Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 6, 1992 TAG: 9202060204
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
MR. INSIDE RESCUES UVA FROM OUTSIDE
Extra, extra, read all about it!It took a while Wednesday night, but Virginia finally found a solution to its season-long problems against zone defenses.
Don't run the offense. Just pass the basketball until it gets to Bryant Stith.
Zone used to be a four-letter word for Virginia Tech, but at the Roanoke Civic Center the Hokies nearly sent UVa's NCAA Tournament desires into the O-zone.
Maybe because they had played 40 unsightly minutes in which neither team deserved to win, Tech and UVa kept it close and then saved a horrible game with two overtimes.
In the second extra period, Stith's pair of 3-point goals were the difference as the Cavaliers won 61-57. Stith's hoops were by necessity rather than design.
"I'm very comfortable shooting 3-pointers," said Stith, whose consecutive treys broke a tie at 50.
The 6-foot-5 senior would rather work inside, as he has for most of his 2,217 career points, but . . .
"Tonight, I was getting past my first defender, then there were Erik Wilson and Jimmy Carruth, 7 feet and 6-11, and they were altering my shot all of the time," Stith said.
Stith's late play was the difference between two mediocre teams who played hard but ugly. Tech changed defenses throughout and rebounded better than it has against UVa in years, and the Hokies' patience on offense bothered the rushing Cavaliers.
About the best that could be said for the first 40 minutes of play was that it was close. Like the surprising crowd of 8,376 that included a huge walk-up gate, it took some time to get into this game.
UVa led 18-15 at halftime. It was that bad. At intermission, only three players had more than one basket, but the worst move belonged to referee Larry Rose.
Reaching a professional nadir the teams couldn't even touch, Rose, running down the floor while the ball was in play, turned and looked over press row and yelled "Shut up" at UVa fans who was heckling the zebras in a non-profane fashion.
Yipes, stripes!
Soon after, Virginia went 7:34 without a field goal. Tech shot 29 percent in the half and stayed in the game only because of its offensive rebounding.
Only after the Hokies erased a 26-19 UVa lead early in the second half were the spectators - perhaps watching the last Roanoke visit for this 106-game series - were rewarded with performance as well as passion.
Virginia hit a season-low 33 percent of its shots, but in the second overtime, the Cavaliers were 3 of 4. Two Stith free throws had sent the game into its second overtime. He then hit nine points in the final five minutes.
The Cavaliers, at 11-8, likely need another six wins to get one of the NCAA's 64 bids. If they are to get there, they're going to have to keep finding Stith.
Even when he's 5-of-18, as he was against a good Tech defense, it's evident that Stith should be the Cavaliers' first offensive option, as well as its last resort.