Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 19, 1993 TAG: 9302190205
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
CAVALIERS PULL OFF A SWEEP
The atmosphere at University Hall on Thursday night was exactly what Virginia basketball coach Jeff Jones wanted.Even more to his liking was the outcome.
The Cavaliers held seventh-ranked Duke to its lowest scoring output in 11 years and, with a 58-55 victory, became the first team since 1990 to sweep the Blue Devils in the regular season.
"I don't think I've ever felt as good about an offensive performance as ugly as that," said Jones, whose team shot 36.8 percent and had 18 turnovers.
Duke took better care of the ball, but the Blue Devils shot 35.9 percent from the field and made only four of 13 free throws, including one of the last seven.
"I thought it was an extremely hard-fought game," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I thought it was a winning effort; we just didn't put the ball in the basket. Of course, they missed some, too."
It was the second straight defeat for the Blue Devils, who were without leading scorer Grant Hill, who sprained a toe Sunday in a 98-86 home loss to Wake Forest.
"Let's get on to the next thing," Krzyzewski said. "No excuses. If Grant's not with us, he's not with us. You don't win championships by feeling sorry for yourself."
The Blue Devils (19-5 overall, 7-5 ACC) may have to wait for the postseason if they hope to win any championships. They dropped to fifth place in the ACC, one game behind Virginia (16-5, 8-4).
"I can't remember the last time I lost two games in a row," said senior Bobby Hurley, who was a freshman the last time it happened. "I'm really hurting inside."
Hurley, averaging 17 points per game, made only three of 11 shots and finished with eight points, nine assists and six turnovers. In his career, he shot 20 percent (9-of-45) at University Hall.
Virginia point guard Cory Alexander was only 6-of-18 from the field, but he made seven of eight free throws, including two with 14 seconds left that put the Cavaliers ahead 58-53.
That almost wasn't enough. After Duke's Cherokee Parks scored with eight seconds left, Thomas Hill intercepted UVa's inbounds pass and got off a 3-point attempt that fell short at the buzzer.
The UVa students, blasted by Jones for their lack of emotion when North Carolina State came to town last week, stormed the court and wouldn't leave until the team returned to the floor.
"They were definitely a factor," said Jones, who took the microphone and, along with senior Ted Jeffries, saluted the fans. "When we were struggling, they got us over the hump."
It seemed as if the enthusiastic crowd might prove counterproductive when UVa had turnovers on its first five possessions and fell behind 5-0 and 8-2.
The Cavaliers benefited from Duke's lousy free-throw shooting to take a 12-10 lead and twice led by six before taking a 30-26 lead to the locker room at halftime.
There were nine lead changes in the second half, until sophomore Junior Burrough hit two free throws with 2:47 remaining to put the Cavaliers on top 52-51.
After a Duke miss, Alexander beat Hurley down the lane, drew the attention of 6-foot-11 Parks and fed Ted Jeffries for a layup.
Doug Smith and Alexander each hit free throws to complete a 6-0 run for Virginia, which went ahead 56-51 with 21 seconds left. Alexander is shooting 86.5 percent on free throws in ACC games, tops in the conference.
"Cory's defense on Bobby frustrated us," Krzyzewski said, "[but] our defense on Cory frustrated them. If Cory gets 20 and shoots 18 times, that's good for us."
Not to be overlooked was Cornel Parker's defensive performance on Thomas Hill, who was 6-of-17 on field-goal attempts. Parker had covered Grant Hill in the first meeting between the teams.
"Up till our shootaround today, we thought [Grant Hill] was going to play," Burrough said. "He was in our scouting report; his scoring average was up on the board."
Jones said he was finally convinced earlier in the day when he saw Krzyzewski, who said Grant Hill had not made the trip.
"When I initially found out Grant Hill was unlikely to play, I didn't really believe the media reports - shocking, isn't it?" Jones said, joking.
Coincidentally, Hill was injured for last year's second game against UVa, but Hurley played 27 minutes and spurred the Blue Devils to a 76-67 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
"Up to now, he's set the standard for all the young point guards in the league," Alexander said. "How you play against Hurley is always a measure of where you are as a player."
Not that Alexander is boasting about himself or his team at this point.
"It's nice to beat anybody twice, especially if it's the defending national champion," he said. "But it doesn't win any championships, and it doesn't mean teams are going to come in here and lie down for us." \
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