Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 17, 1995 TAG: 9503170056
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: STORRS, CONN. LENGTH: Medium
Carol Alfano says her Virginia Tech women's basketball team ``has been running with the top dogs'' all season.
Come Saturday the Hokies will come face to face with the biggest and baddest dogs of them all - the top-ranked Huskies of Connecticut - in their own back yard.
That's the bone Tech was tossed as a reward for beating St. Joseph's 62-52 on Thursday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament's East Region at UConn's Gampel Pavilion.
Tech's first NCAA Tournament victory set up the Hokies (22-8) for a 1 p.m. date Saturday with UConn (30-0), which advanced with a 105-73 victory over Maine in Thursday's nightcap.
When asked about the prospects of facing the Huskies before 8,241 rabid fans, Alfano shrugged her shoulders and said, ``We've got everything to gain and absolutely nothing to lose. Hey, nobody thinks we can win.''
Tech refused to lose against St.Joe's (20-9). After watching the Hawks rip off 10 points to take a 43-42 lead with 6:01 to play, the Hokies toughened up and took care of business.
Tech hit 14 of 16 free throws down the stretch, including its final 12 in a row, in outscoring the Hawks 20-9 in the final six minutes.
The Hokies had only three baskets in the game's final 11 minutes, including a huge 16-foot jump shot by junior guard Terri Garland that put Tech ahead 50-45 with 2:41 left.
``That was the biggest shot of the game,'' Alfano said. ``With Jenny [Root] being shut down inside, we needed some others to step up and score. And when Terri hit that jumper, everybody on the bench just breathed a huge sigh of relief. That brought the house down for us and loosened everybody up.''
Garland, who was a scorer in high school at Pulaski County High School, rarely shoots in the Tech offense. But she was left with no choice but to launch one when her defender backed off, inviting her to shoot.
``I couldn't resist it,'' said Garland, who also had a strong floor game, committing only two turnovers despite constant St.Joe's pressure.
Despite the final 10-point margin, Tech never really had its way with its new Atlantic 10 Conference neighbor. The defensive-minded Hawks made it tough on Tech by shackling Root, the Hokies' star center, with double- and triple-teams inside.
The Metro Conference's player of the year was held to a season-low four points on 1-of-7 shooting.
``St.Joe's whole game plan was shut down Jenny,'' Alfano said. ``But we've got some people on the wings like Christi Osborne and Angela Donnell who can score, too. They were left open, stepped up and came through.''
Osborne had 18 points, and Donnell nearly doubled her season's average with 16.
``Angela was unbelievable,'' Root said. ``They left her open and she took advantage. She just doesn't get enough respect for the kind of player she is.''
The victory, the 76th in four seasons for Tech's five seniors, means the Hokies live to play again. Alfano said her seniors, the group that has put Tech on the women's' basketball map, didn't want to go out with back-to-back losses. The Hokies were upset by Southern Mississippi 67-66 in a Metro tournament semifinal.
``These seniors just didn't want to lose,'' Alfano said. ``When it came time to do the job, they stepped up and did it. I kept saying all day long to myself that I didn't want this to be their last game. They've done so much for us. And I want to keep coaching them.''
The victory was Tech's first NCAA Tournament triumph - men's or women's - since 1980.
``It would have been a letdown if we hadn't won at least one game in the NCAA,'' Root said. ``Last year against Auburn [a 60-51 loss], we were just wide-eyed and awed about being in it. This year we wanted to beat somebody.''
Alfano said the NCAA triumph was another milestone for the Tech program.
``This takes us to the next level,'' she said. ``Some teams don't want to do that. These guys do. I never had to push them. They motivate themselves.''
Tech will need more than motivation Saturday to slay the giant, UConn.
``I'm not worried about UConn yet,'' Alfano said. ``Let's enjoy this one for the moment. I can stay up until 4 or 5 in the morning getting ready for them.''
by CNB