Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 3, 1991 TAG: 9103030089
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RALEIGH, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
No, not Monroe and Corchiani, the seniors who were playing their last game before the Wolfpack faithful. Instead, Rodney Rogers and Chris King threw the victory party after Wake Forest spoiled the day with an 89-84 ACC basketball win.
The Demon Deacons' party got cranked up when Anthony Tucker made two free throws with 23.3 seconds left. King added two free throws with 11.7 seconds to play. Rogers led Wake Forest with 21 points, one of five players in double figures.
"Obviously, I'm not sorry we won, but I have a lot of sadness for two of the best players this conference has ever had," Wake Forest coach Dave Odom said. "They both played great, but our team played just a little better."
Wake Forest (18-9 overall, 8-6 ACC) nailed down a third-place tie in the ACC, the Deacons' best finish since a fourth in 1984. Because they've beaten the Wolfpack twice, Wake Forest earned the third seed for Friday's ACC tournament, in which it will play the 9 p.m. game against sixth-seeded Virginia.
Corchiani didn't go away empty-handed, though. He became the first player in NCAA history to reach the 1,000-assist mark for a career. He got it with 1:16 left in the first half on a pass to Monroe.
But it may have been the suspense of watching Corchiani pass and Monroe shoot that affected the N.C. State performance, Odom guessed.
"I don't think it affected Rodney and Chris, but it did the others," he said. "I can't say for sure that happened, but it didn't hurt us."
Corchiani's record-setting assist to Monroe gave the Wolfpack a 46-45 lead, but it was one of 12 lead changes in the first half alone. The final reversal came on a 3-pointer by Derrick McQueen and a free throw by Rogers with 6.5 seconds left to give the Deacons a 49-46 halftime lead.
Corchiani finished with 12 assists for a career total of 1,004.
Wake Forest stretched its halftime lead to 74-62 on an Anthony Tucker layup with 9:20 left. But as the Wolfpack has done all season, it made a second-half charge. This one fell short.
A 3-pointer by Monroe with 1:58 left pulled the Wolfpack to 83-81, but Rogers came back with a jumper from the low post with 1:15 left for an 85-81 Wake lead. Tom Gugliotta scored with 55.7 seconds left for N.C. State (18-9, 8-6), but the Wolfpack was forced to foul to try and catch up, and Tucker and King cashed in.
"We finished tied for third and it was disappointing today, but I'm happy with the progress of the entire season," N.C. State coach Les Robinson said. "For the seniors, it was their last game, and that is the only significant thing about this loss."
N.C. State will be seeded fourth and face No. 5 Georgia Tech in the ACC tournament's first round. It gives Monroe and Corchiani their chance at redemption as well as a postseason bid, something they missed last year because of NCAA probation.
"I hope they still have a lot of basketball left," Robinson said. "I don't want to talk too much about last games. They still can have a great finish."
McQueen had 16 points for Wake, with Tucker, King and Robert Siler scoring 14 each.
Monroe, third all-time scorer in ACC history and No. 1 at N.C. State, finished with 32 points for the Wolfpack, which lost its first home game after 13 consecutive victories.
see microfilm for box score
by CNB