Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, January 24, 1994 TAG: 9401240060
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ATLANTA LENGTH: Medium
Not even the presence of Terry Holland, whose success against Georgia Tech once was uncanny, could change Virginia's recent fortunes against the Yellow Jackets.
Holland, serving as a television commentator Sunday on a UVa basketball game for the first time, saw the Cavaliers fall to Georgia Tech for the ninth consecutive time, 74-70, at Alexander Memorial Coliseum in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Virginia hasn't beaten Georgia Tech since 1990, when Holland was in his last season as the Cavaliers' coach. Before that, UVa had beaten the Yellow Jackets seven times in nine meetings.
"We'll keep playing the games; we won't worry about that," said Holland's successor and former assistant, Jeff Jones. "It was one of those games where we had a lot of opportunities."
Virginia (10-5 overall, 4-2 ACC) had won seven of its previous eight games and could have moved into a share of the ACC lead with Duke. Georgia Tech (11-5, 2-3) had lost four of its past five games.
The Yellow Jackets led by as many as 11 points and seemingly had the game under control following a James Forrest layup that made it 70-61 with 2 minutes, 1 second left, but that's when things got interesting.
Virginia came as close as two points and was trailing 73-69 with three seconds remaining when Fred Vinson fouled UVa freshman Harold Deane on a 3-point shot.
The plan was for Deane to make the first two free throws and miss the third on purpose, in hopes that a teammate would score off the rebound. However, Deane missed his second try - one of six UVa misses in the last 41 seconds.
"I'm just glad we didn't blow it at the end, because it could have been a very devastating loss," said Bobby Cremins, Georgia Tech's coach. "I think we thought we had the game won . . . and we didn't."
Forrest, held out of the starting lineup because of an upset stomach, entered the game for the Yellow Jackets with 1:55 elapsed and went on to score 20 points - the same as Travis Best, Georgia Tech's point guard.
Best was brilliant at both ends of the floor, holding Deane without a field goal until the final two minutes. Deane finished with a career-low six points and one assist.
"I wanted to make sure he didn't get any good looks at the basket," said Best, a junior. "I didn't want to give him his outside shot, and I didn't want him to go to the basket on me."
It was Best who provided the Yellow Jackets with some breathing room when he stole the ball from Deane at midcourt and fed freshman Ed Elisma, who dunked and was fouled with 9:09 left.
Not only did Elisma's free throw put Tech ahead 58-53, but UVa forward Junior Burrough picked up the personal foul, his fourth. Burrough had a team-high 18 points, but played only 23 minutes.
Burrough's fifth and disqualifying foul, with 3:51 left, resulted from another teammate's mistake. After a three-point play by freshman Jamal Robinson had cut the deficit to six points, at 63-57, Deane stripped the ball from Vinson at midcourt.
Jones made no secret of his dismay at Yuri Barnes' failure to dive for the ball, which landed back in the Yellow Jackets' possession. Vinson got the ball to Forrest, who scored and was fouled by Burrough.
"It was a loose ball that we very easily could have come up with," Jones said. "Instead of it being a jump ball, it turns into a layup and we lose our best offensive post man."
UVa's ineptitude wasn't limited to the players. Just when the Cavaliers were beginning to enjoy some momentum in the first half, they were assessed a technical foul because Robinson was not listed in the official scorebook.
The official scorer apparently used rosters prepared by Georgia Tech, which inexplicably did not include Robinson. He was listed in UVa's book, kept by one of the Cavaliers' managers, but she did not notice the discrepancy.
"I'm not going to single anybody out," Jones said, "but, quite honestly, I can't remember it ever happening before."
Barnes finished with 14 points - his fifth double-figure scoring game in the past six - and Cornel Parker had 12 points and 10 assists in 40 minutes. Parker did not commit a turnover.
The Cavaliers outscored Georgia Tech from the field, but the Yellow Jackets made 25 of 39 free throws. That was despite four consecutive misses by sophomore Drew Barry.
Virginia got as close as 71-69 before Barry, hitting better than 71 percent before the game, swished a pair of free throws with 12 seconds left.
"I wanted him on the line," said Cremins, who had lost Best to fouls with 41 seconds left. "I had confidence in [Barry]. With Travis out of the game, I wanted Drew to have the ball."
by CNB