Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 7, 1995 TAG: 9502070086
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
``We got so much out of that loss,'' said UVa coach Debbie Ryan, whose Cavaliers were upset in Blacksburg, 69-62, on Jan.13. ``I'm not sure that game didn't do more for us than it did for Tech.''
Virginia hasn't lost since, extending its winning streak to seven games Sunday by beating No.3-ranked North Carolina 88-78 before a record women's crowd of 9,450 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
``We really didn't do very well the last time we were in front of a big crowd on the road,'' Ryan said. ``That was down in Blacksburg [before 4,300] at Virginia Tech. I thought we were ready for the next step and I'm glad to see us taking it.''
Ryan kept her team in the locker room for 25 minutes after the game at Tech, but the real torture took place the next day.
``I made them sit there and watch the game by themselves - commercials and all,'' Ryan said. ``The next day, they had to watch the film with me, so they got the message twice.''
Specifically, Ryan wanted the Cavaliers to value each possession.
``I walked into the locker room and asked them, `Who's your go-to player?' '' Ryan related. ``They all said [it was] Wendy Palmer. `Then, get her the ball,' I told them. It was so painfully obvious.''
REBOUNDING RACE: Point guard Cory Alexander has surged ahead of starting center Chris Alexander (no relation) among rebounding leaders for the UVa men's team, which says as much for the former as it does for the latter.
Cory Alexander, a 6-foot-1 senior, failed to score in the second half Saturday in the Cavaliers' 76-63 overtime victory over Florida State, but he came close to a rare triple-double with 12 points, eight assists and a career-high eight rebounds.
He had grabbed seven rebounds in two of UVa's three previous games and has 85 for the season. He is on pace for his third season with 100 or more rebounds, a feat accomplished by no other UVa point guards.
Only two other UVa point guards in the past 25 years have had as many as 100 rebounds in a season, Barry Parkhill, who was 6-4, and Othell Wilson. Wilson had 375 rebounds in his four-year career; Alexander has 299 with at least 10 games left in his third season.
``You've got to look at opportunities; when you've got a guy like [7-4] Ralph Sampson to clear the glass, there are fewer opportunities,'' said UVa coach Jeff Jones, who played with Sampson and Wilson. ``But, when you don't have a guy like Ralph, it's even more important for everybody to get involved.''
SHOOTING SLUMP: Sophomore guard Harold Deane scored 11 of his 13 points in overtime Saturday in hitting double figures for the 24th time in 25 games (he went scoreless after suffering a sprained ankle in the fifth minute against Clemson).
Deane missed his first seven shots against Florida State and has gone 13-of-51 over the past five games. At least one reason for that is the increased attention Deane has received from opposing ``big'' guards. Deane, at 6-1, gave up seven inches to Maryland's Exree Hipp, who blocked two of Deane's shots Wednesday in a 71-62 Terps victory.
NOT GOING SMALL: Jones said he is reluctant to use the high post-low post tandem of 6-8 Junior Burrough and 6-5 Jason Williford that has gotten increased time in late-game situations.
``I'm still afraid of that lineup,'' Jones said. ``It does some good things. Offensively, it certainly creates problems, but defensively it makes me feel very vulnerable.''
DOUBLING UP: Percy Ellsworth, starting free safety for the UVa football team, went out for basketball for the first time last year and earned a letter without playing in a game. Ellsworth already has played in two games this year, scoring four points in a 128-98 romp over George Mason.
STAT STUFF: Senior forward Junior Burrough, steadily moving up UVa's career lists, now ranks sixth in scoring (1,692 points) and fourth in rebounding (789). ... Freshman Curtis Staples from Roanoke already stands 10th all-time at UVa in 3-pointers with 44. That's tied for sixth on the single-season list. ... It was shades of 1993-94 when Virginia defeated Florida State despite shooting a season-low 34.9 percent from the field. UVa is hitting 45 percent for the year - up from last year's 38.7, the lowest mark in the ACC in 32 years.
by CNB