Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 25, 1995 TAG: 9503270071
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KANSAS CITY, MO. LENGTH: Medium
The defending NCAA basketball champions needed overtime in a second straight game to get past Memphis 96-91 in the Midwest Regional semifinal opener Friday night at Kemper Arena.
In becoming the only men's team in the nation with 30 victories this season, the Razorbacks forced the seventh overtime game of the tournament - a record for 57 years of NCAA brackets - with a furious rally that erased a 12-point deficit.
Corliss Williamson's play inside during that run was crucial, as the sixth-ranked Razorbacks (30-6) won for the 13th time in 14 games. Memphis (24-10) already had played its way back into the game after 29.7 percent field-goal shooting in the first half.
However, a 49-point second half in regulation and the wondrous play of shooting guard Mingo Johnson wasn't enough for the Great Midwest Conference regular-season champions, the region's sixth seed.
Arkansas also was helped in the final seconds by a foul of minimal contact in what had been a very physical game.
Memphis coach Larry Finch ripped the late whistle by official David Hall of the Big Eight Conference.
``It's ridiculous,'' Finch said of the hand check by Chris Garner on Corey Beck of the Razorbacks with 11.5 seconds left in regulation. ``It's utterly ridiculous. This is a national basketball tournament.
``My youngsters may have self-destructed down the stretch, but it was 35-8 the last time [in free throws in Memphis' victory over Purdue in the second-round game], and today they made more [free throws] than we attempted [22-20].
``That hand check ... was too light to be called a foul. That didn't make an ounce of sense. I don't want to take away from a great game, but that didn't make an ounce of sense.''
It's been a tough trip through the Midwest for the defending champs, who will meet Virginia, a 67-58 winner over top-seeded Kansas, in Sunday's regional final at 5 p.m. It's the fourth trip to the tournament's final eight in five years for coach Nolan Richardson's club.
The Hogs have a one-point win over Texas Southern, a two-point overtime nudging of Syracuse after an untimely timeout by the Orangemen and overtime survival of Memphis.
Johnson, a junior-college transfer guard averaging 10 points per game, was spectacular for the Tigers. He scored 31 of his game-high 32 points in the first 27 minutes, then had to leave the floor with four personals.
Without him, however, Memphis found its inside game. When Johnson sat, the Tigers were up 62-58 with 13:12 to play in regulation. In the next five minutes, Memphis increased the lead to 79-67 before the Razorbacks rallied.
Going inside to Williamson - he finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds - or kicking the ball back out to Scotty Thurman for 3-pointers, Arkansas scored 12 of the next 14 points to trim Memphis' edge to 81-79. Each team got only one more basket in regulation.
After an Arkansas timeout with 13.7 seconds left in regulation, the defending national champs were given a chance to win the game after Hall whistled Garner when he bumped Beck, who was heading through the key.
Beck, however, made only the first of the two-shot opportunity, and when the Tigers' Justin Wimmer missed a 3-pointer just before the horn, it was 83-83 and overtime.
Arkansas had beaten visiting Memphis 88-87 last month.
``We're delighted we figured out a way to win,'' Richardson said. ``That's an incredible job by Larry's team, considering how young they are and how far they've come.
``We never gave up, and as we've said before, we keep living on the edge. I told them, `Let's just keep edging our way out of here and get back to where we were.'''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
by CNB