Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 11, 1993 TAG: 9302110177
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRIS BACHELDER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
HOKIES THRASH KEYDETS
Virginia Tech's 31-point rout of VMI on Wednesday night was not founded upon democratic principles.After Tech's three straight losses - including a 13-point clunker to Florida International on Monday - coach Bill Foster let the Hokies know whose opinion counted the most.
Foster's basketball team responded by blasting the Keydets 75-44 in front of 2,528 spectators at Cassell Coliseum. The victory was the 450th of Foster's career.
"When you're winning, everything works out, but when you're losing and not shooting well, everybody has an answer," said Foster, who is 450-275 in his 26-year career.
"We had a little talk [Tuesday] and put all the answers together into my answer. We had to get focused. I like the way they did things my way tonight."
Tech shot 51.7 percent (31-of-60) from the floor for the game, 57.1 percent in the second half when the Hokies staged a one-team dunk contest.
The loss stretched VMI's losing streak to nine games. The Keydets shot 29.8 percent (17-of-57) from the floor and committed 24 turnovers.
For Tech (9-10), 6-foot-8 freshman Travis Jackson scored a team- and career-high 17 points. Thomas Elliott added 15, including 13 in the second half.
VMI's Juan Banks made back-to-back 3-pointers that helped turn an 8-1 Keydets deficit to a 14-13 lead with 12:34 remaining in the first half.
But Jackson, who set a career-high with 11 points Monday, keyed a 23-4 first-half run that put Tech's troubles behind. After Jim Jackson's 3-pointer put the Hokies ahead for good, Travis Jackson scored six straight - a 10-foot turnaround and two stickbacks - to give Tech a 22-14 lead at 9:52.
The lead swelled to 30-16 after a Shawn Good 3-pointer, a Damon Watlington leaner and Travis Jackson's top-of-the-key 3-pointer at 6:49.
"We just had to have better execution and effort," said Jackson, who played 20 minutes in Tech's first 12 games. "We had to do what Coach told us. He knows what he's talking about. He's been successful everywhere he's been."
Jackson matched his previous career high in only 10 first-half minutes. His last two points came on free throws after a technical on Banks.
After Banks and Jim Jackson got tangled up, Banks had words for Jackson and was whistled for the technical.
Tech cruised to a 38-24 halftime lead. The Keydets (5-15) went 5:22 without a point and Lewis Preston scored VMI's only four points in the early run that lasted 8:47.
Preston was 7-of-11 with 14 of his team-high 18 points in the first half, when only three Keydets scored.
VMI never made a run at Tech in the second half. Elliott scored seven straight in a 12-0 stretch early in the half to give the Hokies a 50-29 lead.
After Jonathan Penn's 3-pointer made the score 60-38 with 5:06 left, Tech got slam-happy. Five of the Hokies' last seven field goals were dunks, two by Elliott, two by Travis Jackson and an alley-oop from Jim Jackson to Good.
The final five slams took place in a span of 4:12 and Tech finished with eight in the game.
"I really thought we would give Tech a better game than that," VMI coach Joe Cantafio said. "Because of our terrible shooting and poor rebounding, Tech got about 30 easy points. I don't think we had any easy baskets the whole night."
The Keydets shot 7-of-30 in the second half and endured another long, scoreless streak of 5:42.
Foster said he would continue to bring Travis Jackson off the bench, although "he probably deserves to start."
"He's one of our best post guys right now, but it helps him to watch four or five minutes and not feel like we're counting so much on him to produce."
Tech has won 11 straight and 28 of the past 30 games in its VMI series, which dates 118 games and 84 years. The Hokies have played the Keydets more than any other school. \
see microfilm for box score