Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 15, 1995 TAG: 9501170084
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LYNCHBURG LENGTH: Medium
The Highlanders stuck a figurative finger in one leak when they slowed Liberty's powerful inside game. But then the Radford dike was breached by a gusher when the Flames' perimeter game came through.
Outside guys Eric Pothoven, Barry Taylor and Kevin Benton hit most of the important shots and the Flames were solid at the free-throw line down the stretch to hold off Radford for a 64-52 Big South Conference victory in front of a crowd of 4,235 at the Vines Center.
This game wasn't a blowout. Radford (8-6 overall, 2-3 Big South) trailed 52-50 after Jason Lansdown's jumper with 2 minutes, 56 seconds left.
But then the game got away when Radford guard Shane Weddle tried to beat 6-foot-10 Peter Aluma to the hoop on a fast break following a Liberty turnover. It didn't work. Aluma swatted away Weddle's layup, then converted at the other end to put the Flames up 54-50.
After another of Radford's 20 turnovers, the Flames (6-7, 2-2) made 10 of their last 13 free throws to settle it.
Liberty, a 63.3 percent free-throw shooting team coming in, made 22 of 32 shots, 19 of 27 in the second half.
``Going into conference play, our players were really struggling shooting free throws,'' Liberty coach Jeff Meyer said. ``But over the last four games, for whatever reason, they're doing much better.''
Larry Jackson, Pothoven, and Taylor were a combined 14-of-15 from the line. Those three, plus Benton, saved Liberty all night.
Pothoven finished with 15 points and five assists, Taylor had 12 points and four steals, and Benton added 12 points and five rebounds.
That made up for the loss of production from Aluma and Jason Dixon, the Flames' inside stalwarts. Each was held to five points and they combined for 11 rebounds - Dixon averages 10.7 per game.
``They just took Aluma and Dixon away from us,'' Meyer said.
Most of the heavy lifting in the first half was handled by Radford's Antoine Dalton, who drew three fouls apiece on Aluma and Dixon each before halftime. Freshman Eric Parker helped Radford inside in the second half.
``I was just trying to be strong with them and not let them have any easy baskets,'' said Dalton, who led Radford with 17 points. ``As for my offense, it's coming along now. The shots are falling.''
That pretty much left it up to Liberty's outside guys.
``That has to be our focus,'' Taylor said. ``Most teams are going to key on Peter and Jason. That leaves it up to the rest of us.''
Radford outrebounded the Flames 35-33, but the Highlanders were having perimeter problems of their own. Liberty was using a tag-team approach to guarding Radford point guard Anthony Walker, the team's assist leader and second-leading scorer.
``Coach told us that if we let him penetrate, he'd kill us,'' Taylor said.
Instead, the Flames limited Walker to eight points (none in the first half) on 3-for-11 shooting to go with three assists and four turnovers.
``They kept their best defensive guys coming after me,'' Walker said. ``They always had a fresh guy on me. I wasn't getting tired so much as the shots weren't falling.''
Walker fouled out with 1:28 left. The comeback was already fizzling by then.
``Some not-very-intelligent plays stopped us,'' said Ron Bradley, Radford's coach. ``Missed free throws, trying to challenge 6-10 kids.''
Radford's shooting didn't help. The Highlanders hit only 10 of 32 second-half shots (31.3 percent) and finished 37 percent from the floor.
by CNB