Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 26, 1993 TAG: 9301260185
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Long
FLAMES BURN HOKIES
Matt Hildebrand's necklace bears a shark's tooth.Virginia Tech is wearing the wound.
The Liberty guard's 3-pointer with 2:29 left Monday broke a tie, and the Hokies had no answer as the Flames won a non-conference basketball game 71-65 in front of 4,358 at Cassell Coliseum.
Tech's defense was overcome by the trio of Hildebrand, Parish Hickman and Julius Nwosu, who scored all but four of Liberty's points and helped the Flames (10-7) shoot 58.3 percent from the field in the second half.
The Hokies (6-6) led 57-56 with 4:07 left and tied it at 58 with 2:45 left before Hildebrand tore a chunk out of Tech.
"I came off [the screen], I was open, so I shot it," Hildebrand said. "Unbelievable. It's the biggest win for me, for the team. Emotionally, I've never been involved with anything like this in my life."
Liberty, a stridently religious college in a perpetual athletic quest to be taken seriously, was 0-6 all-time against Tech, one of only two in-state, non-Big South Conference schools on LU's schedule.
The Hokies, meanwhile, were 96-4 at home against in-state opponents until Monday.
"There really are two big opportunities for us to make a statement," Liberty coach Jeff Meyer said. "One, here tonight. Two, in Charleston, S.C., in March [at the Big South Tournament]."
That emotion was too heavy for the Hokies, who had no reliable offensive threat and who pitted youth against experience. The Flames start two juniors and three seniors; Tech, with Shawn Smith making his first start, began the game with three freshmen.
"I don't think we were as prepared as they were," said Tech senior Thomas Elliott, who was reminded that the Hokies barely won last year at Liberty. "We have so many new guys, I don't think they knew how big of a game it was for both of us."
Tech freshman Shawn Good, who missed a go-ahead free-throw with 2:45 left and another that could have pulled Tech to three back with a minute to go, agreed.
"Coming from Indiana, I didn't know anything about [the emotion]," he said.
The Hokies haven't beaten a team with a winning record yet.
"How could anybody on our team take anybody lightly?" Tech coach Bill Foster asked.
The Hokies committed 17 turnovers. and the Metro Conference' best free-throw shooting team went 12-of-21 from the line, while Liberty made 22 of 26 attempts.
Tech took its last lead, 57-56, on Smith's short jumper with 4:09 left. Hickman countered with a sweeping hook shot to give Liberty the lead again with 3:50 left.
Elliott drew the fifth foul on Nwosu with 3:09 left, but missed both free throws. Jim Jackson rebounded, and Good was fouled on a pullup jumper. He made one of two to tie the score with 2:45 left.
Then came Hildebrand's three.
On Tech's next trip downcourt, Smith and LU's Jody Chapman got entangled and both fell. Liberty stole the entry pass. .
"As I was going to get the ball, the guy took my jersey and tried to pull me down - a Bill Laimbeer move," Smith said.
Hickman missed, but LU rebounded and called time out with 1:58 left. Hildebrand then got trapped on the baseline and called time out with 1:51 left.
After the inbounds, Hildebrand went one-on-one against Jay Purcell but was stripped on a spin move by Elliott. Hickman picked up the loose ball, and with the shot clock running down, threw up a three. Elliott, off balance after his near-steal, fell into Hickman and the foul was called.
Hickman made two of the three shots for a 63-58 lead with 1:29 to go. It was the first time in the second half either team had led by more than three points.
Purcell missed for Tech but Good was fouled on the second of two offensive rebounds - yet he went 1-for-2 at the line. Tech shoots 70.4 percent from the line as a team, but Good is making just 52.6 percent of his tries.
"Some people miss in the middle, some people miss at the end," he said.
The Hokies had a 10-point lead in the first half, but over the next 11 possessions got four turnovers and missed seven field goals.
"We're not playing with a lot of confidence," Foster said. "[The freshmen] are playing more like freshmen than they did two weeks ago." LIBERTY MPFGFTRAFPT Ferguson 290-41-20311Hickman 3511-193-572125Nwosu 265-89-960519Hildebrand 337-108-873423Toomer 160-40-01120Hunter 10-00-00000Bloom 100-10-01000Robinson 120-10-03220Chapman 171-31-23023Pothoven 140-00-01110Williams 20-20-02000Anthony 50-00-01010Totals 20024-5222-2633121971 VA. TECH MPFGFTRAFPT J. Jackson 272-65-571310Elliott 346-122-450514Smith 325-81-211212Good 233-52-44118Purcell 383-81-32718Hall 183-70-12016Carruth 132-20-02034C. Jackson 111-31-22113Watlington 40-10-00000Totals 20025-5212-2128111765 Rebounds include team rebounds Score by periods: Liberty29-42-71 Virginia Tech29-36-65
Three-point goals - Liberty: Ferguson 0-1, Hickman 0-1, Hildebrand 1-3, Toomer 0-2, Chapman 0-1, Totals 1-8. Virginia Tech: J. Jackson 1-4, Elliott 0-2, Smith 1-1, Purcell 1-2, Hall 0-4, C. Jackson 0-1, Totals 3-14.
Turnovers - Liberty 15 (Hickman 5); Virginia Tech 17 (J. Jackson, Purcell 4). Blocked shots - Liberty 1 (Ferguson); Virginia Tech 3 (3 with 3). Steals - Liberty 8 (Hildebrand 3); Virginia Tech 3 (3 with 3). Officials - Paparo, Herring, Croft. Attendance - 4,358.