ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 22, 1996 TAG: 9602220064
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
Another game, another blown lead.
Sounds like Virginia's football team.
The Cavaliers' basketball team continued its generous ways Wednesday, failing to take advantage of some early prosperity in an 84-75 loss to 23rd-ranked Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets trailed by 12 points in the first half, but shot 71 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes and improved their record to 17-10 overall and 10-4 in the ACC.
Sophomore forward Matt Harpring had 30 points and junior center Eddie Elisma added 22 - career highs for both players - as Georgia Tech won its fourth game in a row and held onto a share of the ACC lead with Wake Forest.
``I didn't like the start that Virginia got; I thought it was going to be another typical night in Charlottesville,'' said coach Bobby Cremins, whose Yellow Jackets lost eight of nine games at University Hall between 1982-90.
``We were out of it. We were in another world the first 10 minutes. We didn't know whether we were coming or going. I was just hoping we wouldn't get knocked out in the first half. We hung around.''
Georgia Tech called a timeout after Virginia jumped out to a 15-4 lead, but the Cavaliers stretched their lead to 18-6 and, later, 20-8. The Yellow Jackets trailed at the half, but Cremins wasn't the least bit disappointed by the margin, 36-32.
He probably didn't know that, in its previous two games, Virginia had surrendered second-half leads of 12 points against Duke and eight points against North Carolina. UVa has led at the half in nine of its 14 ACC games.
The Cavaliers didn't hold their lead for long Wednesday night. Georgia Tech, which was 0-for-10 on 3-point shots in the first half, got 3s from Michael Maddox and Harpring on its first two possessions after halftime and quickly went on top 38-36.
Virginia (11-13, 5-9) never led again, although it was one of the Cavaliers' best offensive efforts. They shot 48 percent from the field, outrebounded the Yellow Jackets 34-32 and committed 10 turnovers - safely under their season average.
``I think we're playing pretty well,'' said UVa sophomore Curtis Staples, who finished with a season-high 22 points. ``Other teams are just playing better. I haven't played a game since I've been here when a team has shot like Georgia Tech did in the second half.''
It wasn't as if the Cavaliers played no defense. UVa guard Harold Deane had the assignment on high-scoring Georgia Tech freshman Stephon Marbury and held him to eight points - the first time in Marbury's college career he has failed to score in double figures.
Marbury was no slouch on defense, either. Deane, who missed all eight of his shots in a 90-70 loss to the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta, was 0-for-7 to start Wednesday's game. His only field goal came on a 3-pointer with 8.5 seconds remaining.
The Cavaliers were led by freshman Courtney Alexander, who reprised his 26-point effort against Georgia Tech in Atlanta by hitting for 28. Alexander is averaging 21.7 points over his past six games.
``I tried not to become complacent when we got the big lead early; I don't think any of us did,'' Alexander said. ``We're definitely playing better, but it's still a loss.''
UVa center Chris Alexander matched a career high with eight points and grabbed eight rebounds, but neither Alexander nor any of the Cavaliers' other post men could keep Elisma off the boards, even after missed Georgia Tech free throws.
UVa coach Jeff Jones put 7-foot-4 freshman Chase Metheney in the game with 5:55 remaining and the Cavaliers trailing 68-61. Elisma went around Metheney twice, was fouled and converted three-point plays to make it 74-63.
``Eddie stepped up,'' Cremins said. ``He's not a great offensive player and he needs to gain weight, but, to me, he's one of the most improved players in the country this year.''
The Yellow Jackets needed their role players because, in addition to Marbury, senior guard Drew Barry had four points. Harpring was just unstoppable, posting up smaller players in the lane and going around UVa's postmen.
``Harpring was the guy who set everything up,'' Jones said. ``He made everybody else [for Tech] better. We got into kind of a scoring duel and we're not good at that most of the time, least of all against a team like Georgia Tech.
``We haven't hit the wall, [but] I can't deny that in the last three games we've been playing pretty well and then letting the game slip away. That's frustrating.''
see microfilm for box score
LENGTH: Medium: 88 linesby CNB