ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 9, 1997 TAG: 9702110006
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LEXINGTON
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
THE KEYDETS come up against a hungry Bulldogs team and fall 81-74 in the Southern Conference.
Saturday's basketball game between VMI and The Citadel was won by the team that needed it most, not the one that wanted it most.
The visiting Bulldogs quieted a venomous Cameron Hall crowd of 2,438 fans with an 81-74 victory over VMI that they desperately needed.
``If we would have lost,'' said Citadel coach Pat Dennis, ``it would have been devastating because we played so well.''
Dennis, a former Washington and Lee star, may have known better than anybody how important a victory over the Keydets would be. Coaches have been fired from The Citadel for not beating VMI enough. The Bulldogs had lost the past four encounters with their military rivals to the north.
The Citadel won this one because its offense scored whenever it was necessary. Led by Virgil Stevens' 25 points on 7-of-13 shooting, the Bulldogs shot 51 percent from the field for the game. VMI, meanwhile, made 34.7 percent of its shots, 30.8 in the second half.
The Keydets' fate was sealed when they stopped scoring with 2:46 left in the second half and did not score again until six seconds remained.
``Coach said we were a half-step slow,'' said point guard Darryl Faulkner, who accounted for VMI's only points (six) in the final three minutes.
``For me, any loss hurts,'' Faulkner said, ``because it makes it that much harder to take the top spot in the conference.''
VMI's conference record is 6-4 and the Keydets are tied for second place with Davidson (a 79-68 winner over Furman on Saturday) in the Southern Conference's North Division. The Keydets (10-12 overall) also missed a chance to push their record to .500 for the first time since Dec.7, 1996.
The Bulldogs, meanwhile, broke the .500 barrier and improved their record to 11-10 overall, 4-6 in the Southern Conference South.
The Citadel broke down the VMI defense whenever the momentum shifted the Keydets' way. VMI went on an 11-0 run and took its only lead of the game, 60-58, when freshman Aaron Demory sliced toward the basket for a strong layup with 10:42 to go. None of the other Keydets, however, could duplicate Demory's moves.
Bulldogs center Matt Newman tied it at 60, and Stevens flipped in a shot with 9:35 left that put The Citadel ahead for good.
``It wasn't a good defensive game for us, obviously,'' said VMI coach Bart Bellairs. ``We were always playing catch-up. Even when we went ahead, I felt like we were playing catch-up.''
The Keydets' catch-up strategy was to try to score as many points as quickly as possible, and they chose the 3-pointer to do it. But they missed two that would have tied the score and missed two more as The Citadel was making routine trips to the free-throw line, padding its late lead.
``We put an emphasis on defending the 3,'' Dennis said.
VMI could have stayed closer throughout the game, but it too often collapsed at the free-throw line. The Keydets made only four of seven in the second half. The Bulldogs made 24 of 27 in the game.
``We're a 60 percent free-throw shooting team and we step up and shoot 90 percent,'' Dennis said. ``It was almost like everything went right for us today.''
It was just what the Bulldogs needed, and it was what none of the Keydets wanted.
KEY NOTES: The No.10 jersey of VMI All-America running back Thomas Haskins was retired at halftime in a 15-minute ceremony. Former Keydets coach Bill Stewart was not in attendance, but Haskins, in his speech, thanked ``the coaching staff from the past and present.'' It was the first time a VMI football jersey was retired. ...
The Keydets play at Western Carolina on Monday, and they may be looking forward to it. ``To me,'' Bellairs said, ``we've been playing better on the road than at home.'' VMI has won three of its past four road games. ... The crowd of 2,438 spectators was VMI's second-largest this season. ... The Citadel won for only the second time in its past eight games. ...
VMI's Maurice Spencer scored in double figures for the seventh consecutive game, while Faulkner extended his double-figures string to five.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 79 linesby CNB