ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 29, 1997 TAG: 9701290034
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RADFORD
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
As one form of magic dissipated like lost dreams, another strain of voodoo gained power here Tuesday night.
Charleston Southern continued to cast a deadly basketball spell on Radford University with a 79-73 Big South Conference victory.
At the same time, the powers that have converged to give the Highlanders a 161-45 all-time record in the Dedmon Center have weakened markedly. Radford has lost three times at home this year and 10 times in the past three years. In the three seasons prior to that, the Highlanders lost a total of three games at home.
Maybe Charleston Southern ought to move into the Dedmon Center.
``We've had some success here,'' first-year Charleston Southern coach Tommy Conrad said. ``We feel comfortable here.''
In this business, you hate to be known by your guests as a good host.
``You can't be discouraged,'' Radford coach Ron Bradley said. ``People are now beating us at home. We need to find a way to beat them at their place.''
Radford (9-9 overall, 3-3 Big South) can start practicing on that when it invades loud Liberty on Saturday. Charleston Southern (9-9, 2-4) snapped a two-game skid while beating Radford for the sixth straight time.
Radford's Eric Bowens, a senior, knows this disturbing storyline by heart.
``They always find a way to do one thing we can't stop,'' he said.
Make that two things Tuesday.
They couldn't find a way to control Buccaneers' guard Errol McPherson and they couldn't keep up with a fellow who normally is the Bucs' third-leading scorer.
Roalando Hourruitiner, a 6-foot-6 senior from Puerto Rico, smoothed around inside for a career-high 25 points, 10 coming on 13 free-throw attempts.
Radford's focus had been to slow down McPherson and guard Brett Larrick. Larrick was limited to 14 points - ``We did a good job defensively on him,'' Bradley said - but McPherson chipped in 24 points.
``They basically sent four men down and isolated McPherson,'' Bowens said. ``The big men couldn't stay with their men defensively because we had to drop off to help. And they kept going to Hourruitiner.''
Radford had its problems offensively as well. The Highlanders had 16 turnovers in the first half and 24 for the game.
``Carelessness is all it was,'' Radford guard Anthony Walker said.
That deficiency was all the more discouraging because Radford seems to have gained control of one particularly bothersome part of its game. The Highlanders outrebounded the Bucs 36-28, marking the second straight game they've managed that. Radford had outrebounded exactly one opponent previously.
The Highlanders got 21 points from Bowens, a career-high 18 from Leslie Ballard, 15 from Walker, and 11 points and 13 rebounds from Kevin Robinson. But it wasn't enough.
``Offensively, we could hang with them,'' Bowens said. ``Defense was where this game was lost.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 61 linesby CNB