Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 8, 1993 TAG: 9303080080
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ROCK HILL, S.C. LENGTH: Medium
VIRGINIA WOMEN REACH ACC FINAL
After missing 14 of her previous 15 shots, Dena Evans was running out of ideas Sunday.So, she switched sides of the floor.
Virginia was facing defeat in the semifinals of the ACC women's basketball tournament when Evans, stuck in an unfamiliar spot on the left wing, made a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left in regulation.
Clemson came back to send the game into overtime, but the Cavaliers prevailed 79-71 and advanced to tonight's championship game for the third time in four years.
Tenth-ranked Virginia (23-5) will meet No. 12 Maryland (22-6) at 5:45 p.m. at Winthrop Coliseum. The Terps, who advanced with a 75-61 victory over North Carolina, are looking for their ninth ACC title but first since 1989.
Carolina made up an early 11-point deficit but couldn't overcome a 1-of-19 shooting performance by junior Tonya Sampson, the ACC scoring leader. It was not unlike Evans' experience in the second game.
"I don't know what it is," coach Debbie Ryan said of Evans. "I think she's pressing a little bit. I have a feeling she's trying to prove something and, hopefully, that's over with."
Evans, who made second-team All-ACC, was 2-of-8 in Virginia's 74-46 victory over Wake Forest in the first round and 3-of-18 before her fateful shot Sunday.
"Dena kept asking me, `If I'm open, can I take the shot,' " Ryan said. "She may miss 15 shots in a row, but this is her team and she has every right to take the shot."
Indeed, after Clemson had gone ahead 66-65, Evans missed two 3-pointers from the right side, both rebounded by teammates, before she had her shot at redemption.
"Normally, I bring the ball up the right side, so that's where I am most of the time," said Evans, a senior point guard. "We had just run an inbounds play in our [offensive] end, so that's the only reason I was on the left side."
There was plenty of time left after Evans' shot and Clemson (18-10) was able to get off three shots, the last a tip-in by Jessica Barr that made it 68-68 with three seconds left in regulation.
Aside from that desperation Clemson flurry, Virginia outrebounded the Tigers 52-37. The Cavaliers had 24 offensive rebounds, seven by 5-foot-8 Jenny Boucek, a freshman guard.
"I felt perimeter shooting was Virginia's Achilles heel," Clemson coach Jim Davis said. "With 18-, 19-, 20-year-old ladies, when they miss one or two they start thinking.
"We told our team before the game, `They will not beat us with first shots,' and I guess I was a prophet. The [leading] rebounding team in the country flat-out kicked our booties on the boards."
Regular-season champion Virginia never trailed in overtime, but Clemson still was in the game, trailing 74-71, before Shandy Bryan missed a short jumper in traffic with 45 seconds left.
"I always think they get hacked on the arm," Davis said, "but I can't fault the officials. I could, but I won't. We don't fault the officiating in our league."
Bryan had 19 points and 11 rebounds for Clemson, which also got 16 points from Rema Miller. ACC player of the year Heather Burge had 21 points for Virginia and her 6-5 twin, Heidi, had 15 points and 12 rebounds.
It was only the second time Heidi Burge had scored in double figures in the past 11 games - one reason she lost her starting job with three weeks to go in the regular season.
"I'll tell you honestly, normally I take Heidi out when in tight games," Ryan said. "She just hasn't handled it well during her career.
"She has a tendency not to be strong with the ball and to make errors. She's a middle-of-the-game player, basically, but I thought Heidi was playing well and I felt I didn't have a choice to make."
Heidi Burge missed three of four free throws in the final 1:51, but the Cavaliers were 9-of-14 for the overtime, an improvement on their season's percentage, 60.5.
"I don't even think about it," Ryan said. "If free-throw shooting is a negative for us, fine, we'll outrebound somebody 52-37. We'll make it up some other place." \
see microfilm for box score