Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 24, 1995 TAG: 9503240140
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: STORRS, CONN. LENGTH: Medium
Tora Suber, a 5-foot-7 sophomore guard, drove the length of the court and scored with 3.2 seconds left Thursday night, lifting the Cavaliers to a come-from-behind 63-62 victory over Louisiana Tech in the East Region's third round.
After Suber scored the last two of her 15 second-half points, Louisiana Tech (28-5) had one more chance, but Vickie Johnson's running 10-footer bounced off the rim at the horn.
While Suber celebrated at midcourt, coach Debbie Ryan and the rest of the Cavaliers hesitated because the Gampel Pavilion scoreboard incorrectly read 63-63.
``I was was very confused,'' Ryan said, ``because I knew we had been down only one point when Tora scored. But after she made the basket, I looked up and saw 63-63, and thought to myself, `I guess it's OT.' Finally, the scorer said we win the game.''
Suber, who led the Cavs back from a 10-point halftime deficit, was fully aware of the outcome.
``I knew it was over,'' she said. ``Debbie looked at me celebrating and said, `calm down.'''
``Tora was over there just hooping and hollering,'' UVa's Wendy Palmer said. ``I thought we we tied. That's what the board said. I guess Tora knew what nobody else didn't know.''
An NCAA official after the game said Louisiana Tech's score inadvertently had been changed from 62 to 63 during a timeout with 26 seconds left.
Virginia (27-4) now has the unenviable task of facing No.1-ranked Connecticut on its homecourt in Saturday's region title game (11 a.m., ESPN cable).
The top-seeded Huskies (32-0) ran their Gampel winning streak to 36 with an 87-56 pasting of Alabama (22-9) in Thursday's opener. UConn, which was led by Jennifer Rizzotti's 24 points, blitzed the Tide with a 36-7 run to close the first half.
Geno Auriemma's club, which has won its three NCAA games by a total of 107 points, lost 6-7 center Kara Wolters midway in the second half to a slight concussion. Wolters, who was struck by an elbow of an Alabama player, will sit out practice today but is probable for Saturday.
UVa can thank Suber for living to see UConn. After missing all seven of her field-goal attempts and being held scoreless in the first half, Suber hit 6-of-11 shots in the second half. She scored UVa's last three baskets.
``We had our best defensive player [Kendra Neal] on her and we still couldn't stop here,'' Louisiana Tech coach Leon Barmore said.
``This is just another heartbreaker for us. We lose by one last year in the finals [to North Carolina] on a last-second shot. We lose this year in the [Sun Belt] conference on a last-second shot, now this. We're just snakebit, I guess.''
The Lady Techsters killed themselves at the free-throw line, where they they hit only 11-of-23 for the game. UVa was 11-of-13.
Monick Foote had 15 points for Virginia, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Palmer had 13 points and 16 rebounds.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
by CNB