Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 2, 1992 TAG: 9202030033
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
HIGHLANDERS SWEEP COASTAL CAROLINA
Radford University's shooting touch evaporated. The Highlanders' rebounding legs lost their spring. The beauty of basketball abandoned them.Yet their defense did not forsake them.
In a Big South Conference game against traditional nemesis Coastal Carolina, the Highlanders' fiendish pressure and trapping rescued them in a 68-65 victory Saturday night.
Radford (12-7 overall, 6-1 in the conference) squeezed 27 turnovers out of the Chanticleers, 14 of those in the second half, while fighting back from a 13-point deficit.
With that, Radford swept Coastal Carolina (6-14, 2-4) for the first time ever. The Chanticleers lost for only the third time in seven visits to the Dedmon Center.
"You look at the stats and you'd never know we won that game," Radford coach Ron Bradley said.
The truth was somewhere, but not in the statistics. Coastal Carolina held Radford to 27.8 percent shooting in the first half and 36.8 percent (25-of-68) for the game, outrebounded them 53-32 - the most lopsided whacking Radford has taken on rebounding all year - and blocked three shots.
"And we still lose by three," Coastal Carolina coach Russ Bergman said as if he still didn't believe it. ". . . Radford made up for a multitude of sins late."
Coastal Carolina had its biggest lead when its star, forward Tony Dunkin, sank a short shot to make it 46-33 with 15:45 left. It took Radford 7:45 and a 21-8 run to catch up at 54-54.
The Highlanders took the lead on Pete Reece's two free throws, but Coastal Carolina took it back moments later on a Dunkin tap to make the score 59-57. Antoine Dalton's follow tied the score for Radford, then Chris Hawkins' layup reclaimed the lead, which the Highlanders would not relinquish.
"It was an ugly win, but we'll take it," Hawkins said.
Doug Day and Don Burgess each had 17 points while combining to hit 14 of 36 field-goal attempts (38.9 percent). Stephen Barber added 10 points, and Hawkins had eight points and five assists. More importantly, Hawkins directed an attack that had only 10 turnovers.
"The only reason we stayed in the game was that we played hard on defense," said Radford reserve point guard Brian Schmall, who came off the bench with five assists.
Dunkin finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
"We went through a period there when we weren't getting the ball to Dunkin,'' Bergman said. "That's not too smart when you have a player like that."