Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 13, 1994 TAG: 9401130164
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LEXINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Every starter scored in double figures for the Keydets (1-8 overall, 0-3 conference), who trailed 37-32 at halftime.
Freshmen Darryl Faulkner and Maurice Spencer sparked a second-half run that gave VMI the lead and renewed confidence.
The Keydets tied the score at 50-50 with 12 minutes, 46 seconds to play on a Spencer bucket. The 6-foot-1 guard from Martinsville put the Keydets ahead on a 3-pointer 14 seconds later off a steal by Lawrence Gullette, who finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Faulkner scored a team-high 16 points, Spencer had 13, Warren Johnson had 12 and senior Jonathan Goodman added 15 points.
VMI maintained the lead until the 7:29 mark when Appalachian State's Brian Hege hit a 3-pointer - his only points - to make it 59-59. The teams flip-flopped leads until the 2:42 mark when Chad McClendon put the Mountaineers up for good on a short jumper that rattled in. McClendon finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Jeff Williams led the Mountaineers (7-4, 3-1) with 22 points; Ricky Nedd grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds.
VMI has lost eight straight and 24 of its past 25 dating to last season. Wednesday's loss denied coach Joe Cantafio victory No. 76, which would make him VMI's all-time winningest coach. The Keydets will get their next shot at a win Saturday at The Citadel.
"I think we're ready to take that next step," Cantafio said. "We're getting there every game . . . We just can't use the excuse that we're young. We still have to take care of the basketball."
VMI led 19-16 after nine minutes and 27-18 at the 6:47 mark on a 3-pointer by Faulkner. Then the Keydets went cold.
Appalachian State went on a 19-0 run to take a 37-27 lead with 2:15 left in the half.
"I'll tell you the disappointing thing is that we had a nine-point lead and they went on a . . . run because we didn't execute," Cantafio said. "That's the only 4-5 minutes of the ball game that I thought, mentally, we had a lapse. If we can eliminate that, then we're going to be in great shape. I thought we played good the rest of the way."
by CNB