Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 1, 1993 TAG: 9303010052
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRIS BACHELDER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LEXINGTON LENGTH: Medium
KEYDETS FALL SHORT AGAIN
Davidson was just a bit too Musch for VMI on Sunday.Detlef Musch, the Wildcats' German giant, helped himself to a career-high 30 points as Davidson fought off the Keydets for an 84-70 basketball victory at Cameron Hall.
VMI's 15th straight loss was a tantalizing one. The Keydets never led in the second half, but eight times they cut the lead to one or two points in the final 10:41.
Musch, the only 7-footer in the Southern Conference, had 18 second-half points and finished 10-for-11 on free throws, far better than his 69 percent season average. He scored his team's first seven points of the first half and 14 of its first 18 in the second half.
"He killed us," said VMI coach Joe Cantafio. "He killed us right out of the box. He's so big and he's got a nice touch. He also got everybody in foul trouble."
VMI's 6-8 center, Lewis Preston, was called for his fourth foul with 17:27 to go and sat out the next 11 1/2 minutes. Jonas Callis, a 6-7 reserve, fouled out with 8:18 to go.
Musch has averaged 22 points in his past six games, more than seven above his season average.
"Individually, I'm moving more, posting up stronger and demanding the ball," said the bearded Musch, from Fulda, Germany. "Also, the team is working together better with our inside-outside game."
Davidson shot 25-for-42 (59.5 percent). Junior guard Jason Zimmerman was 6-for-7 with three 3-pointers and 21 points.
In a span of 3 1/2 minutes late in the second half, VMI inched to two points down on six occasions. The final time came on Jonathan Penn's third 3-pointer, which cut the lead to 70-68 with 3:28 to play.
But the Wildcats (13-13, 10-8) made eight of 10 free throws and finished the game on a 14-2 run. Zimmerman, who had two key 3-pointers late in the half, was 6-for-8 on free throws down the stretch. He scored 12 points in the final 5:19.
"Zimmerman made the difference," Cantafio said. "I thought we did a good job with Musch in the last five or six minutes, but that's when Zimmerman took over."
Davidson made 30 of 36 free throws and converted 15 straight in the second half while keeping the Keydets at arm's length. The Wildcats finished the regular season with two league road wins in two days after losing six of its previous seven away from home.
Penn, playing his final game at Cameron Hall, scored a career-high 30 points, four more than his past four games combined. He had 18 in the first half, including VMI's last 12, as the Keydets hit halftime trailing 40-36.
Freshman Terrell Milam, from William Fleming, added a career-best 15 points for VMI (5-21, 3-15), which has not won since Jan. 16.
"I like my freshmen," Cantafio said. "And I'm glad to get Penn back on track. That's the best he's played in a couple of weeks.
"We don't want to think about the streak, we just want to play the next one. Maybe we can redeem ourselves in the tournament."
VMI, seeded ninth, will play No. 8 Furman on Thursday in a preliminary round of the Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville, N.C. The winner plays top-seeded Tennessee-Chattanooga. \
see microfilm for box score