Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, December 31, 1993 TAG: 9312310197
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BY ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
But in their first men's basketball game against in-state opponent Liberty, the Cavaliers still won 62-49.
"It was a total wasted effort in the second half," said UVa coach Jones, whose Cavaliers came in hot off a win over No. 16 Minnesota on Tuesday night.
UVa (5-3) shot 48 percent in the first half and led 37-18 at halftime. It was the fewest points a Virginia opponent had scored in a half since Massachusetts tallied only 19 in last year's postseason National Invitational Tournament.
But in the second half, the Cavs' spark fizzled. Junior forward Junior Burrough, who paced Virginia's first-half attack with 13 points, was held to three.
"The mental effort was just lost in the second half," said Burrough, whose 16 points and nine rebounds were team highs. "I think [Jones] was disappointed that we didn't finish this game the way we started it."
The Cavs found holes early in Liberty's 3-2 zone defense and opened a four-point lead. However, Liberty's Brett Anthony made three straight baskets, including one of his three 3-pointers, to turn it into a 13-12 Flames advantage. The senior guard finished with a team-leading 17 points.
Then Liberty lapsed, scoring eight points in the next 15 minutes.
"Early on, we wanted to play with some poise . . . that was the game plan," said Jeff Meyer, Liberty's coach. "Once you get down, you stick with the game plan until the game plan isn't working for you.
"They were prepared for our zone and did a good job attacking it. We went back to man-to-man, but by then we were struggling offensively. Going into Virginia, you know you're not going to get a good look at the basket."
The Cavs' collapse came five minutes into the second half after a Jamal Robinson dunk made it 48-22, Virginia. Liberty (3-3) went on a 17-4 run and pulled within 13 points down with five minutes to play.
Robinson, a freshman reserve, finished with 11 points, as did senior starter Cornel Parker, who had nine in the second half. Freshman Harold Deane added 13 points and five steals.
"I always try and go out and play aggressive defense," Deane said. "That's the main focus of our team. I was just looking for opportunities, trying to anticipate passes and look for the guy who has his back turned."
Jones said missed opportunities in the second half allowed Liberty back in the game.
"It was almost like it was two different games," he said. "It's hard to explain. We just came out lethargic. . . . The kids did some good things in the first half, defensively and they rebounded fairly well. A lot of that stuff wasn't there in the second half."
Liberty outrebounded the Cavs 35-31, but Virginia held leading scorer Matt Hildebrand to eight points, half his average. Senior Jody Chapman, who had averaged 10.6 points, was held to four.
Robinson and sophomore Chris Alexander were among those who did show life for UVa and were rewarded with playing time. Robinson played 18 minutes, six more than his average. Alexander, who had averaged 6.4 minutes, was scoreless but grabbed four rebounds.
"Jamal did some good things, and he did some silly freshman things," Jones said. "But the reason he played 18 minutes is because he showed some life. It was obvious he wanted to be out there and he was excited, just like Chris."
by CNB