Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 20, 1993 TAG: 9303200161
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SYRACUSE, N.Y. LENGTH: Medium
JEFFRIES WINS BATTLE OF BULGE
No one was surprised Friday when Manhattan worked the ball to Keith Bullock on its first trip down the floor.Least of all Ted Jeffries.
"He caught the ball, turned and pump-faked," said Jeffries, Virginia's 6-foot-9, 245-pound center. "I didn't move, so he passed the ball back outside.
"I thought to myself, `Well, that's one for me.' "
Jeffries won most of the battles Friday, holding Bullock below his averages in points and rebounds as the Cavaliers beat the Jaspers 78-66 in the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament.
"I saw it as a huge challenge," Jeffries said. "He's the player of the year in their conference, the go-to guy on their team. That was the area where they wanted to put the ball.
"Throughout the game I was in his jock, so to speak. He's a great player, and all great players are going to get their baskets, but I'm satisfied with the way I played him."
Bullock, who stands 6-7 and weighs 245 pounds, is the Jaspers' leading scorer and rebounder. He had accounted for 30 points and 15 rebounds in the Jaspers' 68-67 victory over Niagara in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Association Tournament championship game.
"I wasn't going to let that happen," said Jeffries, recently described by Wake Forest coach Dave Odom as the best post defender in the ACC. "What I tried to do was keep him as far away from the lane as possible, keep my feet on the floor and not get any cheap fouls that would take me out of the game."
Foul problems had forced Jeffries to spend more time than usual on the bench in the previous three games, but he didn't pick up his third foul Friday until 5:00 remained.
"Going into the game, I figured they'd probably put [Junior] Burrough on me," Bullock said. "As far as me having an off game, he [Jeffries] did a great job defensively, but my shots weren't falling."
Bullock took only 11 shots, four in the second half. He came into the game averaging team highs of 18.4 points and 11.1 rebounds, but he was held to 15 and nine.
"My main goal is to keep [an opponent] under his average," Jeffries said. "But I think I'm too good a defensive player to have somebody go wild on me."
Anybody who has followed Virginia knows that Jeffries invariably draws an opponent's best inside scorer. Last week, Jeffries guarded first-team All-ACC selections Rodney Rogers and Eric Montross in back-to-back games and held them to a combined eight field goals.
The only source of aggravation Friday for Jeffries was his continued free-throw shooting problems. He missed both attempts on a two-shot foul with 6:41 left and is 7-of-18 over the past five games.
"I've been concerned about my free-throw shooting the whole second half of the season," said Jeffries, shooting less than 50 percent over the past 23 games. "I don't know what it is. I'm sure part of the problem is I'm not going to the line very much. Then, when teams foul me late in a game, I haven't had the repetitions to feel comfortable."
Jeffries, who finished with four points and 11 rebounds, could be on the spot Sunday against UVa's second-round opponent, Massachusetts, which boasts the Atlantic-10 player of the year in 6-foot-7, 230-pound Harper Williams.
"I look forward to every matchup," Jeffries said, "not that I have a choice."