Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 28, 1993 TAG: 9302280066
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRIS BACHELDER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
MAROONS REPEAT AS CHAMPIONS
The NCAA Tournament may not be automatic, but Roanoke shooters were.The Maroons swished seven 3-pointers and made 16 of 24 second-half shots Saturday to stuff Bridgewater 75-65 in the the Old Dominion Athletic Conference women's basketball tournament final.
Coach Susan Dunagan won her third straight tournament title and eighth in the 12 years of the Salem Civic Center event. The ODAC champion doesn't receive an automatic bid to the 32-team NCAA Division III tournament, but it is likely Roanoke will go for the fourth straight year.
The top four teams from each region advance to the national tournament, but the Dixie Conference champion automatically gets the fourth bid. Roanoke, ranked third, seems assured of getting a call tonight.
Last week, when the Maroons moved from fourth to third in the region, Dunagan told her two seniors - guards Amy Saunders and Debbie Puch - that the team was an ODAC title away from nationals. The rest of her young team, those less familiar with rankings and selection procedure, she left in the dark.
"I told my seniors that our destiny was in our hands," Dunagan said. "I knew we'd gone to third, but the kids didn't. I didn't talk about it. I didn't need them to be thinking about it. I wanted them focused on this tournament."
Puch and Saunders handled the secret well. Puch, from Salem, had 14 points and four assists and was named the tournament MVP. Saunders added 13 points with four assists and also made the all-tournament team.
"I wanted to tell everybody, but we couldn't have people looking ahead," Puch said. "With Amy and I, we've been to three nationals, and it psyched us up even more."
Marcee Hufton was 4-for-5 from 3-point range and had 12 points for Roanoke. Dena Blank added 10 and Kay Caldwell scored eight and was the team's third member named to the all-tournament squad.
"They did a good job of keeping the secret," said Hufton, a former William Byrd sharpshooter. "I'm glad they didn't tell us. Every year in high school, the farthest we got is the regionals. I wanted to go farther and that's why I chose this school."
Roanoke's seniors are 97-15 in their four years, including 80-5 in ODAC play.
Hufton's fourth 3-pointer - the team's seventh - gave Roanoke a 46-38 lead with 15:52 remaining. The Eagles cut the lead to 46-42, but Dunagan's deep team dogged Bridgewater down the stretch.
In the final 10:34, Roanoke made seven of eight free throws and eight field goals, all layups. The Maroons led by 16 at 65-49 after a Saunders layup at 5:40.
Bridgewater's Christy Osbourne, from Lord Botetourt, had 15 of her 20 points in the second half and made all eight of her free throws.
"Our players have shown a lot of courage," Dunagan said. "We lost five seniors from last season, and we've had to work for everything we've gotten. My original goal was just to get back to the tournament finals, not the NCAAs. But who knows how far we can go?" \
see microfilm for box score