ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 3, 1995 TAG: 9512040084
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
A WIN IS A WIN, but can you say ``ugly''? Virginia Tech can, like it or not.
Virginia Tech's 22nd-ranked basketball team was dealt a lesson Saturday. The Hokies were just lucky they didn't have to pay for it.
Despite a second-half performance that had their coaches holding their noses, the struggling Hokies somehow managed to avoid an early-season dumper, holding off pesky William and Mary 71-66 at W&M Hall.
Looking as bad as it did good in Tuesday's season-opening romp over Coastal Carolina, Tech (2-0) was fortunate to escape against a club it hammered by 24 points in Blacksburg last season.
"We're lucky to get out of here alive,'' said Bill Foster, Tech's coach. "I just knew we were going to come in here and have a tough game.
"I felt that way for a couple of reasons. One was, last year's game at our place was never close. Our guys remembered that, then they saw the Virginia score [an 87-58 rout of the Tribe on Monday]. I think they thought this was going to be easy.''
It was. For a while.
Things started well enough for the Hokies. They hit 14 of their first 19 shots in building a 34-20 lead after 13 minutes.
Up 44-29 at halftime, the Hokies appeared in command. Then came perhaps Tech's ugliest 20 minutes of basketball in recent memory.
For all they did in the final 20 minutes, the Hokies should have taken a tour of Colonial Williamsburg instead. Especially star forwards Ace Custis and Shawn Smith, who were a combined 3-of-14 from the floor for a paltry seven points.
Custis, who finished with only eight points, got taken to the woodshed on the other end, too. William and Mary's Carl Parker got most of his game-high 22 points at the expense of Tech's All-America candidate.
Smith, meanwhile, did little right all day, missing 15 of 18 shots en route to only nine points.
"I don't think we've had many games where Smitty and Ace were less effective around the basket defensively and on the boards,'' Foster said. "They just didn't get a lot done. Our forwards weren't exactly sterling today, that's the only way I know how to put it.
"I thought Parker was exceptional for them. He schooled Ace.''
Nevertheless, Tech still led 54-37 after Damon Watlington's three-point play with 13:55 left.
But William and Mary (1-3) wouldn't go quietly. While Tech stood and watched, the Tribe went on a 16-3 run over the next 41/2 minutes to slice the Hokies' edge to 57-53.
The Tribe's spurt was keyed by three 3-point goals by 6-foot-8 junior forward Bobby Fitzgibbons.
"We let up,'' Smith said. "We weren't playing hard defense like we should or rebounding like we should. I'm sure it's something we'll get fussed at about.''
Thanks primarily to the play of Watlington and junior center Keefe Matthews, Tech managed to hold on.
Watlington hit several key baskets down the stretch, and Matthews served up his first contribution since coming to Tech. Matthews, a junior-college transfer who red-shirted last season after a preseason knee injury, finished with 13 points - his first points as a Hokie.
Matthews had six points in a 9-2 run that gave Tech breathing room again at 66-55. The Tribe never got closer than the final five-point margin.
"I've been waiting a long time, so it feels good to contribute,'' Matthews said. "My job is to come off the bench and help step our play up to another level. After what happened today, I sure feel better about things.''
Outside of Watlington, who led Tech with 15 points and held William and Mary's top shooter, guard Matt Verkey, to five points, Matthews and David Jackson (nine points), Foster couldn't find much good with this one.
"This gives me room to chastise a little bit next week,'' Foster said. "If we come in here and win big, [the players] enjoy watching that film. This is not a film they're going to enjoy watching after we coaches kind of decipher that boy and cut it up.
"Hopefully, it's a game that will help us and I'm glad that we won. I think it serves as kind of a wake-up call for us.''
Foster said his club will have to get used to playing the role of a top dog on the road. He hinted his players might have gotten frustrated by the physical play allowed by the officials.
"Just cause you're in the Top 25 doesn't give you a license to turn around and complain to the officials,'' he said. "Today wasn't nothing. They've got to toughen up.
"Oh, well. The good thing about it is we're going home with a win. It's encouraging when you don't play your best and still are able to win on the road.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 90 linesby CNB