Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 8, 1995 TAG: 9501100025
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HATTIESBURG, MISS. LENGTH: Medium
In hopes of breaking a long losing hex at Southern Mississippi, Virginia Tech decided it was time to shuffle the deck.
The Hokies changed motels. They switched locker rooms.
``Anything we could do to change up,'' said Bill Foster, Tech's coach.
Fine, but when the teams laid their cards on the table Saturday afternoon at Reed Green Coliseum, the real difference was the Hokies had an Ace that Southern Miss couldn't match.
In a dominating performance, Ace Custis scored 20 points and snared a career-high 19 rebounds as the Hokies finally exorcised the demon of Southern Miss 87-72 in a Metro Conference game.
The victory was Tech's first in its past 10 games in Hattiesburg, where it had not won since 1985. The Hokies (11-2 overall, 1-1 Metro) had lost 11 in a row overall to their longtime nemesis, last beating the Golden Eagles (6-3, 0-1) in Blacksburg, Va., in 1989.
``We had to have it,'' Custis said. ``This one was mandatory.''
After seeing its eight-game winning streak snapped in a 78-72 loss at Tulane on Thursday, Tech was willing to do anything in Hattiesburg to gain a split on its Southern trip.
``We changed everything but restaurants,'' Custis said. ``The food was too good there to change. The other motel was a little better, too, but we were willing to try anything to come out of here with a win and go home 1-1.
``I think if we had lost this one everybody would have hung their heads going into Louisville [on Thursday in Blacksburg]. We had to have it.''
Custis made certain of it. The smooth 6-foot-7 forward had 10 points in each half. He had 13 rebounds in the second half and finished the game with 10 offensive boards.
``Custis had a great day,'' said M.K. Turk, Southern Miss' coach. ``Every time I looked up he was going for a board. He only had 19. I think our stat crew may have missed a couple.''
The relentless sophomore got plenty of help. He was one of five Hokies scorers in double figures. Forward Shawn Smith had 17 points, sixth man David Jackson 16, point guard Shawn Good 15 and shooting guard Damon Watlington 10. Junior center Travis Jackson, who was limited to eight minutes against Tulane because of a twisted left ankle, had nine points.
The Hokies won it on the boards, where they held a 46-35 advantage, and with a swarming inside defense that held Southern Miss star Glen Whisby scoreless for the game's final 31 minutes, 15 seconds. The 6-9 senior, averaging 17.6 points and 11 rebounds, was limited to nine points and four rebounds.
``We helped each other out a lot on defense,'' Smith said. ``Ace did a great job on the guy, and whenever anybody else got a chance to help out, they did.
``But when Ace is on like he was today, the best thing I can do is take a seat and watch him and do the best I can to complement him.''
The game started as if it might be another series rerun. Behind guard Damien Smith - who led the Eagles with 19 points - and Whisby, Southern Miss charged to a 28-19 lead in the first 13 minutes as the Hokies went 8-for-23 from the floor.
Then, Tech woke up. Trailing 34-29 with 3:05 left in the half, the Hokies closed with an 11-1 run to take a 38-35 lead to the locker room.
The Golden Eagles, who missed their final seven shots of the half, still had trouble locating the basket after intermission. They hit only two of their first 12 field-goal attempts in the second half and found themselves down 50-40 with 12 minutes left.
With Custis cleaning the glass at both ends, Tech stretched its cushion to as much as 15, at 69-54 with 4:49 left.
But the curse of Turk wouldn't go quietly. The Eagles stole consecutive inbounds passes on the press to fuel an 11-2 run in a span of 79 seconds that chopped Tech's seemingly safe lead to 71-65.
``That was a little scary,'' Custis said. ``It was a sudden thing. It was unexpected. But we gathered ourselves and handled it well.''
Foster said his team also handled the Tulane loss well.
``It was a good test for us,'' said Foster, whose club outscored Southern Miss 29-10 from the free-throw line. ``To come back in less than 48 hours after losing to Tulane and come in this place and win shows a lot of maturity.
``Man, this one's really nice. We hadn't won here in a decade.''
And with the Metro breaking up after this season, it's a lock that Foster and Tech won't be checking out Hattiesburg again anytime soon.
``I don't think we'll ever see this place again,'' Foster said.
Turk seconded the motion, saying, ``I can guarantee you won't see us coming to Blacksburg'' after this season.
That's OK with the Hokies. The hex is over.
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB