Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 1, 1995 TAG: 9503010099
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
``There was a point where I felt we should have lost this game,'' Deane said, ``but that doesn't mean you stop playing.''
Or, in Deane's case, stop shooting.
After missing his first seven shots of the second half, Deane scored from the lane with 16.7 seconds remaining to lift 13th-ranked Virginia over Virginia Tech 63-62 at the Richmond Coliseum.
Tech had a chance to win in the closing seconds, but Shawn Smith's off-balance jumper spun out of the basket and Ace Custis could not control the rebound.
``My heart stopped when it looked like the first shot went in,'' Deane said. ``The ball came out and I thought we were OK. Then, Tech got the rebound and my heart stopped again.''
It was an excruciating sequence for the Hokies, who can only hope that their NCAA Tournament chances weren't decided in the final 7.8 seconds. Tech (19-9) ends the regular season at home Saturday against Metro Conference front-runner North Carolina-Charlotte.
``It's never going to be more important than [it will be] this Saturday,'' said Bill Foster, the Hokies' coach. ``This hurt. It's hard to describe what a win would have meant to us.
``The bottom line is we had it and we let it get away. We didn't get beat. We gave the game away. This is the third one we've had a chance to win at the end, just like [losses to] Louisville and South Florida.''
Foster called a timeout with 7.8 seconds remaining and diagrammed a play for Smith to go to a corner and Custis to get the ball at the top of the key.
``That's what drives you nuts,'' Foster said. ``You sit there and diagram it up and then one kid [Smith] goes the wrong way. He and Ace almost ran together, if you noticed. It wasn't the shot we wanted.''
It was the 100th victory for fifth-year coach Jeff Jones, whose Cavaliers had not lost back-to-back games all season but clearly were on the verge Tuesday night.
The Hokies led 58-51 with less than 21/2 minutes remaining, but senior Jason Williford refused to let Virginia lose, scoring eight points in a row in his final college game in his hometown.
The biggest play of the game may have come when Williford stole the ball from Smith, drove for a layup and was fouled. Williford's free throw put the Cavaliers ahead 61-60 with 53.8 seconds left.
``I thought I fouled him,'' Williford said. ``I was listening for the whistle and I think Smith was listening for the whistle, too. It's a good thing I woke up because the ball was about an inch from going out of bounds.''
It was a rare play in that neither player had the obvious reaction.
``It was a good steal,'' Smith said. ``He went for the ball and got it. He didn't foul me. He made a clean steal, put the ball in the basket and made his free throw. He did his job.''
It was the third time in as many games that Williford, who finished with 18 points, had set or matched his season high. He was 5-for-5 from the line for a Virginia team that was 1-for-5 before hitting its last six.
Junior Burrough led the Cavaliers with 22 points and was unstoppable in the low post - when Virginia could get the ball to him. UVa had 16 turnovers, compared with 11 for the Hokies, but Tech had three turnovers in the final 21/2 minutes.
``It's better to be lucky than good,'' said Jones, whose overall record is 100-55. ``We weren't very good. Some breaks went our way [and] we created some, but the bottom line is we took advantage of them.
``If anybody, including me, doubted this group's toughness and ability to bounce back, tonight proved you shouldn't underestimate us.''
It was the 13th time in 27 games Virginia has trailed at the half and the eighth time in those games the Cavaliers have come back to win. UVa shot 51.9 percent in the second half and 49.0 for the game.
``We outrebounded them [and] forced more turnovers, but didn't shoot well,'' Foster said. ``The game, no matter how you divide it up - hustle, effort, defense and rebounding - comes down to putting the ball in the basket.''
The Hokies threatened to win the game at the free-throw line - at one point they had outscored UVa 15-1 from the line - but Smith missed a pair with 1:18 remaining that proved costly.
Custis gave Tech its last lead, 62-61, when he hit two free throws with 34.3 seconds left, but he did not hurt UVa from the field. Smith led four Hokies scorers in double figures with 14 points.
``These kids bounce back pretty well,'' Foster said. ``If we can win Saturday and take a couple in the [Metro] Tournament and get up to 22 wins, I don't know. I tell our guys we need to take care of business ourselves.''
by CNB