ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 1, 1997 TAG: 9703030106
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
SOURCE: FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
Top-seeded UNC Greensboro ended Radford's streak of seven consecutive Big South Conference women's basketball tournament championships Friday with an 83-70 victory over the Highlanders in Lynchburg.
The last time Radford lost in Big South tournament play was in 1989, when Campbell defeated the Highlanders 58-53 in the championship game. Radford's tournament win streak ended at 20 games, and it will mark the first final in the 11-year history of the tournament without Radford in it.
Winning the tournament is ``our goal every year,'' said Radford coach Lubomyr Lichonszak, who is 18-1 in seven years of tournament play. ``I guess from now on it will be one game at a time, not the whole tournament.''
Junior forward Rebecca Viverette scored 19 points and center Biz Brediger added 16 to lead the Spartans (20-8) to their first victory over Radford in tournament play.
The fifth-seeded Highlanders (12-16), down 36-27 at halftime, outscored the Spartans 24-16 over the first 7:05 of the second half and closed to 52-51 on a 3-pointer by Kelli Tull. Radford forward Kim Cruise, who had a game-high 21 points, scored eight points and connected on her first two career 3-pointers during the run.
The Spartans, who have reached the tournament final for the fourth time in the past five years, went on a decisive 17-5 run to wrap up the victory.
UNC Greensboro limited Radford to just 37 percent shooting and outrebounded the Highlanders 54-48.
Tull finished with 12 points and Kim Hairston and Nakia Bridges added 11 each for Radford.
UNC Greensboro will face Liberty, a 63-50 winner over Winthrop, in today's final.
ACC
No.13 Virginia 77, Georgia Tech 63: DeMya Walker scored 21 points and Tora Suber added 20 as the Cavaliers beat the Yellow Jackets in a quarterfinal game in Charlotte, N.C.
The victory was sweet for second-seeded Virginia (21-6), which had defeated the Lady Jackets 19 straight times before losing by 12 in Atlanta on Feb.13. This time, the Cavaliers didn't even need Monick Foote, their second-leading scorer and rebounder, who sat out to rest a sprained ankle.
Virginia held seventh-seeded Georgia Tech (15-12) to 39-percent shooting and forced 19 turnovers.
Kisha Ford led Georgia Tech with 19 points and eight rebounds, and Carla Munnion had 16 points.
Virginia, which also got 17 points from Mimi McKinney, opened the second half with an 8-0 run, building its lead to 44-32 as the Lady Jackets missed their first seven field-goal attempts and turned the ball over three times.
Georgia Tech cut the score to 47-40 on a baseline jumper by Munnion, but the Cavaliers scored the next six points, stretching their advantage to 13 on a reverse layup by McKinney with 9:21 left.
The Lady Jackets got no closer than nine the rest of the way.
LENGTH: Medium: 59 linesby CNB