ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 14, 1997 TAG: 9703140067
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: SALT LAKE CITY
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY THE ROANOKE TIMES
Harold Deane receives little support as Iowa ends Virginia's hopes of advancing in the men's NCAA Tournament.
The next time Virginia is extended an invitation to play basketball in Utah, the Cavaliers should think twice about accepting.
UVa has lost four first-round games in the men's NCAA Tournament and three have come at the Huntsman Center, including a 73-60 drubbing Thursday night at the hands of eighth-seeded Iowa.
The Hawkeyes (22-9) led by as many as 22 points in setting up a showdown Saturday with the top-seeded team in the West Regional, Kentucky (31-4). The Wildcats beat Montana 92-54 in the first game of the evening.
A 9-0 spurt to start the second half ended any Virginia hopes of advancing. The Cavaliers (18-13) made one of their first seven shots of the second half as the offense became more anemic with each of coach Jeff Jones' substitutions.
``You look at the stat sheet and in some ways it's deceiving,'' Jones said. ``In the second half, [the Hawkeyes] were dominant. I can't remember a game against a quality opponent when we've been so sluggish.''
It was reminiscent of Virginia's 61-48 loss to Brigham Young in the 1991 West Regional at the Huntsman Center, when John Crotty had 20 points in his final UVa game. This time, Harold Deane was the Cavaliers' only bright spot, finishing with 24 in his finale.
Ninth-seeded UVa did not have another player with more than eight points, while Iowa had four scorers in double figures, topped by freshman Guy Rucker with 19 points. Ryan Bowen added 15 points and 16 rebounds as the Hawkeyes outrebounded UVa 44-27.
``In my opinion, the difference [and] the guys that hurt us really badly were Bowen and Rucker,'' Jones said. ``I can't say enough about Bowen. For him to get 10 offensive rebounds ... he was just relentless.''
All-Big Ten point guard Andre Woolridge wasn't bad. He finished with 17 points and 10 assists and did not commit a turnover. In fact, the Hawkeyes had three turnovers as a team, none by the starters.
``It's one thing for a coach to talk about a player; it's another thing for that player to produce,'' said Iowa coach Tom Davis, who is 10-0 in first-round NCAA Tournament games. ``Andre's been something special for us.''
The first sign of trouble for the Cavaliers was when Iowa big men Rucker and J.R. Koch started shooting from outside - and hitting. Koch, the Hawkeyes 6-foot-9 sixth man, made 3-pointers on two of his first three shots.
Rucker was listed at virtually the same size as 6-9, 243-pound UVa freshman Colin Ducharme, but appeared considerably bigger. Rucker had 14 points in the first 141/2 minutes as the Hawkeyes went ahead 29-20.
Eventually, Iowa cooled off, but Virginia was unable to capitalize because of its own poor shooting. The Cavaliers made only five of their first 19 shots and trailed by 11 points on three occasions.
Curtis Staples, the ACC's leading 3-point shooter, appeared to be in a funk against the Hawkeyes' matchup zone and attempted only two shots in the first 19 minutes. He didn't get his first field goal until 8:04 remained in the game.
UVa had only two first-half turnovers against Iowa's full-court press - and five for the game - but the Cavaliers couldn't keep the Hawkeyes off the boards. Iowa had a 24-14 rebounding advantage, thanks in large part to 10 offensive boards.
Jones played four centers in the first half, including seldom-used freshmen Craig McAndrew and Kris Hunter. McAndrew played the last 2:16, fouled twice and gave up two baskets and an offensive rebound.
``It was a disappointing way to end the season,'' Jones said. ``I'm sure, when we sit back in a couple of days, we will have a lot of things to be proud of. Unfortunately, this game won't be one of them.'' NOTE: please see microfilm for scores.
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