ROANOKE SWARMS WASPS IN 2ND HALF

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, January 30, 1992                   TAG: 9201300181
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOHN SMALLWOOD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
ROANOKE SWARMS WASPS IN 2ND HALF
Considering the way things were going for his team Wednesday night, Emory & Henry forward DeWayne Moore thought he had a good question.
With about 7 1/2 minutes left in the Wasps' Old Dominion Athletic Conference game against Roanoke College at the Bast Center, Moore asked the officials to check the basketball.
It wasn't the ball.
Just ask Roanoke's Derek Otten. The senior center jammed the ball home for a thunderous dunk, adding spark to the Maroons' already fast-paced game, and Roanoke swarmed the Wasps for a 79-62 victory.
After shooting 29.6 percent in the first half, the Maroons shot 57.7 percent over the final 20 minutes.
Roanoke, which had eight field goals in the first 20 minutes, put in 15 in the second half.
The Maroons (9-9 overall, 6-5 in the ODAC) weren't even hurt by their free-throw shooting for a change. Roanoke, which entered the game shooting 63.8 percent on free throws, made 33 of 48 (68.8 percent).
"We've played some good teams very tough and lost," Roanoke coach Page Moir said. "Now we played a very good team and beat them. Even when we lost, we were playing hard. I told them if we keep playing hard good things would happen."
Using a rotation of Kevin Martin, Bryant Lee, Mike Murphy and Rick Becker to hound Emory & Henry forward Ross Kirtley, the Maroons limited the ODAC's leading scorer to four points on 1-of-11 shooting. Kirtley scored 29 points in Emory & Henry's victory over Roanoke this season.
Emory & Henry (12-4, 7-3) shot 29.3 percent on field-goal attempts (22-of-75) and was 8-of-33 on 3-point attempts.
"They missed some shots they normally make," Moir said. "You'd like to think that had something to do with our defense."
Lee led Roanoke with 14 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Becker added 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Murphy also had 13 points.
With Roanoke leading 35-33 with 17:32 left, Otten got free on the baseline for a two-handed dunk. That sent the Maroons on a 29-11 run over the next 11 minutes, which put Roanoke up 64-44 and all but ended the game.
Emory & Henry coach Bob Johnson made his first substitution four seconds into the game. He followed with 33 more before it was over.
"We tried to make adjustments, but none of them worked," Johnson said. "[The Maroons] did what they needed to do, and we didn't."
Despite its poor shooting, Roanoke made 14 of 19 free throws in the first half, and that, combined with 29.4 percent shooting by Emory & Henry, helped the Maroons lead 30-29 at halftime.
"It was a miracle we had a one-point lead at the half," Moir said. "We didn't have enough movement on offense. We got on them about the offense. Everybody did a better job in the second half of getting by their pressure."
Trailing 27-20 with 3:47 left in the first half, the Maroons scored 10 straight points in a run that extended into the second half.
Michael Thornton made a baseline jumper and, after an Emory & Henry miss, Lee made two free throws.
Kirtley missed a 3-point attempt, and Becker converted a transition layup for Roanoke.
After consecutive turnovers by the Wasps, Hillary Scott scored and Martin made two free throws to put Roanoke up 30-27.
Brian Witcher made two free throws with 55 seconds left to end nearly three scoreless minutes for Emory & Henry.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB