Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 23, 1994 TAG: 9401230172
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG LENGTH: Medium
The Hokies, preparing for the toughest stretch of their surprising season, didn't put away hapless William and Mary until midway through the second half in a 95-79 non-conference victory before a crowd of 7,019 at William and Mary Hall.
Tech (13-2) won for the ninth time in 10 games.
The Hokies' next five games, beginning with 13th-ranked Louisville on Thursday night in Blacksburg, are Metro Conference games. Three of those are on the road. After that stretch, one-time Top 25 member Marquette visits Cassell Coliseum on Feb. 15.
"We will play better; we know we have to," said Tech's Travis Jackson, who had 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench. "I don't think there's any reason to worry about us getting up for the big games."
Recent midseason checkups have found the Hokies diseased. Since 1988-89, Tech has lost 10 of 11 games (three times), nine of 10 and seven of eight.
Coach Bill Foster, who worried about a heartbeat skip for his Hokies against William and Mary (2-12), isn't dreading the coming stretch.
"We're in the best position to play them since I've been here," said Tech's third-year head coach.
The Tribe almost gave the Hokies some mental baggage for the trip. William and Mary drilled Tech on the boards 41-32, and got 13 points and 10 rebounds from reserve center Steve Purpura - who had exceeded his career high of seven by halftime.
Purpura entered the game 3-for-24 from the free-throw line but was 3-of-4 on Saturday.
"I think the free throws keyed it," he said.
Purpura, however, twisted a knee in front of the scorer's table trying to check into the game with six minutes left and did not return.
Tech's Jim Jackson said the Hokies were so concerned with the Colonial Athletic Association's top 3-point shooting team that they didn't double-team the post as much as they usually would. The Tribe exploited Tech's one-on-one weakness down low, but the Hokies survived.
"I didn't get on 'em hard about anything, really," Foster said. "We let 'em know we could lose the game. It was all going to be an attitude game. You can't give 'em the one-for-the-Gipper talk every night out."
Tech led by 14 at halftime, but the Tribe opened the second half with a 16-8 run to trail 61-55 with 14 minutes, 40 seconds left, mixing 3-point shots with in-the-paint baskets.
The Hokies' Jay Purcell hit a 3-pointer to make it 64-55 with 13:58 left, and W & M sandwiched two turnovers around a Tech miss before Jim Jackson hit two free throws to give the Hokies an 11-point lead with 13 minutes left.
Two more Jackson free throws and Shawn Smith's 3-pointer gave Tech a 71-55 advantage with 10:48 remaining, and the closest the Tribe could get thereafter was 10 points.
"I am not disappointed in our team whatsoever," said Chuck Swenson, W & M's coach. "Every shot [for us] was a contested shot, which made it very difficult tonight.
"They kept great composure and came right back."
It helped that Tech had only six turnovers (two in the second half) to the Tribe's 17. And the Hokies got 41 points from their bench, including 17 from Damon Watlington.
Eight of Watlington's points came in a 24-7 run midway through the first half as Tech turned a one-point lead into a 41-23 advantage. Travis Jackson had 10 points at halftime.
"I kind of watch the game and go in and try to do what's needed," he said.
The Hokies were outrebounded, but they made 16 of 21 free throws and shot 58.6 percent from the floor in the half.
The first half, which included 40 free throws, didn't go quietly. With 3:50 left, Tech's Ace Custis and W & M's Kurt Small tangled and each received a technical foul.
Custis, who pushed Small to the floor after Small made a layup and jawed at the redshirt freshman, picked up his second technical foul in the past three games - both for retaliatory pushes.
by CNB