Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 9, 1991 TAG: 9103090315
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRIS BACHELDER SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
There is another basketball tournament being waged crosstown in the "Dun Dome" - that is, the Bast Center - where a banner welcomes opponents to the home of coach Susan Dunagan and her Lady Maroons.
It is where a crowd of 764 - with not a transistor radio in sight - witnessed Roanoke's latest triumph, an 84-74 victory over Luther (Iowa) in the NCAA Division III women's tournament Friday night.
The victory propels the Maroons (28-1), ranked eighth in the final Division III poll, into tonight's South Regional championship game against Washington College (23-5), which defeated Marymount 73-59 in the first game of Friday's doubleheader.
Tip-off tonight is at 7:30 p.m., and the winner will advance to the Division III Women's Final Four on March 15-16.
It took a rally Friday for Roanoke to pull off its 25th consecutive home victory and halt the 14-game winning streak of Iowa Conference champion Luther.
The Norse - who began the season 1-6 but finished 18-6 and ranked 10th - came out with pressure defense and hot shooting.
Against the ball-hawking, trapping defense, a jittery Roanoke team committed 18 first-half turnovers and went into halftime trailing 42-36.
"[In the first half], the kids weren't playing like they are capable," Dunagan said. "I think we were a little nervous, to tell the truth. It's the first time we've been in this situation.
"They [Luther] are an excellent team, but I knew there was no way that team should beat us. The kids responded and our bench finally came through and wore them down."
The Maroons came out of intermission in control. Roanoke turned the tables, creating steals and turnovers with defensive pressure and converting offensively.
A 6-0 run to start the half tied the score at 42, and a 16-4 surge over a six-minute period put Roanoke in good shape, ahead 70-63 with four minutes remaining.
Reserve guard Debbie Puch, a sophomore from Salem, sank two 3-pointers in a 30-second span to spark the Maroons' run. Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of the Year and Roanoke's only senior, 6-foot Karen Jenkins, dominated the second half, scoring 20 of her game-high 28 points.
"In the second half, we just kept pushing and pushing," Jenkins said. "We know when we get down, we just have to turn up the defense and wear them down.
"I want to take this as far as we can."
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by CNB