Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 19, 1992 TAG: 9201190190
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN SMALLWOOD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
MAROONS CLIP GUILFORD 91-78
Going into a three-game Old Dominion Athletic Conference road trip, Roanoke College needed a positive note to build on.As up and down as the Maroons have been, it's hard to tell whether Saturday night's 91-78 victory over Guilford College in an ODAC men's basketball game was just another crest in Roanoke's win-then-lose pattern or the spark that finally could ignite a winning streak.
Roanoke (7-7 overall, 4-3 in the league) hasn't won back-to-back games since the first week of December. The Maroons will try again for consecutive victories when they travel to Emory & Henry on Monday.
"We've won then lost, but we've always played hard," said Roanoke coach Page Moir. "The losses probably had more to do with the competition we've played. I think we've always come ready to play, and while we've had some inconsistencies in certain areas, the effort has always been consistent and good."
Against Guilford (7-5, 3-3), Roanoke streaked to a good lead, let the Quakers get back in the game, then pulled away down the stretch.
The Maroons got 21 points from sophomore wing Hillary Scott, and, as a result of 37 personal fouls by Guilford, attempted a school-record 58 free throws.
Though they missed 22 attempts, which put them at the season average of 63 percent, the Maroons got 36 points on free throws, more than enough to make a difference in the score. Twenty-eight of Roanoke's 59 second-half points came on free throws.
Guilford made 28 field goals to 27 for Roanoke, but the Quakers took just 24 free throws, making 19. Five Quakers, including four starters, fouled out.
With Roanoke leading 56-52 midway through the second half, sophomore guard Jamara Jones sparked a surge that carried the Maroons down the stretch.
After making a jumper in the lane, Jones stole the inbounds pass and scored a layup to turn a four-point lead to a 60-52 lead in the span of five seconds.
The Maroons gradually pulled away as Guilford lost players to fouls and Roanoke made an adequate portion of its free-throw attempts.
"That steal was the key play because we were trading baskets and misses," said Moir. "[Jamara] gave us four quick points, and we started pushing away."
Rick Becker and Kevin Martin each had 16 points and Mike Murphy added 14 points for Roanoke. The Maroons outrebounded Guilford 44-26.
Brad McCorkle scored a game-high 22 points for Guilford, and Chad Brown added 20 points. Both fouled out. \
see microfilm for box score