ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 5, 1997 TAG: 9701060119
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
One thousand one hundred thirty-two fans turned out Saturday night at the Bast Center to see Roanoke College beat Allentown College 81-62.
This was a basketball-starved crowd that didn't include the Roanoke student body, which still is off on its mammoth holiday break. The fans who did come out for the fourth annual Domino's Pizza Lewis-Gale Classic did so because it had been nearly a month since the Maroons graced the Bast Center, or any court, for that matter.
Roanoke last played Dec.7. Allentown hadn't played since Dec.14. Effects of the long layoffs were evident. This game between Slowanoke - ahem - Roanoke and Allentown was played hard, but not necessarily well.
The Maroons weren't able to shake the Centaurs until late in the second half, when Kevin Sigafoes sank a 3-pointer and center Tim Braun had a dunk to make it 73-55.
Braun's dunk seemed to be the memory the Maroons most wanted to take away from this game. Afterward in the locker room they watched videotaped replays of it 10 times.
``We missed shots we normally hit, but so did they,'' said Page Moir, the Maroons' coach. ``It was a little bit of `break-itis.' Our timing was off a little bit early, and the same was true for them.''
Roanoke had as much as a 10-point lead, 29-19, in the first half, but Allentown wouldn't bow. The Centaurs cut their deficit to two, 33-31, on a hook shot by John Plachko with 1:40 to go before the break.
Plachko wears a ``Peace'' tatoo on his left shoulder that belies his warrior-like play. He combines pretty pivot moves and wild hustle. He led Allentown with 18 points, 14 rebounds and three steals.
Roanoke appeared to have put a frustrating first half in the past when it opened the second on an 8-0 run, but Allentown didn't fade. It took some well-timed shots by Sigafoes and company to suppress the Centaurs.
``What I liked best about this game was that we made key plays after they made comeback plays,'' Moir said.
The Maroons have matched their start of the 1987-88 season, when they were 6-0. Their best previous start under Moir was 4-0 in 1990, '93, '95.
Roanoke puts its perfect record on the line in the Classic final tonight at 7:30 against Goucher (Md.), an 87-74 winner over Augustana (Ill.) in Saturday's first game. Goucher, like Roanoke, had trouble putting away its opponent, committing inexplicable fouls late in the game. Augustana, however, never could get a grip on Goucher's Predrag Durkovic (23 points), Tavar Witherspoon (20) and Bakari Ward (17).
Allentown's biggest problem against Roanoke was getting a grip on the basketball. The Centaurs committed 16 turnovers in the first half and finished with 30, a number Allentown officials believed might have been an underestimation.
Maroons point guard Nathan Hungate accounted for many of those turnovers by amassing seven steals, two short of the school's single-game record. He and backcourt mate Jason Bishop (16 points) caused many problems for the Allentown offense.
``They're the best team we've seen by far,'' said Scott Coval, the Centaurs' coach. ``Especially if they're shooting the ball well.''
Roanoke didn't shoot especially well (42 percent) in this one. After such a long layoff, it had to find other ways to win.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 65 linesby CNB