Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 5, 1995 TAG: 9503140011
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LYNCHBURG LENGTH: Medium
The only question was which free-throw line.
Although interpretations differed, there was no denying that top-seeded UNC Greensboro was too strong down the stretch in a 71-59 victory at the Big South Conference tournament.
Radford had outplayed the top-seeded Spartans in holding them to a draw in the first 31 minutes of their semifinal at Liberty University's Vines Center. Then came a sequence of events that turned the course of the contest.
UNCG had trailed the last 10 minutes of the first half, twice by as many as five points, and had survived three ties and five lead changes during a similar span in the initial portion of the second half. Then, Spartans center Eric Cuthrell dunked, giving his team a 47-46 lead, and was whistled for a technical foul for hanging on the rim with 9:26 left.
Radford's Anthony Walker, who had been kept under wraps all night by a stingy Spartans defense, went to the free-throw line for two shots. He missed both.
``The whole second half of the season my free-throw shooting hasn't been where it should be,'' Walker said. ``I guess I'm going to shoot 500 free throws every day this summer.''
Radford still had possession of the ball, but got nothing out of that, either. Chris Harvey missed a good shot, and Cuthrell rebounded and was fouled by Kevin Robinson. Cuthrell sank both free throws.
Six-point turnaround, and Radford played from behind the rest of the way.
What had started out as an inspiring upset bid ended with a 24-13 Spartans run. UNCG will play Charleston Southern, a 60-58 winner over Liberty, at 1 p.m. today for the championship.
Had that squandered opportunity led to Radford's sixth consecutive semifinal dismissal from the tournament?
``I thought we escaped there,'' said Mike Dement, the Spartans' coach.
Ron Bradley, the Highlanders' coach, thought Radford's fate was sealed at the line, but not because of any missed technical free throws.
``That wasn't the deciding boost for them, but that hurt us,'' Bradley said.
And what was the deciding boost?
``The disparity at the free-throw line for them,'' he said.
UNCG (23-5) made 21 of 32 free throws and went 18-for-28 in the second half. Radford was 10-of-14 for the game.
There was no disputing the Highlanders (16-12) had done a nice job for most of the game.
``We had a chance to win,'' Bradley said. ``We deserved to win.''
Radford outrebounded UNCG 38-28, Robinson leading the way with 11 - seven of those at the offensive end. But the Highlanders had 21 turnovers to the Spartans' 10, and Radford was held to 31 percent shooting in the second half.
``They were the better team in the first half,'' Dement said of the Highlanders. ``But in the second half, our defense and rebounding were excellent.''
Radford kept the clamps on UNCG's floor leader, Scott Hartzell, holding him to nine points - none in the first half.
``I haven't been very good the last two games,'' said Hartzell, who led the Spartans this season with a 16.3-points-per-game scoring average. ``People have done a good job of chasing me around, but that just shows you the type of team we have that we can overcome that.''
Radford had a fit with Cuthrell, who scored 12 of his 19 points in the second half, but neither could the Spartans handle Highlanders center Antoine Dalton, Cuthrell's high school teammate. Dalton had 20 points and eight rebounds in his collegiate finale.
"We couldn't stop him," Dement said.
by CNB