Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 14, 1993 TAG: 9303140105
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N. C. LENGTH: Medium
IT'S LIGHTS OUT FOR CAVALIERS
A 28-MINUTE blackout didn't stop North Carolina's run toward the ACC Tournament title as the top-ranked Tar Heels beat Virginia 74-56 in the semifinals. \Top-ranked North Carolina, once famous for its time-consuming Four Corners offense, won another kind of delay game Saturday.
The Tar Heels took command after a second-half power outage Saturday at Charlotte Coliseum and advanced to the ACC Tournament championship game with a 74-56 basketball victory over Virginia.
It was Carolina's third lopsided victory over Virginia this season, although the Cavaliers trailed only 43-39 before the lights went dim for the first time with 16:36 left.
The teams remained on the floor and it appeared play was about to resume before a total blackout sent them to the locker room, resulting in a 28-minute break.
"It felt like we had 2 1/2 halftimes," said UVa point guard Cory Alexander, who led all scorers with 22 points. "I can't remember a game ever taking so long. It was definitely a weird one."
It didn't feel as weird to the Tar Heels, who outscored Virginia 14-2 after the outage and never led by fewer than 12 points the rest of the way.
"People are always saying we wear people down," North Carolina coach Dean Smith said, "but no one can accuse us of that today. It wasn't like we weren't leading and the lights going out enabled us to talk some more."
Carolina, whose previous victories against Virginia were by 22 and 20 points, was nursing a 68-56 lead when point guard Derrick Phelps raced downcourt for a breakaway layup and was fouled by Jason Williford with 1:52 left.
Phelps went tumbling into a row of photographers and did not get up. After doctors attended to him for close to 10 minutes, he was placed on a body board and wheeled from the coliseum on a stretcher.
Phelps was transported to Carolina Medical Center in Charlotte, where X-rays were negative. The injury was diagnosed as a bruised sacrum (tailbone), but there was no word on his status for the championship game.
"He said his back hurt," Smith said, "but what concerned the doctors was, he had some numbness across the thigh. He's taken some tough falls, but this one I could see the tears in his eye."
The North Carolina fans chanted, "No class," prompting a response of "Go to hell Carolina" from the UVa section. However, Smith said he did not consider the foul to be flagrant or even intentional.
"I hope people don't have the wrong impression of me," Williford said. "I'm not a dirty player; I don't talk trash or anything. I thought I got some [part of the] ball."
Pat Sullivan stepped in for Phelps and sank two free throws, making the Tar Heels 14-for-14 from the line in the second half. Carolina made 19 consecutive free throws at one point and finished 27-of-32.
Although the Tar Heels never trailed, the game was close until Carolina (27-3) went on a 13-0 run in taking a 31-18 lead with under three minutes left in the first half.
Virginia made its last five shots of the first half, including a pair of 3-pointers by Alexander, and suddenly it was a game again with Carolina leading 35-30 at the break.
First-team All-ACC selections Eric Montross and George Lynch did not have a field goal between them in the first half, "[but] Virginia had chosen to play differently," Smith said. "They did an unbelievable job of stopping them.
"There was some contact . . . possibly, maybe. I don't know how far I can go [in my comments]. I thought maybe we could have gotten to the foul line more."
The Tar Heels were 9-of-10 from the line in the first half and attempted 16 free throws before Virginia went to the line for the first time with 11:10 remaining. UVa finished 2-of-7 on free throws.
"I know we're a physical team, but I can't believe in this game they're complaining about the officials," Jones said. "Given the way the game went, I think [Smith's] comments are unexpected."
Virginia (19-9) had two more field goals than the Tar Heels, who shot a season-low 37.9 percent (22-of-58) from the floor. Lynch finished 1-of-11 and had a season-low four points, although he did grab 11 rebounds.
The Tar Heels hammered Virginia 43-30 on the boards, getting 17 offensive rebounds. Four Carolina players scored in double figures, headed by sophomore guard Donald Williams with 19.
"When the lights went out, North Carolina showed its great maturity and seized the moment," Jones said. "I think you can analyze and over-analyze that kind of thing, but you get out of it what you make of it."
In both of the earlier games, particularly a February meeting in Charlottesville, Va., the Cavaliers trailed by more than 20 points for most of the second half. The final margin Saturday was the largest.
"I think [the break] gave them a chance to refocus," Burrough said. "It's the worst thing that could have happened to us. I wish we had kept playing in the dark, lights or no lights." \
See microfilm for box score