Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, December 4, 1994 TAG: 9412070078
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Five Maroons scored in double figures, and nine members of coach Page Moir's squad played at least 10 minutes, as Roanoke improved to 4-1 overall, 2-0 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
``We've got a good blend of young and old this season,'' Moir said. ``We play consistently hard.''
Roanoke's depth became especially evident midway through the second half. The Maroons scored 15 unanswered points in a six-minute stretch, advancing a 54-51 advantage to 69-51 with 7 minutes, 21 seconds left to play.
Senior Bryant Lee, who led all scorers with 20 points, junior Steve Camara and freshman A.J. Hamlin combined for 13 points during the run.
Hamlin, who finished with 14 points, provided two offensive flurries. He scored three baskets - including an explosive dunk - in a two-minute span during the first half, and scored eight second-half points in a period of 3:18.
Hamlin's opening jam broke a 17-17 tie and brought the predominately Roanoke crowd to its feet.
``We needed a lift,'' Hamlin said. ``I wanted to pump [my teammates] up. I just got by my man. I've done that [stepping around a defender for a dunk] on the playground, but never in organized ball. I was afraid I'd miss the dunk.''
The young Marlins (3-3, 1-2) stayed with Roanoke for most of the game. Wesleyan led six times in the first half, but never by more than two points.
``They were a lot better than I'd thought they were,'' Lee said.
The Maroons scored the last eight points before intermission, and went to the locker room with a 42-35 lead. Four freshmen (Ryan Bradford, Percy Slight, Russell DeMont, and Sean Blackwell) accounted for 33 of Wesleyan's 35 first-half points.
The Marlins opened the second half strongly, even briefly taking the lead (43-42). But three minutes later, the floodgates opened.
``We'd gotten down a little bit defensively,'' Camara said. ``But then we started running our fast break, making steals and getting great pressure from our guards. The next time I looked at the scoreboard, we had an 18-point lead.''
``I think we are our own worst enemy,'' Wesleyan coach Terry Butterfield said, attributing the loss to ``turning the ball over, not executing our defense, and our inability to score down the stretch.''
``It's disappointing because we didn't compete the last 10 minutes. We should have been in this game until the end. But when adversity hit, we folded a little bit.''
Wesleyan committed 21 turnovers, compared to Roanoke's 12, and shot only 31 percent in the second half.
Bradford led the Marlins with 18 points, 13 of which came in the game's first nine minutes.
Slight scored 11, and the 6-8 Blackwell, a 27-year-old first-year college student, added 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Blackwell had been a professional painter in the Tidewater area for several years, but felt he could play college basketball - although he had never played in high school.
``[Blackwell] came to me,'' said Butterfield, dispelling any rumor that Blackwell was recruited. ``He's very raw and inexperienced, but he's got some skills.''
Joe Schrantz and Akil Stewart each had 11 points for the Maroons, although Stewart left the game with an eye injury with 15:51 left.
``I took an elbow going for a rebound,'' Stewart said, ``and I've got to get some stitches.''
VIRGINIA WESLEYAN (66)
Cohen 0-3 2-2 2, MacLeod 3-11 0-0 8, Slight 5-7 1-4 11, Bradford 7-10 0-0 18, Blackwell 4-12 2-2 10, Reich 0-3 0-0 0, Hynson 1-3 2-2 4, DeMont 2-4 3-3 7, Murray 1-4 0-2 2, Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, McCabe 0-3 0-0 0, Britlingham 1-2 0-0 2, Ward 1-3 0-2 2, DelPino 0-1 0-0 0, McMurray 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 25-64 10-17 66.
ROANOKE COLLEGE (80)
Stewart 5-10 0-0 11, Bishop 3-5 0-0 6, Lee 9-13 1-1 20, Schrantz 3-6 4-4 11, Camara 4-5 2-5 10, Braun 0-1 1-2 1, Hamlin 6-10 1-2 14, Genthner 0-0 0-0 0, Hungate 2-6 1-1 5, Boykin 0-0 0-0 0, Sigafoes 0-2 0-0 0, Fitch 0-0 0-0 0, Bryant 0-2 0-0 0, Ball 0-0 2-4 2, Norman 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 32-60 12-19 80.
Virginia Wesleyan 35--31-----66
Roanoke College 42--38-----80
Three-point goals-Virginia Wesleyan 6-17 (Bradford 4-4, MacLeod 2-7, Reich 0-3, Murray 0-2, DeMont 0-1), Roanoke 4-13 (Stewart 1-4, Hamlin 1-2, Schrantz 1-1, Lee 1-1, Bishop 0-2, Hungate 0-1, Boykin 0-2). Rebounds-Virginia Wesleyan 39 (Blackwell 11), Roanoke 35 (Lee 7). Assists-Virginia Wesleyan 17 (Bradford 7), Roanoke 23 (Bishop 7). Team fouls-Virginia Wesleyan 14, Roanoke 14. A-463.
VA.WESLEYAN(66)
Cohen 2, MacLeod 8, Slight 11, Bradford 18, Blackwell 10, Reich 0, Hynson 4, DeMont 7, Murray 2, Johnson 0, McCabe 0, Brittingham 2, Ward 2, Colfino 0, McMurrane 0.|
ROANOKE(80) -
Stewart 11, Bishop 6, Lee 20, Schrantz 11, Camara 10, Braan 1, Hamlin 14, Gerther 0, Hungate 5, Boykin 0, Sigafores 0, Fitch 0, Bryant 0, Ball 2, Norman 0.
Halftime-Roanoke 42, Va. Wesleyan 35.
by CNB