ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, February 28, 1996 TAG: 9602280050
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FROM STAFF AND ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTS
VMI forward Brent Conley was named freshman of the year by the Southern Conference Media Association after leading the league in rebounding this season.
``I told him when he signed he could be freshman of the year if he worked hard,'' said Bart Bellairs, the Keydets' coach.
Conley led the league with an average of 8.2 rebounds per game and scored 15.3 points per game, second on the VMI squad. He pulled down a conference season-high 20 rebounds at Richmond on Jan.6. ``I never expected to get 10,'' he said. ``I never did well in rebounding before.''
Western Carolina's Anquell McCollum was named the conference player of the year and Davidson's Bob McKillop was selected coach of the year. Bellairs finished second to McKillop.
In other college basketball news:
IRREGULAR HEARTBEAT KILLED DAYTON'S DANIELS: Dayton center Chris Daniels died of an irregular heartbeat, a coroner ruled, although authorities still were trying to detect what caused the problem.
``It's a very uncommon occurrence among young individuals, but it does happen,'' said Ken Betz, director of the Montgomery County (Ohio) coroner's office. ``It is a tragedy.''
Daniels, 22, was second in the nation in field-goal percentage, hitting 67.9 percent of his shots when he died Feb.8.
FIELDS' PROGNOSIS GOOD: One of the nation's top prep stars will make a full recovery from a neck fracture suffered in a car wreck, his doctor said after a three-hour operation.
Ronnie Fields, a DePaul signee who turns 19 today, had bone fragments from his pelvis fused with three vertebrae in his neck, said Dr. Paul Meyer of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. A halo-shaped brace was embedded into Fields' skull and attached to a vest around his chest and back to restrict his movement.
HALL, DYER MAKE GRADE: Longwood's Nikki Hall, a former Glenvar High School standout, has been named to the GTE District III Academic All-America team for the College Division. The honor puts her on the ballot for the national Academic All-America team.
Hall, a junior forward, is averaging 16.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.4 steals for the Lancers (21-5). She has a 3.821 grade-point average with a double major in anthropology and biology.
Washington and Lee's Cam Dyer was named to the men's team for the second consecutive year. Dyer, a business administration major with a 3.49 grade-point average, was a first-team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference player and led the league in scoring, with a 22.2 average.
UVA'S WALKER ALL-FRESHMAN IN ACC: Virginia's DeMya Walker was named to the ACC's All-Freshman woman's team and Duke's Gail Goestenkors was named coach of the year in balloting conducted by the Atlantic Coast Sports Writers Association.
ROANOKE TICKETS ON SALE: Tickets for the Roanoke College men's NCAA Division III first-round game Thursday night are available at the school's box office at the Bast Center.
Tip-off for the Roanoke-Shenandoah game is 7:30. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and students and will be available until game time. Roanoke College students are admitted free of charge.
Tuesday's games
No.1 Kentucky 88, Auburn 73: Tony Delk scored 15 points as the Wildcats (25-1 overall, 15-0 conference) extended their winning streak to 24 games with a Southeastern Conference victory over the Tigers (18-10, 6-9) in Auburn, Ala
Backed by a raucous crowd and riding a two-game winning streak against Kentucky when the Wildcats held the No.1 ranking, Auburn looked like a formidable upset threat for a while. But Kentucky overwhelmed the Tigers by converting turnovers into 19 points.
No.6 Villanova 76, Boston College 71: Eric Eberz scored 25 points and Alvin Williams had 24 as the Wildcats (24-4 overall, 14-3 conference) showed they could win without suspended star Kerry Kittles, beating the Eagles (16-9, 9-8) in a Big East Conference game in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Providence 84, No.8 Georgetown 77: Austin Croshere scored 18 points to lead five Friars in double figures as they upset the Hoyas (23-6, 12-5) in a Big East game in Providence, R.I. In an emotional game that featured the ejection of Georgetown coach John Thompson, Providence (16-9, 9-8) sprinted to an 11-1 lead and never trailed.
No.13 Wake Forest 84, No.19 North Carolina 60: Tony Rutland and Jerry Braswell resurrected the Demon Deacons' long-range shooting with a first-half barrage that sent Wake to an ACC victory over the Tar Heels in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Deacons (19-5, 11-4) moved a half game behind league-leading Georgia Tech (18-10, 11-3).
Rutland finished with 22 points and Braswell had 12 as the Deacons, coming off its worst 3-point shooting performance of the season three nights earlier, matched their season high with 12 3s. Dante Calabria led North Carolina (19-9, 9-6) with 13 points.
Women
George Washington 64, Virginia Tech 60, OT: Tajama Abraham scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Colonials downed the Hokies in an Atlantic 10 Conference game in Blacksburg.
Mandisa Turner had 14 points for GW (22-6, 14-2). Michelle Hollister led Tech (10-16, 8-8) with 28 points and 12 rebounds.
LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Wake's Tony Rutland passes out of a trap by Northby CNBCarolina's Jeff McInnis (5) and Ademola Okulaja (13) on Tuesday
night.