ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 16, 1997 TAG: 9701160066
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
So how much trouble did the Virginia Tech men's basketball team have devouring the last cupcake left on its 1996-97 table?
The Hokies found Georgia Southern so easy and so delectable Wednesday night that they didn't even need head coach Bill Foster the final 11 minutes.
As Foster watched the last nine minutes from the Cassell Coliseum tunnel - he had left the bench minutes earlier because of an intestinal problem - the Hokies' reserves finished off a 76-41 pasting of the woeful Eagles.
``It's a great view,'' said Foster, referring to his tunnel vision. ``It's a lot easier to sit there and watch from the tunnel than it is to sit on the bench. I really liked what I saw.''
And why not. The Eagles (5-10), ranked No.295 out of the 307 NCAA Division I schools in the latest Sagarin computer rankings, didn't record a field goal in the game's final 12:05.
The Southern Conference school had just four field goals in the entire second half as Tech (8-6) turned a 13-point game at halftime into a joke.
``I'd come back in two minutes,'' said Foster, who left the bench for the comforts of the locker room with Tech leading 61-38.
``But I looked up and saw the score and decided to let Bobby [Hussey, Tech assistant] pull the strings.''
Needless to say, Foster's heir apparent didn't require much coaching genius to get this one safely to the house.
``I was thinking about working on my 20[-second timeout] move,'' quipped Hussey, looping each of his arms to his shoulders.
``Then I figured I'd better not.''
The Eagles, dusted 75-61 by VMI on Monday in Lexington, didn't need their misery tour of Virginia prolonged. How bad is Georgia Southern? Well, 13 days ago the Eagles lost 61-21 at Coastal Carolina, a club Tech whacked 63-45 at Cassell on Dec. 9.
``This shouldn't take too long,'' said Eagles coach Gregg Polinsky, sitting down for his postgame media session.
``Bigger, stronger, faster, better... that's it.''
Unbelievably, considering the final numbers, the game was tied at 23 with 6 1/2 minutes left in the first half. After blowing to a 9-0 lead, Tech watched the visitors go on a 23-14 run the next 9 1/2 minutes to tie the game.
The Eagles' shocking spurt was fueled by five 3-pointers, three by Fernando Daniel and two by Elvardo Rolle.
``It wasn't so much us playing bad as it was them making some tough shots,'' Foster said.
With the slim crowd of 3,628 getting a little uneasy, Tech then decided to do something about the nonsense. Troy Manns hit a 3-pointer to break the tie and spark a 17-4 run that put Tech in charge 40-27 at halftime.
In the second half, the Hokies continued to throw the hammer. With center Keefe Matthews enjoying a personal jam session - the senior tied his season high with 15 points - Tech continued to fatten the lead until the final horn.
Ace Custis, as usual, paced Tech with 18 points in a season-low 26 minutes. Jim Jackson added 11. All eight other Hokies who played scored.
Tech now turns it attention to Saturday, when it faces talented Rhode Island in a pivotal Atlantic 10 matchup for both clubs.
Tech, which for the first time since 1947-48 has held three straight opponents under 50 points, will have to slow down a Rhode Island offense that averages 85 points a game.
``The way we're playing defense right now, they're not coming into Cassell and scoring 90 points,'' Custis guaranteed.
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN KIM STAFF. Georgia Southern's Rod Willie looks toby CNBget rid of the ball as Virginia Tech's Andre Ray (left) and Jim
Jackson apply the defensive pressure during the Hokies' 76-41 rout
of the Eagles. color.