Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, March 11, 1995                   TAG: 9503140063
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BRISTOL                                LENGTH: Medium

LIBERTY LAYS IT ON THE LINE TO DEFEAT GATE CITY

The Minutemen, usually a 60 percent team from the line, hit 27 of 34 (79 percent) to bury Gate City 70-53 in a Group AA quarterfinal game.

``What about those free throws?'' Minutemen coach Mark Hanks asked guard J.J. Coles, a 50 percent shooter who sank 13 of 14.

``I was in the zone,'' Coles said.

``He's been watching too much `Sports Center,''' Hanks said.

Liberty (22-4) will be looking to add to its highlight film when it plays the Nansemond River-Warren County winner in the first game of a semifinal doubleheader March 17 at Liberty University's Vines Center. Gate City (22-3) saw its 11-game winning streak severed and lost its first game to a team this side of the Tennessee border since last year's Region IV tournament.

This time, the Blue Devils didn't have quite enough quickness or stamina to stand up to the Minutemen's relentless pressure.

``As long as we kept pushing it, we knew we were going to be all right,'' said Liberty center Stephen Shrader.

This is the first time the Minutemen have gone this far in the postseason. Gregg Reynolds, a Liberty guard, helped make sure the Blue Devils wouldn't be going any further with the defensive job he did on Gate City sharpshooter Shannon Carter, who came in averaging 25.1 points per game. Carter scored 21, but he made only seven of 26 field-goal attempts.

``Coach [Hanks] told me he [Carter] mostly liked to take it to the hole, so I was playing drive,'' Reynolds said. ``He favored his right a lot, so I tried to make him go left to get him in the traps.''

``Unbelievable,'' Hanks said. ``Carter is a warrior, but he was playing a warrior tonight. I doubt he's seen anybody like that [Reynolds] down here.''

Except for two one-point leads, the last at 17-16 with 5:40 left in the second quarter, the Blue Devils played from behind the whole way.

Wendell Jones trimmed a 13-point second-half deficit to six, at 49-43, with a 3-pointer with 4:16 left in the game. Liberty then proceeded to make 19 of its last 22 free throws to win comfortably.

``That was quite a role reversal at the free-throw line,'' Hanks said. ``We needed that because we got killed on the boards.''

The rebound margin was 39-23, with Gate City sophomore Josh Shoemaker snagging 14 and Carter 10. Josh Haynes, a beefy 6-foot-7, had 10 points, seven rebounds and four blocks to further underscore the Blue Devils' inside superiority.

Brian Long took up some of the slack inside with 10 points, but the Minutemen did the most damage from the outside and the line with Coles scoring 21, Reynolds 15 and Kris Ridgeway 13.

NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.