Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 3, 1994 TAG: 9404030211
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
Corliss Williamson gave Arkansas all the muscle it needed inside, scoring 29 points and grabbing 13 rebounds to give the Razorbacks a 91-82 victory over the speedy Wildcats.
Arkansas, No. 1 much of the season, ran its record to 30-3 and plays the winner of the Duke-Florida game for the national title Monday night.
The president watched his beloved Hogs from a private skybox, chin in hand. He nervously clenched his fists when things got tense and provided running commentary to his boxmates - mostly local businessmen and politicians.
"I was very worried. It was a hard game. I'm glad we don't have to replay it," said Clinton, who planned to return for Monday night's final.
First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and daughter Chelsea watched from an adjoining skybox.
Arizona (29-6) claimed it had college basketball's best backcourt, but it didn't look so hot against Arkansas. Damon Stoudamire hit only two of 13 shots from beyond the 3-point arc, and Khalid Reeves went 0-for-9 from that distance. Overall, the pair hit just 11 of 43 field-goal attempts. Reeves finished with 20 points, Stoudamire with 16 on 5-for-24 shooting.
When the Razorbacks weren't launching shots from 25 feet or so - and making seven of 24 - they relied on Williamson under the basket. Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson called Williamson "pound for pound the strongest kid in the universe," and Williamson didn't do anything to diminish that appraisal.
Williamson's strength wore down Arizona in the second half, after the game was tied at 41 at halftime. Arizona pulled ahead 67-62, but the Razorbacks broke it open with a 16-3 run that put them ahead 78-67.
"We picked up the intensity," Williamson said. "We wanted to go to the final game. It feels great to get a chance to play in the championship game."
Richardson said defense would make the difference in this game, but it wasn't so much defense as Williamson's sheer strength and Stoudamire's cold shooting. Arizona hit only six of 32 3-pointers, Arkansas seven of 24.
Stoudamire endured an 0-for-10 drought, including six misses on 3-point attempts, before he swished a 3-pointer from about 25 feet at the buzzer to tie the game at halftime.
"It's frustrating to play all season, hit your shots, and then come into a game in the Final Four and have an off game," Stoudamire said. "I make three or four of those open shots I had, and we win the game. It's just very frustrating to sit here and think about what just happened out there on the court."
Stoudamire had done a good job of running Arizona's offense, handing out five assists, but couldn't buy a shot from anywhere until that dramatic 3-pointer on a breakaway. The shot capped a 17-5 run by the Wildcats, who had trailed Arkansas 36-24.
Arkansas built its lead on some spectacular 3-point shooting of its own - Al Dillard hit a pair from 30-foot range within a minute - and offensive rebounding that led to a dozen points.
"They just put constant pressure on you and it just takes its toll," Stoudamire said. "With about 10 minutes left in the game, you're just so fatigued, you're trying to suck it up. But it's just kind of hard."
Arizona's seven steals in the first half - Arkansas had one - helped the Wildcats overcome 2-for-16 shooting from 3-point range.
Neither Arkansas nor Arizona had ever reached the championship game. Arkansas lost in the semifinals of the Final Four in 1942, 1945 and 1990. Arizona's only trip to the Final Four, in 1988, ended with a loss in the semifinals.
by CNB