ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 2, 1997 TAG: 9702040031
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
Obviously, Keefe Matthews isn't quite ready for a seat in one of Bill Foster's retirement chairs.
Just when it appeared he was about to become Virginia Tech's second fiddle in the middle, Matthews answered the wake-up call with the best game of his college career Saturday.
Scratched from the starting lineup in favor of sophomore Alvaro Tor for the second straight game, Matthews responded with a season-high 16 points and five rebounds in 23 minutes as the Hokies stormed back to clip Dayton 59-52 in an Atlantic 10 struggle at Cassell Coliseum.
If Tech (11-9 overall, 4-4 A-10) somehow makes postseason play, it can thank Matthews. The 6-foot-8 senior was the difference in a game, which, if they had lost, would have wrecked the Hokies' season.
Matthews, whose two-year Tech career can best be described as a series of crashes, towed the Hokies to safety in this one.
``There are a lot of critics out there,'' Matthews said. ``They say, `Matthews, at times, can't play.' Well, I just wanted to show 'em I could play.''
The big guy picked the right time. The Hokies, down 29-20 at halftime, needed everything they had in the final 20 minutes to catch and beat underdog Dayton (9-9, 2-6).
Matthews, who hit six of seven shots from the floor, gave Tech the lead for good at 47-46 on two free throws with 3:35 left.
Matthews, who had scored just 18 points in his past four games and was watching Tor more and more, said he was determined to dust the cobwebs from his game.
``I needed a big one,'' said Matthews.
``I don't blame [Foster] for benching me. I do play terrible at times. Sometimes you need a wake-up call and it's that time with me.''
Foster and the 5,623 fans on hand had to wonder where this guy has been all season.
``I wish we could bottle up whatever it was and feed it to him every game,'' Foster said. ``We need that every night.''
Tech also needs more than one half of solid play from Ace Custis, who registered 13 of his team-high 17 points and six of his eight rebounds in the final 20 minutes.
The Flyers, coached by former Radford and Old Dominion boss Oliver Purnell, had the Hokies' number most of the way.
Outhustling Tech and taking advantage of a 17-9 rebounding edge and five 3-pointers, the Flyers scored 23 of the final 33 points of the first half to lead 29-20 at the break.
``They made us look like we were playing in slow motion,'' Foster said.
The script was altered for the second half. Down 41-30 with 14:37 left, the suddenly juiced Hokies applied the defensive clamps, holding Dayton to just one field goal the rest of the way.
``Our guys got kind of energized on the defensive end,'' Foster said. ``Like so many times, that's where we found our spark.''
It lit up Custis on the offensive end, too. Custis scored all but four of his points in the final 14 minutes. He hit a 15-foot jumper and a 3-pointer in a 10-0 run that closed Tech to 41-40 with 9:38 left.
Custis hit two more perimeter jumpers as Tech finally solved Dayton's zone and wrested the lead for good.
``If I was going to give a game ball,'' said Foster, ``it would go to [assistant coach] Bobby Hussey. He came up with a plan that freed Ace up for some short jumpers.
``Ace was getting mugged inside. You can get three years for some of the things that were happening to Ace inside.''
The Flyers, who lost a 63-62 heartbreaker in Cassell last season, had their chances. Down 51-50 with 1:15 left, Flyer forward Rodney Horton literally handed the ball to Tech's Jim Jackson while setting up a play beyond the top of the key.
``We dropped the ball in the middle of the floor, then they score,'' Purnell said. ``That's the play I'm having a hard time getting my mind off of.''
Following Horton's miscue, Tech went up three on Troy Manns' drive with :50 showing.
On Dayton's next possession, Horton missed a 3-pointer, with the rebound going to Flyers guard Josh Postorino. The ball was tipped to Horton, who lost it in a scramble with Tech's Jim Jackson
Jackson hit the first of two free throws to make it 54-50. Custis rebounded his second miss, and made one of two free throws to make it a five-point game with 36.9 seconds left. Two more Custis freebies with 20.4 seconds made it 58-50.
And a done deal. Which Tech's season still isn't.
``If we'd lost this one we'd been in a bear of a hole with George Washington coming here [Tuesday], then three straight on the road [Fordham, La Salle and Dayton],'' Foster noted.
And Matthews' season? He's not ready to give the reins to Tor just yet.
``This season hasn't been what I expected,'' Tech's mystery man said.
``I'm up, I'm down. Hopefully, I can get kind of steady now.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN KIM STAFF. 1. Myron Guillory of Virginia Tech viesby CNBfor a loose ball with Maurice Beyina (32) of Dayton during
second-half action. 2. Virginia Tech's Keefe Matthews, who finished
with 16 points, puts up a short shot over Dayton defender Mark
Ashman. KEYWORDS: BASKETBALL