ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 28, 1997 TAG: 9702280068
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: GREENSBORO, N.C.
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
VMI won the ultimate game of H-O-R-S-E with a shot that may never be repeated.
With the buzzer blowing and his feet rising, senior guard Maurice Spencer hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key that sent the Keydets into overtime against Furman in the first round of the 1997 Southern Conference tournament.
Then on play that began with 2.6 seconds left in overtime, Furman's Daniel Quigley missed a 30-foot buzzer-beating attempt.
VMI bounced onto the court as 87-84 victors.
``It's a childhood dream to get to shoot it at the last second," Spencer said. ``I always told Coach I wanted to win it."
Spencer's shot may not have won it on the scoreboard, but in the minds of the Keydets, it sealed the game in their favor. VMI coach Bart Bellairs said his players had ``no doubt" they would win when the game went into overtime.
History offered them a greater assurance of that. The Keydets are 4-0 in overtime in the Southern Conference tournament.
Down 78-75 with 2.9 seconds left in regulation, Spencer stepped on the baseline to inbound the ball. Instead of throwing it in, however, he passed along the baseline to forward Aaron Demory. With Paladins rushing at Demory, Spencer ran upcourt.
Demory lobbed the ball in, Spencer made an over-the-shoulder catch, wove away from two defenders and let the shot rise softly toward the basket. It was so nonchalant, it was if he were playing H-O-R-S-E and didn't yet have an H.
But Spencer had a reason to relax. He had done this all before. How many times? ``Five or six times," he said, referring to practices. ``I hit a couple of them."
None of them had meaning like this one. The Keydets (12-15) advanced to a noon matchup today with UT-Chattanooga, the top seed in the SC South. They also sent VMI's former coach, Joe Cantafio, into his retirement from basketball coaching.
Spencer, who four years ago was signed by Cantafio, knew exactly what to do to keep the Keydets' season alive. Bellairs times every drill his team runs, even routine layup drills. The baseline situation was perfectly suited for Spencer's play. And Spencer knew his assignment so well, he didn't even look at the clock.
``If I looked at the clock, I may have rushed my shot," he said.
Umm, Maurice? There were just 2.9 seconds left and 94 feet of floor to run. What else were you planning to do?
``A lot of things had to happen for that play to work well," Bellairs said with a straight face. Then he added, ``It really works well with one second left." Bellairs has thrown out the basics and tried to do it with creativity and sleight of hand.
Witness VMI's rebounding, for example. Furman was getting second, third and fourth chances, so Bellairs took action.
``It's been hurting us all year, so you say, the heck with rebounding, let's score some points," Bellairs said.
The Keydets listened. After getting behind 84-80 in overtime, they outscored the Paladins 7-0 in the last 2:05.
VMI's act played well with the fans, too. A group of 100 students from Kirkman Dale Elementary School in High Point lent loud support (their school colors are identical to VMI's), and when East Tennessee State fans showed indifference toward the game, the VMI Pep Band roused them from their seats with a rendition of ``Rocky Top." NOTE: please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. VMI coach Bart Bellairs gets animated on theby CNBsideline while shouting instructions during the Keydets' win over
Furman. KEYWORDS: BASKETBALL