ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, March 6, 1997 TAG: 9703060078
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: PHILADELPHIA
SOURCE: RANDY KING THE ROANOKE TIMES
Guard Brendan Dunlop makes the big plays in the Hokies' win in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament.
Six weeks ago, Brendan Dunlop was buried on Virginia Tech's bench.
Wednesday at CoreStates Spectrum, the freshman guard helped excavate the Hokies out of what could have been an early grave.
Continuing to pay instant benefits, Dunlop came up big in the last four minutes, scoring five of the Hokies' final nine points as the Tech men's basketball team staved off Fordham 56-53 in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament.
So Tech lives at least for another day. The next survival test for the Hokies (15-15) comes at 2 p.m. today when they catch Rhode Island (18-8) in the quarterfinals.
The Hokies haven't forgotten the Rams. On Jan.18, they handed Tech its worst loss ever at Cassell Coliseum, 72-51. The Hokies will an even bigger underdog this time.
``We're going to have to steal one,'' said Bill Foster, who will coach his final Tech game should the Hokies lose.
``I think we can. I really think out guys have something left in them.''
It took the Hokies longer than expected to send 101/2-point underdog Fordham packing. Tech couldn't breath easy against a club that finished its season losing 15 of its final 16 games until Chris DiMascio's desperation 3-point attempt went wide as the final horn sounded.
Tech played just good enough to win. The Hokies were fortunate this was 6-21 Fordham, not anybody else.
``I think the game was kind of typical of a lot of games we've played this season - it wasn't very pretty,'' Foster said. ``But as in a lot of cases we figured out a way to get it done.''
Tech got it done, with large thanks to Dunlop. Continuing his recent fine play, the freshman stepped up and delivered when the Hokies needed it most.
Breaking a five-minute Tech dry spell, Dunlop's 10-foot jumper with 3:52 left gave Tech a seemingly safe 49-42 lead. But consecutive three-point plays by Fordham's Maurice Curtis, who led the Rams with 17 points, and Billy Lovett made it a one-point game with 2:56 left.
But with Tech's season on the line, Dunlop came to the rescue. With the Rams concentrating on stopping Ace Custis and Troy Manns, Tech's primary scoring threats, the freshman boldly drained a 12-footer from the left wing with 2:36 left.
``I was very comfortable,'' said Dunlop, who, with 10 points Tuesday, has averaged 8.6 points the past seven games, all starts at two-guard.
Two possessions later, the Hokies went up 53-48 when Manns, who had suffered an awful day to that point, drove the lane and scored just before the shot clock expired.
After a three-point play by Dustin Berrien got Fordham back to 53-51 with 32.3 seconds left, Dunlop answered again, making one of two free throws with 28.5 showing.
Berrien's stickback with 7.5 seconds remaining got the Rams to 54-53. Manns, though, put it away, swishing two free throws with seven seconds on the clock to make it a three-point game.
Custis led Tech with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Dunlop had 10 points and six rebounds.
Foster, who spent much of the season searching for the ``right two guy'', said Dunlop has solved the puzzle.
Fordham coach Nick Macarchuk tried to get Dunlop to say home and play for the Rams. Because Dunlop said no, Macarchuk paid for it Tuesday.
``You think of Manns, you think of Custis, and the players they have that you have to stop ... then a freshman is the difference in the game,'' Marcarchuk said. NOTE: please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines KEYWORDS: BASKETBALLby CNB