Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 16, 1994 TAG: 9411160164
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: COLLEGE PARK, MD. LENGTH: Medium
True, Garland backed up Leftwich in the latter's 30 starts at the point last yearfor 30 games last season. But Leftwich is a shooting guard this season.
``It wasn't a situation where [Garland] got this by default. She earned it,'' said Carol Alfano, the Hokies' coach.
On Tuesday night at Cole Field House, Garland played all but a fistful of minutes during Tech's 68-53 pounding of Maryland in the Women's Preseason National Invitation Tournament. She didn't have knockout numbers - seven points, four assists and four turnovers - but she did run the Hokies' attack against Maryland's aggressive man-to-man defense.
Senior center Jenny Root scored 18 points and had 13 rebounds as Tech (1-0) ripped its ACC opponent and moved into the 16-team tournament's second round. On Thursday, the Hokies play Southwest Missouri State, which defeated Marquette, in Springfield, Mo.
Tech led 37-17 at halftime as Maryland shot 24.2 percent from the field, and the Hokies led by as many as 25 (60-35 with 5 minutes, 14 seconds left) in the second half before 6-for-15 free-throw shooting and turnovers against Maryland's press cut the margin.
Tech had all but one player (starter Sue Logsdon) back from last season's 24-6 NCAA Tournament team. Maryland went 15-13 last season, lost its top three scorers and rebounders and on Tuesday its starters included two freshmen and a sophomore.
The Terrapins didn't throw on a game-long, full-court press, even though Tech's Leftwich sat out the game with a stress fracture in her left thigh. Garland and Sherry Banks, from Dublin and Roanoke, respectively, started in the backcourt and played 62 of a possible 80 minutes.
Garland missed last season's Metro Conference tournament final and NCAA Tournament game with a dislocated shoulder.
``It was hard for me, especially when we made it to the [NCAA], to sit there and watch them play,'' Garland said. ``I'm glad I got to come and play.''
Chris Weller, Maryland's coach, wasn't glad about the Terps' first outing. Her team wouldn't attack Tech's half-court zone trap and couldn't hit an outside jumper when the Hokies sagged inside. Weller, who has won 390 games in 20 seasons at Maryland, said it might have been ``a bit much to ask for us to be ready by Nov.15.''
``You can tell they had a lot of people who've played together,'' she said. ``I really believe [our offensive problems] had everything to do with the half-court trap. We wasted so much time Mickey Mouse-ing around with that thing.
``We probably should have tried to press a bit more. But our quarter-court defense was so suspect, I was a little reluctant to do that.''
Alfano, meanwhile, won the 250th game of her career and couldn't find much to complain about in Tech's opener. The Hokies outrebounded Maryland 48-36 (junior Cynthia Lee and freshman Michelle Hollister contributed seven each), shot 54 percent from the field and had 16 assists (forward Christi Osborne had eight).
``We came in so prepared,'' Root said. ``We knew exactly what to expect. Nothing came as a surprise. When you come in that prepared, you've got to have some confidence.''
by CNB