ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, December 6, 1995 TAG: 9512060087
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
Barely 10 minutes remained Tuesday night when the first boos could be heard from Virginia fans disgusted with the Cavaliers' inability to box out on the boards, much less hit jump shots.
The obvious question was: What took them so long?
Unranked Vanderbilt, picked to finish last in its division of the Southeastern Conference, shot 32.8 percent from the field, but still beat No.15 Virginia 61-48.
It was hard to say what smelled worse - the game or the aromatic souvenir left at midcourt by ``Whitney the Wonder Dog,'' the Frisbee-chasing halftime entertainment.
The Cavaliers (2-2) actually shot a higher percentage (35.5), but gave up 22 offensive rebounds to a Commodores team that did not use a player taller than 6 feet 9.
``Obviously, we're not shooting well, but our problems run deeper than that,'' said Jeff Jones, UVa's coach. ``Vanderbilt had an excellent game plan, but it didn't matter. They could have played us with three or four players.''
Jones said he would have held a practice after the game if it were not against NCAA rules. He said there was no comparison to the Cavaliers' 70-65 loss at Vanderbilt last season.
``This is a lot worse,'' he said. ``It's our home. At least last year we tried to fight back. Tonight, we basically gave up trying to play as a team and we were just jacking up some ridiculous shots.''
The Cavaliers were 1-for-18 on 3-point shots, including an 0-for-8 performance by junior guard Harold Deane, a preseason All-ACC selection. Deane was 1-for-12 overall.
``I've watched a lot of tape on Virginia and I've always felt, as Harold Deane goes, so does Virginia,'' said Jan van Breda Kolff, Vanderbilt's coach. ``We played very little man-to-man because we wanted to stop his dribble penetration.
``Deane is the heart and soul of their team. We felt, if he beats us with a lot of [3-pointers], that's fine. He's a decent 3-point shooter, but we told 'em, `We can't put him on the free-throw line and we can't let him get to the paint.'''
Freshman Courtney Alexander and sophomore Curtis Staples each had 11 points to share UVa scoring honors, but Staples was 2-for-10 before scoring seven points in the last five minutes.
``I feel like it's almost 100 percent mental,'' said Staples, who is 9-of-42 on 3-pointers, including 1-for-9 against Vanderbilt. ``Physically, I'm not doing anything different. I'm constantly in the gym, still taking hundreds and hundreds of shots a day.''
Malik Evans had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and fellow senior Frank Seckar added 17 points, including five 3-pointers, as the Commodores (5-1) won their fifth consecutive game. Vanderbilt's biggest previous victory was over defending NCAA champion UCLA in Hawaii.
``We look at this win as bigger than [beating] UCLA,'' said Commodores sophomore Drew Maddux, who had 12 points. ``To come into an environment like this and win by 13 [while] holding a Top 20 team under 50 points, we must be doing something right.''
Most of the Cavaliers acknowledged they were doing something wrong, although nobody could put a finger on the exact problem. For one thing, UVa has gotten off to horrible starts in every game, including a 1-for-11 shooting effort Tuesday night.
``I don't know what to say,'' Deane said. ``I'm making them in practice. When I get in the games, they're just not going in. I've got to get my mind into things because it doesn't seem like I'm playing the way I'm used to.''
The Cavaliers, who lost a preseason NIT game to Ohio University last season and have struggled early in the past two seasons, return to action Saturday when they visit the University of Richmond for the first time since 1969.
``We've just got to come back and get ready for the next game,'' Deane said. ``That's all you can do. I've been through this before. We're going to lose some games. It's the real good teams that come back from losses like this.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 78 linesby CNB