Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 7, 1993 TAG: 9301070248
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Long
BIG GAME FOR CAVS, ALEXANDER
Cory Alexander scored 23 points to help no. 25 Virginia defeat no. 23 Florida state 80-76 in the ACC opener for both teams. The Cavaliers have won 12 straight, the third-longest streak in the country behind UNLV (29) and Duke (23).\ Although it has been an ACC member for only a short time, Florida State has learned not to underestimate Virginia guard Cory Alexander.
Alexander had 18 of his game-high 23 points in the second half and shut down held high-scoring Sam Cassell as No. 25-ranked UVa remained unbeaten with an 80-76 basketball victory over the No. 23 Seminoles.
Cassell, coming off three straight 30-point performances, had one field goal in the second half and finished 4-of-17 for Florida State (8-5).
Alexander, whose shot at the end of regulation set up UVa's upset of the Seminoles last year in Tallahassee, Fla., hit the big basket again Wednesday when he drilled a 3-pointer that broke a 74-74 tie with 1:01 remaining.
"Letting Alexander get open for that big [3-pointer] was what really killed us," Florida State coach Pat Kennedy said. "That was the clincher for them, [although] making our free throws would have made a difference."
Florida State made six of 12 free throws in the final 6:08, with sophomore guard Bob Sura going 2-for-6. Sura was shooting 63.6 percent from the line before going 6-of-11 against the Cavaliers.
"It's got nothing to do with the position of the game," Sura said. "It's really frustrating; I work so hard on my free throws and I'm not getting any better."
Virginia (8-0) hit only 15 of 25 free throws, one reason Florida State was able to overcome a seven-point deficit before Alexander's fateful shot.
"The two guys who really stepped up for us were Cory and Ted Jeffries," UVa coach Jeff Jones said. "Ted played a number of minutes [39] and did all the little things, plus hit a lot of key baskets."
Jeffries hit seven of 10 shots and finished with 18 points, his career high in ACC play, while holding the Seminoles' Douglas Edwards to 14 points.
"I just happened to hit the open shot," Alexander said. "T.J. was definitely my player of the game. He came up so big. I couldn't stop hugging him after the game."
The first ACC game of the season for both teams helped attract a near-full house, the first in seven UVa home games at University Hall, frequently sold out but seldom packed.
The game marked the season's debut of Florida State guard Charlie Ward, who five days earlier quarterbacked the Seminoles' football team to victory over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.
Ward, who had made 39 of 40 free throws Sunday in a shootaround, made his first appearance with 11:12 remaining in the first half but scored only three points and had no assists in 21 minutes.
It was Virginia that held a 38-34 lead at halftime because of a tenacious man-to-man defense that limited the Seminoles to 14-of-35 (40 percent) shooting.
Sophomore forward Junior Burrough, despite missing his first seven shots, had eight points in the first half, including a turnaround that gave UVa its biggest lead of the half (30-20) with 7:43 left.
After picking up his second foul with 6:37 left, Burrough sat down for the remainder of the half, and the Cavaliers struggled to keep their lead, making three field goals the rest of the way.
Parker led UVa with nine points and seven rebounds in the first half, with four of the rebounds on offense. The Cavaliers shot 36.6 percent, missing eight of their last nine shots.
The drought continued in the second half. The Cavaliers missed their first seven shots, four by Burrough, who picked up his fourth foul and left the game with 12:14 left.
Burrough did not return until the 5:19 mark, when the score was 66-66. UVa scored the next seven points, making it 73-66 on a pair of Alexander free throws with 3:53 left.
Burrough, who had indicated he wanted to be the player at the free-throw line for Virginia in the closing minutes, was more responsible than anybody for the Seminoles' late comeback.
Burrough twice went to the line with a chance to put the Cavaliers ahead by nine points but missed the front end of one-and-ones. He also committed a turnover and missed the second of a two-shot foul.
Burrough gained some measure of redemption when he gave UVa a four-point lead by making his final two free throws with 15 seconds remaining.
"I still want to be the guy at the line," Burrough said. "I could be 0-for-15 and I'd still want to be out there. I was just happy I could play some kind of role in the win." FSU MPFGFTRAFPT Carroll 284-92-273011Edwards 347-160-2124214Dobard 214-90-05158Sura 336-126-1171320Cassell 384-172-269310Wells 164-50-05058Ward 211-41-11013Robinson 91-20-01012Hands 00-00-00000Totals 20031-7411-1850182076 VIRGINIA MPFGFTRAFPT Burrough 213-155-891411Williford 222-50-08124Jeffries 397-104-855118Parker 375-112-372515Alexander 388-183-413223Barnes 201-101-27123Smith 232-40-03116Totals 20028-7315-2543141780 Rebounds include team rebounds Score by periods: Florida State34-42-76 Virginia38-42-80
Three-point goals - Florida State: Sura 2-5, Carroll 1-6, Cassell 0-5, Ward 0-3, Wells 0-1, Totals 3-20. Virginia: Alexander 4-8, Parker 3-3, Smith 2-3, Williford 0-1, Totals 9-15.
Turnovers - Florida State 16 (Carroll and Dobard 3); Virginia 10 (Alexander 4). Blocked shots - Florida State 7 (Dobard 4); Virginia 1 (Parker 1). Steals - Florida State 4 (Cassell 2); Virginia 4 (Williford 2).
Technical fouls - None. Officials - Moreau, Gray, Higgins. Attendance - 8,864.