Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 19, 1992 TAG: 9203190222
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
DATELINE: VILLANOVA, PA. LENGTH: Medium
It was four days too late.
The Cavaliers, one of the last teams to be eliminated from NCAA Tournament consideration, vented their frustrations Wednesday night with an 83-80 victory over Villanova in the National Invitation Tournament.
UVa, which had shot 24.7 percent in losing to Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament, hit 58.3 percent against the Wildcats.
It was the only the fourth time all season and first time in 15 games that the Cavaliers had shot 50 percent from the field.
"We want to prove we belonged in the NCAAs and the only way to prove it is to cut down the nets at Madison Square Garden," said Bryant Stith, who led the Cavaliers with 29 points.
Junior Burrough had 22 points and Cornel Parker added 15 for UVa (16-13).
Villanova (14-15) got 27 points from Lance Miller, 20 in the second half. Chris Walker added 23 points for the Wildcats, including seven 3-pointers. Villanova had 13 3-pointers, nine in the second half.
Virginia led 81-72 after a pair of Stith free throws with 38.4 seconds left, but the Wildcats scored eight straight points, then stole an inbounds pass.
Miller was fouled as he drove for a layup with :00.4 remaining, but the officials ruled that he was fouled before he shot and nullified the basket.
Miller was awarded two free throws because Virginia was over the 10-foul limit, but he missed them both - the second intentionally - and UVa escaped with the win.
"No one can accuse us of doing things the easy way," UVa coach Jeff Jones said. "We did everything in the last minute and a half that you could possibly not want to do."
It has been that kind of week for the Cavaliers, who hardly had time to get over the disappointment of the NCAA rejection when they learned they would be going on the road.
Jack Powers, executive director of the NIT, said Virginia was too late in notifying the committee that University Hall in Charlottesville, Va., would be available Wednesday night.
Jones said Virginia would be able to serve as host for a second-round game, although the third round would be out because UVa is the site of the NCAA Women's East Regional later in the week.
"We wouldn't want to play more than one game in a row at home," Jones said with a trace of sarcasm.
Villanova came into Wednesday's game with one loss in seven games at duPont Pavilion, their 6,500-seat campus facility, which was not close to capacity (4,450) on a snowy night.
The first half was everything it wasn't supposed to be as the Cavaliers, who shot an ACC-low 43.0 percent from the field during the season, hit 14 of 25 shots (56 percent) in taking a 40-24 lead.
Villanova scored the first six points on a pair of wide-open 3-pointers by Walker and led 14-8 before Virginia went on a 14-0 run, fueled by six straight Wildcats turnovers.
The Cavaliers, who pressed infrequently during the season, went to full-court pressure with 11:03 left and caught Villanova completely unaware, forcing 15 turnovers for the half.
Villanova cut its turnovers in the second half and, with 21 for the game, had only two more than Virginia. The Wildcats outrebounded the Cavaliers 33-28, but shot only 45.2 percent.
That was much better than Villanova's 41-percent shooting for the season and it was a much more entertaining game than ESPN or anybody could have expected from two teams scoring less than 70 points per game.
"They're an NCAA team, no question," said Villanova coach Rollie Massimino, referring to the Cavaliers. "They're as good as any team in the NIT field, I would think."
It was a new-look Virginia team in more ways than one as seven players agreed to have their heads shaved Tuesday night in their hotel rooms.
Ted Jeffries played the role of barber for himself, sophomore Cornel Parker and five of UVa's six freshmen.
Stith was asked what it would take for him to join his shiny-headed teammates.
"For me to be dead in my coffin," Stith said. "I'd be scared to face my mother and father. If there's two things they don't go for, it's shaved heads and earrings.
"Those guys sure have a lot of nerve. I guess it's a sign of the new generation." \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB