Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 24, 1993 TAG: 9301240130
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
JACKETS GET WELL AT UVA
Every time Georgia Tech basketball coach Bobby Cremins thinks he's at wit's end, all it takes is a trip to University Hall to restore his sanity."I don't drink during the season, but the past week might make me reconsider," said Cremins, whose Yellow Jackets ended a three-game losing streak Saturday with a 75-71 victory over Virginia.
UVa coach Jeff Jones might want to join him after a week that began when the Cavaliers ended Duke's 36-game home winning streak, 77-69, and subsequently jumped to No. 7 in The Associated Press poll.
The Cavaliers, whose 16-game winning streak was the nation's longest in Division I, now have dropped two games in a row, including an 80-58 setback Wednesday night at North Carolina. Moreover, they have lost seven games in a row to Georgia Tech.
Two years ago, Georgia Tech had lost three of four before winning at University Hall, 73-60. Last year, the Yellow Jackets had lost four of five before getting well at Virginia, 52-49.
"I think some of our players remember that we came in here last year in a pretty good slump," said Cremins, who was 1-8 at U-Hall before the past three years. "It's just the way the dice roll."
The 16th-ranked Yellow Jackets (10-4 overall, 3-2 ACC) didn't luck into Saturday's victory, however. They shot 59.3 percent in the second half and 56.6 for the game - the first team to shoot 50 percent against UVa in 21 games.
"They certainly weren't feeling sorry for themselves," said UVa coach Jeff Jones. "They showed that whatever was bothering them is certainly [bothering them] no longer."
The combination of Georgia Tech's hot shooting and Virginia's continued poor shooting proved more than the Cavaliers could overcome. UVa (11-2, 4-2) has shot better than 42 percent in only one of six ACC games.
Only five players scored for Virginia, which wasted Junior Burrough's 26-point effort, matching his career high. Cory Alexander had 20 points and 11 assists, and center Ted Jeffries contributed 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Those three accounted for 32 of UVa's 34 points in the second half.
The Cavaliers led 47-42 with 14:33 left but fell victim to Georgia Tech's inside game and 6-foot-11 center Malcolm Mackey.
"I couldn't sleep," said Mackey, speaking of back-to-back home losses to unheralded College of Charleston and Wake Forest. "The bottom line is, I played like crap against both of those teams."
Mackey was the difference in the second half Saturday, hitting six of seven shots from the field and scoring 14 of his 22 points after intermission.
"It's been tough," Mackey said. "I'm a senior who's looking forward to other things after this season. I've been questioned all year about my leadership."
The Yellow Jackets jumped up to 10th in The Associated Press rankings after they defeated then-No. 1 Duke, but then lost three games in a row, starting with a road loss to North Carolina.
"Our own fans booed us at halftime of the Wake Forest game [when the Yellow Jackets trailed by 28]," Mackey said. "You don't forget that. We got on our high horse after Duke and didn't stay focused."
There weren't quite as many recriminations in the Virginia locker room, although the Cavaliers realized that Saturday's loss - their first at home since Georgia Tech's last visit - cost them some credibility.
"Something good did slip away this week," Burrough said. "You've got to win your home games to be a contender in the ACC. But it's not like we lost everything.
"The next couple of games will be with teams closer to our size. We've still only lost two games. It's January, late January. I don't know where that puts us in your mind; in my mind, we're still one of the top teams in the country."
Burrough, who sat out the last 6:58 of the first half after picking up his third foul, made veiled references to the officiating. Ten straight fouls were called against UVa.
On the other hand, maybe the Cavaliers didn't foul Georgia Tech enough. The Yellow Jackets, last in the ACC in free-throw shooting, were 13-for-25 at the line.
The Cavaliers, for whom Saturday's game was the first of four in eight days, return to action Monday night against William and Mary in Williamsburg.
"I don't think it hurt Georgia Tech," said Jones, aware that the Yellow Jackets had lost at home less than 48 hours earlier. "I'd be rather be playing Monday night than having a practice." \
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