Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 5, 1994 TAG: 9404050123
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
The Razorbacks beat Duke, the dominant team of the decade, 76-72, in the NCAA Tournament championship game Monday night by again wearing down an opponent.
"We could never put them away and they could never put us away," Richardson said. "There is no greater honor a team can achieve than a national championship. It was a well-fought ball game between two heavyweights."
The knockout blow was Scotty Thurman's 3-pointer with 50 seconds left as the shot clock expired.
Arkansas' gutsy performance in overcoming a 10-point second-half deficit gave Richardson the championship ring to wave in front of his critics, whom he openly challenged throughout Final Four weekend.
It also offset an unbelievable final college game by Grant Hill, one of three Duke seniors looking for a third title. He engineered an early second-half run that gave the Blue Devils a 10-point lead, but it wasn't enough. The Razorbacks fought back and took the lead for good on Thurman's long jumper.
"I thought they wore us down a little bit in the second half and there was a chance of them exploding," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "It was a game somebody won, not one that somebody lost. My emotion right now is one of pride."
Clinton jumped up as the final buzzer sounded, punching one fist in the air and waving an Arkansas cap with the other. He stood at the box applauding for several minutes as the players and fans swarmed onto the floor to celebrate.
Clinton went into the stands to greet Calvin Hill, the father of the Duke star, then stood at a corner of the court watching the trophy ceremony.
This was the Razorbacks' first championship game appearance in their fifth Final Four.
Richardson brought Arkansas to the 1990 national semifinals where they were beaten by Duke. He was in search of what he called his coaching triple crown - he won the junior college national title with Western Texas in 1980 and the NIT with Tulsa the next season.
The Razorbacks got him that third title by overcoming poor shooting with tenacious defense that forced Duke into 23 turnovers. The defense was at its best when Arkansas rebounded from the 48-38 deficit with a 16-4 run. Duke went four minutes without scoring, and in that span the Blue Devils missed five shots and committed five turnovers.
Duke finally righted itself to tie the score at 54 with 10:16 left. After that, there were three lead changes and two ties, the last at 70-70 when Hill hit a 3-pointer with 1:30 left.
Arkansas called a timeout, and when the Razorbacks returned to the court they had trouble getting an open shot. As the shot clock ticked down, Thurman finally let one go from the right side, giving the Razorbacks the lead for good. They closed the game by going 3-for-6 on free throws while Duke missed two shots, including an ill-advised 3-point attempt by Chris Collins with 24 seconds left and the Blue Devils trailing 74-70.
Corliss Williamson led Arkansas with 23 points, and Thurman and Corey Beck had 15 each.
Hill finished with 12 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. Antonio Lang, another senior, led Duke with 15 points. Jeff Capel and Cherokee Parks, whose status wasn't known until Monday morning because of a swollen knee, each had 14 points.
Richardson had let it be known he felt he didn't get the credit he deserved. He confronted television analysts and lectured the print media. He challenged his team to get the respect he felt wasn't given them - and they did.
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB