ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 18, 1996 TAG: 9602190131
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHAPEL HILL, N. C.
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
UVA LOSES another second-half lead and watches its postseason hopes grow dim.
This was the week that wasn't for the Virginia men's basketball team.
For the second time in four days, undermanned UVa visited a place where few ACC teams win and had its host reeling Saturday afternoon.
Once more, the Cavaliers couldn't finish the job, falling to 17th-ranked North Carolina 71-66 at the Dean Smith Center.
Two victories would have given Virginia a six-game winning streak and a surge of momentum going into the last two weeks of the regular season. Instead, UVa's hopes for postseason play have grown increasingly fleeting.
``We talked prior to the Duke game about that being an opportunity,'' said Virginia coach Jeff Jones, whose Cavaliers squandered a 12-point halftime lead Wednesday night in a 79-69 loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
``We felt, even though we were short-handed in some respects, that this was another opportunity today. I don't think people expected a lot, but we had a solid team effort and had a chance to win.''
The Cavaliers, who have not won in 11 trips to the Smith Center, led 36-34 at the half and increased the margin to 42-34 following the second of two 3-pointers by Curtis Staples. With just over eight minutes left, UVa still was on top 50-46.
In their next 11 possessions, however, the Cavaliers could manage only a single field goal - a 3-pointer by Harold Deane. They had eight turnovers during that stretch, after committing seven turnovers in the first 30-plus minutes.
``I think, when we had Carolina down, they came back with a lot of fire,'' Jones said. ``But we helped their cause at times with poor decisions. That has been true for us all season.''
It was the eighth time in 13 conference games that the Cavaliers (11-12 overall, 5-8 ACC) have led at the half. The Tar Heels, on the other hand, have trailed at the half in their past seven games.
``Is that true?'' asked North Carolina coach Dean Smith. ``I didn't know that, [but] it certainly feels that way. They all seem to go down to the wire. That was almost a blowout today.''
Carolina (18-7, 9-4) outscored the Cavaliers 18-3 in taking a 64-53 lead with 1:07 remaining. UVa had 13 points in the final 59.7 seconds after scoring 17 in the second half until that point.
``Carolina came after us [defensively] and made us very indecisive,'' said Deane, who had six turnovers, giving him 14 for the week. ``You might say we panicked a little.''
Virginia had early success in getting the ball to power forward Norman Nolan, who had 10 points at the half, but the Cavaliers' inside game was almost non-existent in the final 20 minutes.
Until the final minute, the Cavaliers had one field goal from inside the 3-point arc in the second half. For the game, Virginia shot 48.3 percent outside the line and 32.3 percent on its shorter, supposedly easier, two-point shots.
Staples and Deane had combined for 36 points - all on 3-pointers - before Deane scored off a drive with 45 seconds left. Staples finished with a season-high 21 points and Deane added 17, eight in the final 2:59.
Only four players had scored for UVa before walk-on Mike Curtis banked in a late 3-pointer. The Cavaliers are down to six able-bodied scholarship players, although Jamal Robinson was walking without the aid of crutches after the game.
It was feared Robinson had broken his left ankle late in the Duke game; however, X-rays proved negative and he has responded so well to treatment that he expects to play Wednesday night against Georgia Tech.
Dante Calabria had 16 points to lead four Carolina scorers in double figures. The Tar Heels were 11-for-13 from the free-throw line in the final 1:16, including a 5-for-5 effort by Shammond Williams.
It was Carolina's 15th straight victory over Virginia in Chapel Hill since 1981, when Jones was a player for the Cavaliers. The Tar Heels have an overall record of 53-3 against UVa at home.
``It's [the Smith Center] not the most difficult place to play,'' Jones said, ``but it's taken an undeserved beating in terms of home-court advantages. There were times today when the crowd got into it and was a factor.
``Other than last season, when we were actually right there at the end [in a 79-76 loss], this was the repeat of a pattern we've seen a lot. We seem to hang around until the seven- or eight-minute mark, then they kind of wear us down and pull away.''
see microfilm for box score
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP UNC's Shammond Williams dunks against UVa onby CNBSaturday in Chapel Hill, N.C. color