Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 6, 1994 TAG: 9402060142
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HAMPDEN-SYDNEY LENGTH: Medium
The Maroons and the Tigers were in turbo mode in front of a packed house at Fleet Gymnasium, playing for first place in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference men's basketball standings.
Hampden-Sydney roared back from 19 points down, but Roanoke took the checkered flag and a 91-88 victory.
Senior Hilliary Scott had 30 points and seven rebounds for the Maroons (18-1 overall, 12-1 in the ODAC), the No. 9 team in the latest NCAA Division III poll.
"It was the best victory I've had since I've been at Roanoke," said Scott, a preseason All-America selection. "It tops my career so far. But we're not going to stop here."
Junior forward Bryant Lee, who finished with 18 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, also ranked the Maroons' 14th consecutive victory as the biggest of his career.
"It's the sweetest victory I've had since I've been at Roanoke," Lee said. "We still have six [ODAC regular-season] games left, but this helps us establish ourselves as one of the top teams [in Division III]."
Lee got things going for the Maroons early, scoring seven of their first 11 points. The lead changed hands seven times in the first nine minutes before Roanoke went on a 15-4 run to take a 33-26 lead.
The Maroons went on another 15-4 run at the end of the half and took a 45-35 lead to the locker room. Lee had 14 points and four rebounds at that point.
At the start of the second half, Roanoke used a 10-2 spurt to take its biggest lead of the game, 55-36 with 17 minutes to play. But then the Tigers (16-3, 11-2) shifted gears.
Tee Jennings, a junior guard from William Fleming High School, scored eight points in a one-minute span and Hampden-Sydney cut its deficit to nine points with 14 minutes left.
"Normally, I play a defensive role," said Jennings, who finished with 11 points. "But I looked to shoot more tonight because I felt we needed it."
The Tigers outscored Roanoke 14-7 in the next five minutes to close to 64-62. Page Moir, the Maroons' coach, said he was not surprised by Hampden-Sydney's rally.
"It's going to happen when you're on the road, playing a quality opponent for the league lead," Moir said. "A team like Hampden-Sydney is not going to roll over and die."
The Tigers didn't roll over, but they couldn't quite get over the hump. Scott made key baskets, along with senior Kevin Martin and junior Joe Schrantz, and the Maroons stretched their lead to five points with four minutes left.
Sophomore guard Ryan Odom made a 3-pointer from the right side that pulled Hampden-Sydney to 81-79 a minute later, but Roanoke scored the next six points.
Freshman Jason Bishop, who had eight points in 14 minutes of play for the Maroons, hit three free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Roanoke made 51 percent of its field-goal attempts and was 18-of-26 from the line.
"I didn't think they were that good a shooting team," said Tony Shaver, Hampden-Sydney's coach. "I've never seen Hilliary Scott shoot like that before.
"We were manhandled in the first half, but our players made the turnaround," Shaver added. "Defensively, they took it to another level and that gave them confidence on the offensive end.
"It was a great college basketball game. It was a pleasure to be a part of it. I wish we had won, but I hope our players understand they were part of something very special today."
by CNB