ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 1, 1996 TAG: 9603010097
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
THE MAROONS SET a fleeting Division III record for scoring offense in a 128-110 victory over Shenandoah.
Page Moir never imagined it would take this much work to win an NCAA Division III Tournament game.
It took 51.4 percent field-goal shooting, 65 percent 3-point shooting and a single-game record for points in the tournament for the Maroons to down Shenandoah 128-110 on Thursday night at the Bast Center.
``It's just good to get over the hump and get one out of the way,'' Moir said of his first Division III tournament victory.
The Maroons will entertain Hendrix (Ark.), a 97-85 winner over Stillman (Ala.), at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Bast Center. Roanoke is the final Old Dominion Athletic Conference men's basketball team left in the tournament after Bridgewater and Randolph-Macon were eliminated Thursday.
Roanoke's 128 points were the most in the program's history, breaking the mark of 127 set against Bridgewater in 1969. The total also broke the NCAA Tournament record set in 1989 when Centre beat Cal State Stanislaus 124-123 in two overtimes.
However, Roanoke's scoring record didn't last long. Rowan (N.J.) beat York (N.Y.) 130-66, and Wheaton (Ill.) did the Profs one better, beating Grinnell (Iowa) 131-117.
If Roanoke had two overtimes against Shenandoah, who knows what the Maroons could have scored? Hornets all-everything guard Phil Dixon didn't want to think about it.
``I was really surprised,'' Dixon said. ``They were just as fast as us. Coach [Dave Dutton] said they were used to pushing the ball, but I didn't know they were that good.''
Roanoke was so good it came close to tying its single-game school record for 3-pointers (15) in the first half, when it made 11 of 15 (73.3 percent). The Maroons made nine of their first 12 shots before the officials called time out to catch their breath with 13:09 left in the first half.
``They had not shown that in the tape we saw,'' said Dutton, whose Hornets shot a far-from-woeful 53.6 percent for the game (actually better than Roanoke). ``I don't ever remember having shot that well and losing.''
The fact that six Maroons scored 13 or more points is sure to jog his memory in the off-season. Jason Bishop led the way with a career-high 32 points (20 in the first half), and Derek Bryant had 16, Jon Maher and Kevin Sigafoes added 14 apiece and Nathan Hungate and Michael Ball 13 each. Oh, and Tim Braun had 11 points in 18 minutes.
Moir said he thought it would take such an effort to beat the Hornets. ``Definitely, because [Shenandoah] can put the ball in the hole. I thought all along a 14-point lead wasn't squat,'' he said.
That never was more evident than when the Maroons went ahead 54-37 thanks to a 10-0 run in the first half. Seven seconds after a Hornets timeout, Dixon drilled a 3-pointer. Seventeen seconds later, he hit another, and 21 seconds after that he stole the ball and made a layup. Unfortunately for the senior, his teammates made a series of weird plays and were back down by 17, 68-51, at the half.
Dixon had 30 points for the Hornets, but that still wasn't tops on their squad. Al White had 33 and his final shot, a layup with 55 seconds to go, gave him 2,001 for his career.
Still, it might be the year 2001 before Shenandoah catches its breath from this one.
``If you get a lead up around 20, it's tough for the other team to dig out,'' Moir said. ``That's going to take some gas out of you.''
Moir said he wasn't concerned the Maroons might be running low on fuel when Hendrix comes to town Saturday. Roanoke knew Shenandoah wanted to run the whole game, and the Maroons didn't seem to mind it one bit. They silenced the doubters who said they went out of the gates too quickly. It was the Hornets who were first fazed by all the hard work on the courts.
``We were always knocking on the door,'' Dixon said. ``Our offensive players were getting tired.''
The Maroons didn't mind all the labor, partly because they were working at home. Roanoke had not played in the Bast Center since Feb.10.
``It makes a huge difference to play at home,'' Maher said. ``We've been working for this all year. It's just another win for us.''
They weren't all like this one, though.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 81 linesby CNB