Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 18, 1994 TAG: 9402180254
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
The Hokies, who trailed by four or fewer points with less than three minutes to go in their past six men's basketball games - all losses - didn't need late-game heroics against Virginia Commonwealth. The Hokies took control in the first half and thumped the Rams 75-59 in a Metro Conference game before 5,117 spectators at Cassell Coliseum.
With at least five games left in the season, Tech clinched its first winning season since the 1987-88 team went 19-10.
"I'm so happy for the seniors," said Bill Foster, the Hokies' coach. "To me, that's just another step."
Tech (14-8 overall, 3-6 in the Metro) ended a six-game losing streak and escaped a tie for the Metro basement with South Florida.
VCU (12-10, 4-5), which had beaten the Hokies five consecutive times entering the game, has lost five in a row on the road.
Tech led by 19 points in the second half.
The Hokies flipped the pages of their season back to December, when the norm against lesser opponents was tough defense and enough shooting to rack up seven double-figure victories.
The Hokies fought through VCU's perimeter screens better than in their 81-75 loss in Richmond on Feb. 10. VCU guard Kenny Harris, who usually burns Tech from outside, was 1-for-9 overall and didn't have a 3-pointer for the first time in 39 games.
VCU, the Metro's second-best shooting team, made 35.9 percent from the field.
Foster said Tech had a game-day, class-day walk-through for the first time this season. It apparently helped.
"That's as good a defense as we've had put on us this year," said Sonny Smith, the Rams' coach.
Tech used an 18-0 first-half run to take a 16-point lead and basically enjoyed the rest of the night. Damon Watlington and Corey Jackson, who sparked the first-half burst with 13 points, combined for 27 of Tech's 33 bench points.
VCU went scoreless from the field for 10 minutes, 32 seconds in the first half after taking a 10-8 lead. The Rams' only points until Warren made another finger roll with 4:24 left were two free throws by Tyron McCoy following a technical foul called on Jay Purcell for arguing with official Curtis Shaw.
During their scorless stretch, the Rams went 0-for-7 from the field (0-for-3 from 3-point range) and committed six turnovers. Tech had four steals and two blocked shots.
"We fed off each other's emotion," Purcell said. "It was just the way we were playing in December.
"It felt like our legs were really fresh. We picked it up another notch [from the Marquette game]."
Purcell said the Hokies, whose irritation increased with each of the six losses, got more annoyed when they heard VCU reserve Bob Osborne needling Tech during warmups about its upcoming seventh consecutive loss.
The more-hyper Hokies dashed to a 6-0 lead, and the Rams were taken aback.
"That's something they don't normally do," Smith said.
While Tech's defense was forcing VCU's offense away from the basket, the Hokies were attacking - especially Watlington, who had some pull-up jumpers in addition to three 3-pointers.
Tech shot 55.6 percent in the second half.
"I don't know who that was out there in the second half shooting," Foster said.
Tech led by 10 at halftime. VCU scored the first basket of the second half to cut Tech's lead to 28-20 and was eight behind with 13:50 left.
But an Ace Custis jumper, a Warren miss and Watlington's pull-up jumper gave Tech a 40-28 lead with 12:45 left.
VCU closed to 43-32, but the Hokies went on an 11-5 run, getting five points from Shawn Smith, to go ahead 54-37 with 8:31 left.
VCU didn't get closer than nine points behind the rest of the way.
It made for a boisterous Tech locker room for the first time since Jan. 22, when the Hokies beat William and Mary. Thursday's game was the Hokies' first victory at Cassell since Jan. 20.
"They're tired of feeling sorry for themselves," Foster said. "The effort was just excellent."
\ NOTE: Foster said after the game that forward Jim Jackson will have a magnetic resonance imaging test performed on his back Monday. Jackson, Foster said, may not make the trip to South Florida on Saturday if his back still is sore.
by CNB