Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 8, 1991 TAG: 9103080467
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Virginia Tech's point guard won an early season basketball game against William and Mary on a last-second shot; Thursday, he won one with several shots.
Wheeler scored the Hokies' last 10 points Thursday, including eight straight free throws in the last 2:47, to lead the sixth-seeded Hokies to a 75-69 upset victory over third-seeded Cincinnati in a first-round Metro Conference Tournament game at the Roanoke Civic Center.
The victory breaks a six-game tournament losing streak for the Hokies, who had been eliminated in the first round of their past five Metro tournaments. Tech plays second-seeded Florida State about 9:30 tonight in one semifinal.
Tech (13-15), continuing its season-ending streak, has won five of its past seven games after coming off a streak of 10 losses in 11 games.
"It comes at the best possible time - the first round of the tournament," said Tech coach Frankie Allen, whose coaching future at Tech has been considered uncertain because of three straight losing seasons.
Cincinnati (17-11) had lost four of six entering Thursday's game. The Bearcats entered the tournament trying to win a league title in its last year in the conference. The Bearcats won the first-ever Metro tournament title, in 1976. Thursday was the Great Midwest-bound Bearcats' last Metro game.
"I don't feel nostalgic at all," Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins said. "A little p----- off, but I don't feel nostalgic."
Tech led most of the game and had a 56-45 lead about halfway through the second half, but the Bearcats went on a 21-7 run to lead 66-63 with about three minutes left.
Jay Purcell passed to Thomas Elliot for a basket, then Wheeler went to work. He was fouled and hit a free throw and bonus with 2:47 left to make it 67-66 Tech.
Next, Wheeler stole a front-court pass and was fouled as he drove to the basket. He hit both free throws for a 69-66 lead with 2:31 to go.
But Cincinnati's Levertis Robinson was fouled and hit a free throw and Herbert Jones scored on a tip-in to tie the score at 69 with 2:10 left.
The teams traded turnovers, Cincinnati's coming when Robinson kicked the ball off his foot. Wheeler picked it up, split two defenders in the frontcourt and hit a playground-style, moving-away-from-the-basket scoop shot that rolled around and in to put Tech up 71-69 with 1:15 left.
That excited the Hokies crowd.
"The way things were going out there, I just felt I was involved in the game, and it just took place," Wheeler said of the shot. "It was something that came up in my head when I was in the air. I couldn't do nothing else with it."
Cincinnati took time out. But Jones missed the front end of a one-and-one and Robinson lost the rebound out of bounds. Wheeler, fouled again, hit two free throws for a 73-69 Hokies lead with 31 seconds left.
Tech then intercepted a Lou Banks pass, and Wheeler was fouled. He gave Tech its final points with 16 seconds left.
The Hokies shot 61 percent from the field - easily their season's best - including a 78 percent performance in the second half, the best-ever one-half performance in a Metro game. Many shots were layups after the Hokies either threw over Cincinnati's press or found a back-door cutter in the half-court offense.
"The big guys are setting better picks, and we're cutting to the ball really hard," said Antony Moses, who had 24 points on 10-for-17 shooting.
Huggins said the normally potent Cincinnati press was a bit tattered on Thursday.
"We didn't make as good rotations as we should have and didn't get back into some places we should've gotten back into," said Huggins, whose team may have spent its chance at an NCAA Tournament at-large bid.
Tech, which nearly blew its upset at Memphis State last Saturday by missing 10 straight free throws, this time relied on Wheeler to guide them.
"He just went up there and knocked them down," Banks said. "Nine out of 10. That's 90 percent."
In the first half, Tech used three straight 3-pointers from Wheeler as a springboard to a 26-16 lead with about eight minutes left and held on to lead 36-31 at halftime.
see microfilm for box score
by CNB