 1990.

The Cavaliers have been No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for 13 of 14 weeks this year; they have participated in the historic 123-120 triple-overtime victory at North Carolina State that was the best college game of the season (any gender); and they have achieved that because, to Dawn Staley, less has been more.

When Tonya Cardoza, a senior who missed a year because of academics, returned this season, UVa coach Debbie Ryan knew something had to give. Cardoza is a scorer; there aren't that many points available, even on a team that averages 93.

"I thought Tammi Reiss would score less," Ryan said. Instead, it has been Staley, who nevertheless should become the national player of the year.

Listed as 5 feet 6 - Reiss calls her guard running mate 5-5; she's 5- 1/4 shoeless - Staley had her second triple-double of the season Saturday as UVa whipped seventh-ranked N.C. State 95-78 in frenzied, full University Hall.

It was the second triple-double in UVa history, just the third ever in the ACC. Showing her propensity for the big games, Staley's other triple came in the first N.C. State game.

Grinning, Reiss admitted she helped out. The clock was winding down, the Cavaliers were on the fast break and Melanee Wagener had yelled to Staley, "Dawn, you need one more assist."

Staley was ahead of the field with less than five seconds to play, but Reiss was on the wing. "I'm behind you," she yelled to her fellow junior.

"Tammi wanted the ball, so I gave it to her," Staley said.

Layup with three seconds left. Tenth assist, in a building where they are given judiciously (just ask John Crotty). Also, 23 points, 11 rebounds.

The latter is the telling number. UVa's front line includes the Burge twins, each a smidgeon less than 6-5, and 6-2 Wagener.

N.C. State countered with Rhonda Mapp, a 6-3 version of J.R. Reid, plus 6-3 Sharon Manning and, off the bench, 6-5 Teri Whyte.

So Staley led all rebounders.

With 13:06 left, UVa led 61-58, having seen N.C. State twice force ties after trailing by 10 at halftime.

Of Virginia's next 26 points, Staley scored 17 and passed off for seven more. She was responsible - either by basket, assist or pass inside to a player who was fouled - for 30 of the last 34 points.

She wouldn't even say it was her best game, although Ryan, Reiss and Cardoza did.

But, like the rest of the team, she was thrilled by the crowd. "They got what they expected," Staley said. Got what they wanted is more like it.

The other full house came five years ago, the now-infamous "hotdog" game, a promotion against North Carolina that attracted 11,174 and the fire marshal to University Hall.

They sat in the aisles and UVa lost and it was a lot more pomp than circumstance. It also was costly. A postgame ruling by the fire officials permanently reduced the building's capacity by 500 fans.

"This crowd was terrific," said Ryan. "It was a lot different from hotdog night. They were excited about the players and the team."

It was a different UVa crowd, too. The fat-cats weren't here, a point not lost on spectator Gene Corrigan, the ACC commissioner. "It was a lot like the Duke students," he said. "No reserved seats, so the people who came early got the best seats and made the most noise."

They did, too. And they enjoyed what Staley accomplished.

"I want to give the team what they need," she said. "I contribute what's needed."

You could say that was Johnsonesque or Birdish. A star wasn't born, but surely acknowledged.