Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 9, 1991 TAG: 9103090376
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
The Cavaliers scored 26 points in the final 9:34 and knocked off third-seeded Wake Forest 70-66 in the first round of the ACC Tournament at the Charlotte Coliseum.
Sixth-seeded Virginia (21-10) will meet North Carolina, a 67-59 winner over Clemson, in the semifinals today at 3:30 p.m.
It was only the fourth victory in the past 10 games for UVa, which this week dropped out of the Top 25 for the first time all season and had jeopardized a once-certain NCAA invitation.
"Basically, the players responded to everything we asked them this week," said Jeff Jones, who now has more victories than any first-year basketball coach in ACC history.
"We asked them to concentrate and really pay attention in practice and, when the time came, to give everything they had for 40 minutes and allow our experience to come through at the end."
Substituting as infrequently as they have all season, the Cavaliers finished the game with a lineup made up of three seniors and two sophomores - players who helped UVa reach the ACC final in 1990.
Nobody played a bigger role than senior point guard John Crotty, who finished with a game-high 23 points, including a baseline drive that put UVa ahead 67-64 with 34.6 seconds remaining. "I think we could almost smell a [UVa] breakdown offensively," Wake coach Dave Odom said, "and we extended our defense further than necessary. That was the key shot in the game. It was a killer."
After freshman Rodney Rogers missed a 3-pointer, UVa guard Anthony Oliver hit two free throws with 15.1 seconds remaining to put the Cavaliers on top by five.
Oliver, making his first start since suffering a broken hand Jan. 21, was 4-of-4 from the line and finished with 12 points. Over the last two years, UVa has a 21-4 record when Oliver scores in double figures.
"That's a very significant statistic," Jones said. "I thought Anthony was outstanding, not just because of his scoring, but because of his defense on Robert Siler and Randolph Childress."
Oliver spent most of the game on Siler, who played 28 minutes but did not score. Childress did not score in the first half and finished with 12 points.
"Their guards did an excellent job of penetration and controlled our guards like they haven't been controlled for the past month," Odom said. "Anthony Oliver's presence made a big difference."
It was the fifth straight loss in ACC Tournament play for the Deacons, who fell to 18-10 but appear likely to receive an NCAA bid for the first time since 1984.
The game was a defensive struggle for 30 minutes, with the Deacons taking their largest lead at 46-42 on a jumper by Derrick McQueen with 10:46 remaining.
UVa had struggled offensively until that point, particularly Bryant Stith, who was 3-of-11 shooting for the night when he ended a 20-minute scoring drought by hitting a foul-line jumper with 10:31 remaining.
It was the beginning of a 7-0 run that included two Stith jumpers, a Stith free throw, a Stith steal and a Stith assist on a jumper by Crotty from the right wing.
Wake Forest went to a zone, which has been the Cavaliers' nemesis in recent games, but UVa scored on three straight possessions - including a 3-pointer and a two-pointer by Crotty - and the Deacons went back to man-to-man.
"It was as important as much for our confidence as anything," Crotty said. "They also went to zone for a short time in the first half and we shot them out of it both times."
The Cavaliers shot 50 percent in the second half to finish at 44.6 for the game. Wake shot 44.9 percent from the field and the biggest difference between the teams statistically might have been UVa's 35-28 rebounding margin.
"I felt the story of the game was the offensive rebounding [13-8 in UVa's factors] and the way Virginia went after the loose balls, particularly Kenny Turner," Odom said.
Turner finished with 15 points and seven rebounds and Stith had 14 points and eight rebounds. Rogers, limited to 28 minutes by foul trouble, led the Deacons with 23 points and six rebounds.
Nobody was any happier than Oliver, who scored six points in the final 5:43, including two free throws with 3:30 left that put the Cavs ahead 62-54.
"I think I have more confidence in my free-throw shooting than anybody on the team," said Oliver, who is 18-of-22 from the line for the season. "But just starting made all the difference in the world."
FOR INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM SCORING, SEE MICROFILM.
by CNB