THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 19, 1994 TAG: 9411190618
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
As the basket constricted on Virginia in Friday's first half, the Cavaliers' worried. Then, as their poise leaked away against swarming, self-assured Ohio University, their shot selection worsened. They rushed themselves, and the hoop grew tighter, more unyielding. Unforgiving.
It is the worst kind of aimless predicament for a basketball team, particularly when it has to play from behind for all but the first three minutes. Yet that was Virginia's fate against the Bobcats in the second-round game of the preseason National Invitation Tournament at University Hall.
In a contest televised nationally on ESPN, Ohio U. led by as much as 21 in the second half, then barely withstood a frantic U.Va. rally to deal the scattershot Cavaliers a 94-83 defeat.
The victory sends the Bobcats (2-0) to the NIT semifinals Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. Ohio will play George Washington, a 62-59 winner over Canisius on Friday.
The Cavaliers (1-1), who in 5 1/2 minutes charged from a 71-50 deficit to within 82-79 with 2:38 to play, have until Nov. 30 to ponder how badly they shot in the first half and how brazenly the Bobcats pushed them around in their own arena.
Ohio, defending champion of the Mid-American Conference, now has an ACC hide to go with its 78-67 drubbing of the Big Ten's Ohio State on Wednesday. And if the hulking Bobcats, five of whom check in at 240 pounds or more, surprised Virginia with their skill, they shouldn't have.
They are led by 6-foot-8, 240-pound junior Gary Trent, a major talent who claimed Mid-American player-of-the-year honors in each of his first two seasons. Trent was 11th in the nation in scoring last season at 25.4 points per game, and is already seventh all time in Ohio U. history. He added 20 points to his resume, and also led the way with 13 rebounds, against the Cavaliers, who had not played a Mid-American team since 1974.
For Virginia, besides the score, the saddest statistic was its miserable shooting mark from 3-point range. The Cavaliers made four of 27 attempts from behind the line, but their 1-for-13 effort in the first half was especially damaging.
While Ohio U. hit 52 percent of its shots in the half, including five of 10 3-pointers, U.Va. made just 33 percent overall - and finished at 36.9 percent from the floor. They were only 2-for-15 on 3-pointers but shot 43 percent in Wednesday's 83-80 triumph over Old Dominion. by CNB