ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 16, 1996 TAG: 9601160074
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RADFORD
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
A POWER OUTAGE CAN'T stop Radford as it comes from behind to beat the Flames in overtime.
Things were looking dim enough for Radford University's basketball team after losing Saturday to Big South conference lightweight Winthrop.
Then against archrival Liberty University on Monday, the lights went out.
When power was restored, Radford had to overcome Flames giant Peter Aluma and company, overtime, and its own doubts, but the Highlanders pulled it off with a 71-65 victory.
The Highlanders (7-7 overall, 1-1 Big South) needed this win like a drowning man needs a life vest.
``That was a big win, a comeback win, a stick-to-it win,'' said Radford guard Jason Lansdown, who scored 11 points to go with five assists and five rebounds.
The Highlanders dominated the overtime, going on a 12-0 run to close out the game. Lansdown scored the first five points of the run with a 3-pointer and a short jumper and Radford finished up by making seven of its last eight free throws.
The surprise hero of the game was center Jermaine ``Kojak'' Williams, who came off the bench for foul-troubled starter Eric Parker and scored a career-high 16 points, nine of those in the second half.
``He didn't really figure into my game plan, but we got into foul trouble and he made great contributions off the bench,'' Radford coach Ron Bradley said.
Radford had its hands full inside as it was with the 6-10 Nigerian, Aluma, who tied a Dedmon Center record with 16 free-throw attempts. He made 11 on the way to a game-high 23 points.
``We used our fouls,'' Bradley said.
The lights went out right at halftime, just as both teams were leaving the floor with the Highlanders leading 30-23. Any Radford lead, much less one of seven points, hardly would have looked possible after the Flames jumped out to a 15-2 advantage before many of the 2,100 customers had been seated.
But Radford turned up the burners on defense and rocketed off, outscoring Liberty 28-8 in the last 12:26 of the half. By no coincidence, Liberty's sputtering offense had 13 of its 14 first-half turnovers during that stretch.
Liberty (7-6, 1-2) scored only 12 points in the first half of its last game, a 66-48 setback at North Carolina-Asheville on Saturday, but the Flames only had 17 turnovers during the entire game.
The electrical outage left the Dedmon Center in the dark for 37 minutes after going out at 8:15 p.m.
The problem originated with a switch somewhere in Pulaski County, said Dedmon Center director Ron Downs, quoting the university police.
Electricity had gone out about 90 minutes before game time but had come back on. It was unclear if the first outage was related to the one during the game, Downs said.
Radford led by as many as nine points (42-33) in the second half, but Liberty came back behind Aluma and Larry Jackson, who between them scored all but two of Liberty's last 17 points of regulation.
Kevin Robinson had given Radford a 57-55 lead when he put Anthony Walker's wild running heave from the lane back in with 32 seconds left. Jackson responded by backing Walker up to within 12 feet of the basket then banking a shot over him. The Flames couldn't exploit a subsequent Radford turnover when Jackson missed a shot that would have given Liberty the win in regulation.
Aluma scored four of Liberty's first six points of the extra period, the second of those field goals giving Liberty a 63-59 lead.
LENGTH: Medium: 69 linesby CNB