Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 8, 1992 TAG: 9203080140
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: COLLEGE PARK, MD. LENGTH: Medium
\ For those people who haven't been paying attention, there's a strange face in the middle of the ACC basketball standings.
Virginia, which has spent most of the season in the second division, clinched no worse than a fourth-place tie Saturday with a 76-74 triumph over favored Maryland.
Junior Burrough tipped in Cornel Parker's missed layup with 1.9 seconds left to give the Cavaliers their third victory in a row and improve their record to 15-12, 8-8 in the ACC.
The Cavaliers, still hoping to get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, will meet either Georgia Tech or Wake Forest at noon Friday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament at the Charlotte (N.C.) Coliseum.
"A lot of stuff can still happen," UVa coach Jeff Jones said. " [But] if we had lost this, our chances for an NCAA berth may have hinged on winning the [ACC] tournament."
The situation did not look good for Virginia when Bryant Stith missed a baseline jumper and the Terrapins got the rebound with 50 seconds remaining and the score 72-72.
"I think everybody in Cole Field House knew who was going to take the shot for Maryland," said Stith, referring to ACC scoring leader Walt Williams.
When Williams got the ball at the top of the key, however, he was covered by Parker and Stith, who had left his man, Vince Broadnax.
"They were in my face," Williams said. "I couldn't see anybody, so I put up the shot. I was expecting the referee to call a foul."
There was no whistle and Williams' air ball was grabbed by Ted Jeffries. He passed to Parker, who drove to the basket from the right wing.
Two Maryland players recovered to cut off Parker's angle to the basket, but Burrough was left unattended and decisively put back the rebound. He had failed to do the same thing on several earlier opportunities.
"I may be naive, but I thought [Parker] was going to pass it," said Burrough, who finished with 13 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. "The coaches are always preaching, if you run the floor, good things happen."
The clock showed 0.9 seconds when Maryland called a timeout, but the officials gave the Terps another second. Kevin McLinton's 3-point try from 35 feet bounced off the right side of the rim at the buzzer.
"We didn't make it easy, but we hung in there," said Jones, whose team led by eight points on two occasions in the first half. "Those last 1.9 seconds sure seemed like a long time to me."
The Cavaliers spoiled the final Cole Field House appearance for six seniors, including Williams, who before the game was named to Maryland's basketball Hall of Fame.
After making a 3-pointer on the Terrapins' first possession, Williams missed his next eight shots and finished 10-of-25 from the field. Nonetheless, he scored a game-high 31 points, 22 in the second half.
"We were in a tough situation coming in here," said Maryland coach Gary Williams, whose team played Thursday night at Wake Forest. "It's been a very emotional and physical week for us."
The Terrapins (13-14, 5-11) were coming off back-to-back ACC victories over North Carolina and Wake, but dropped to eighth place and will play Clemson in the only first-round game Thursday night.
"As time moves on, hopefully people will realize what this team did for us in terms of maintaining the program until the sanctions were over," said Gary Williams, referring to a two-year postseason ban.
Maryland shot only 41 percent as a team but made 20 of 24 free throws, including both ends of a one-and-one by Evers Burns that put the Terrapins on top 72-69 with 2:45 left.
Virginia has crumbled in similar situations all seasons, with a 1-5 record in games decided by four points or fewer, but freshman guard Cory Alexander made a 3-pointer with 2:30 remaining to tie it.
Stith and Williams each hit a pair of free throws, Stith as he was serenaded by Maryland fans chanting "Florida State, Florida State" in reference to his missed free throws in a 64-63 loss to the Seminoles.
Stith had 18 points to lead four UVa scorers in double figures. Alexander, who had three fouls in the first half but none after that, had 14 points and five assists.
Jones refused to discuss UVa's prospects of getting an at-large NCAA bid at 15-13, although he pointed out that two teams tied with or behind the Cavaliers in the ACC standings - Georgia Tech and Wake - are likely to get invitations.
"The fat lady is backstage," said Burrough, who has been giving progress reports after every game, "but they've made her sit down. There's a show still going on." \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB