Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 5, 1995 TAG: 9503070032
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: AMANDA BARRETT STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ROCK HILL, S.C. LENGTH: Medium
With time running out in overtime of Duke's ACC women's tournament semifinal against sixth-ranked Virginia, Orr nailed a 3-pointer that gave the Blue Devils a stunning 83-82 victory over the Cavaliers at Winthrop Coliseum.
Last-second baskets are fairly common, but two in the same game are rare.
Kira Orr proved it could be done Saturday when she sank two in the final 51/2 minutes as Duke rallied from a 20-point halftime deficit to defeat Virginia 83-82 in overtime in a semifinal matchup in the women's ACC Tournament at Winthrop Coliseum.
With 0:00 showing on the clock, Orr hit a 3-pointer to tie the score at 73 and send the game into overtime.
Five minutes earlier, Orr's 25-footer had sent the game into overtime following the biggest second-half comeback in the 18-year history of the tournament.
``I just threw it up,'' the sophomore guard of the shot at the end of regulation, ``maybe I closed my eyes, but I didn't see it go in.''
Orr's game-winner came after Virginia's Tora Suber hit a free throw to make it 82-81 with six seconds left in overtime. The 3-pointer by Orr thwarted Virginia's bid to become the first ACC team to finish 16-0 in the regular season and win the tournament championship.
``It is a little bit of a shock to me that we gave up a 20-point lead,'' said Debbie Ryan, the Cavaliers' coach. ``Especially with this team that I feel has a lot of tenacity. It just came down to the last shot, and they made it. That's what the game is all about.''
The final shot also sent Duke to its first ACC championship game. The Blue Devils will meet North Carolina for the third time this season. The Tar Heels defeated North Carolina State 90-71 in the other semifinal.
``This is the greatest win in Duke women's basketball history,'' said Gail Goestenkors, the Blue Devils' coach.
For Virginia it was a tale of two halves. The Cavaliers jumped took a 40-20 halftime lead as Jeffra Gausepohl and Wendy Palmer each scored 12 points. Virginia hit 48 percent of its field-goal attempts in the first half and Duke struggled, making only 30 percent of its shots.
``Virginia was ready to play and just attacked us, and really it was embarrassing for us,'' Goestenkors said.
At halftime, Goestenkors said she told her team, ``For the next 20 minutes, all we're playing for is our pride.''
Orr responded to her coach's call, scoring all 24 of her points in the second half.
Duke cut the Cavaliers' lead to six with 12:04 left on two free throws by Allison Day, but Virginia extended its lead again and was ahead 56-48 with 9:30 remaining.
Once again the Blue Devils closed the gap, cutting it to 56-50 with 8:09 left after a turnover and two fouls by UVa. But again the Cavaliers held off the rally.
The Blue Devils made their final push when Orr sank two free throws with 1:59 left to start Duke on a 15-4 run.
Virginia turned over the ball on three of its next four posessions, and Day sank a 3-pointer with 32 seconds left to tie the score at 70.
Amy Loftstedt hit a 3-pointer to give UVa a 73-70 lead with five seconds left, but Orr sent the game into overtime.
``I thought Duke did an excellent job in the second half using their pressure,'' Ryan said. ``They disrupted us. We didn't handle some things very well, and I give them all the credit for a tremendous comeback.''
The Cavaliers committed 16 turnovers in the second half and hit 40 percent of their shots.
Duke increased its field-goal percentage to 50 percent and went 5-for-6 from 3-point range.
The teams played closely in overtime, and Virginia led 82-81 before Orr's last-second jumper.
``I tried to put a lot of pressure on Orr,'' UVa's Tora Suber said. ``I thought maybe someone would step up and help me trap, but she got the shot off and I released from her because I didn't want to foul.''
No.12 North Carolina 90
N.C. State 71
Marion Jones scored 21 points and Charlotte Smith added 20 to lead the Tar Heels past the Wolfpack.
Freshman Tracy Reid had 11 points and 11 rebounds to help the 1994 NCAA champions advance to the ACC championship game for the second consecutive year. Smith scored 16 of her points in the second half, helping the Tar Heels (27-4) turn a 48-41 halftime lead into a rout.
by CNB