THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 30, 1994 TAG: 9412300500
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
It was a basketball game that had it all - live television coverage, the No. 1 team and die-hard fans from both sides.
The only problem, fans said, was finding a ticket to Thursday night's sold-out matchup between Old Dominion University and North Carolina.
``We camped out eight hours before tickets were sold,'' said ODU student Grace Miranda, 20. ``Now we've been partying all night, and we're really excited.''
Miranda, of Virginia Beach, said the game was one of the biggest sports events she's seen in Hampton Roads. ``We have a lot of friends from out of town who came back just for the game today,'' she said.
After ODU students and season-ticket holders had been satisfied, tickets were scarce. Just ask Steve Biggs, who paced outside Scope for two hours Thursday looking for four of the precious tickets.
``They're tough to get, they really are,'' said Biggs, who drove up from Edenton, N.C., with his wife, Susan, and two friends. ``What a bummer. We have someone asking at every corner.''
Biggs, 35, said one scalper was selling tickets for $50 each. Luckily, Biggs said, he didn't have to dig that deep. Six minutes before the game began, he scored four tickets at the $15 face value.
Ronnie Woolard of Elizabeth City stood outside with a two-foot-long sign that read: ``Need a Ticket!'' By tip-off time, no luck.
``It's awfully hard,'' Woolard said. ``But I'm willing to pay.''
For 10,161 screaming basketball fans, the game had provided days of anticipation.
``A friend of mine bought some tickets a week ago,'' said Mark Casalez, 37, of Chesapeake. ``He had to whisper in my ear and tell me `Hey, I've got tickets.' ''
Kelly Baker, 19, said her brother, sister and mother drove six hours from Bedford, Pa., just to see the action. ``We would have driven farther to see the Tar Heels,'' Baker said. ``We grew up as fans.''
Baker's mother, Terry Gardill, said she tried over and over to get tickets before she was successful. ``We could only get four tickets,'' said Gardill, who was decked head to toe in Tar Heel blue. Judging by the number of Carolina hats, sweat shirts and jackets, Tar Heel fans seemed to outnumber ODU supporters. But Monarch fans made their presence known - whooping, stomping and singing as the game started.
After the national anthem, roars rang out for both teams, but the ODU crowd reigned supreme.
``This is huge. It puts ODU on the map,'' said Scott Konikoff, 18, of East Brunswick, N.J.
ODU won the tip-off and made the first basket of the night. The crowd belted out thunderous yells and threw their arms - and some clothes - into the air.
Meryl Travers, a Scope usher, said such large and boisterous crowds usually show up only for hockey games.
``I've never seen a crowd like this at an ODU game,'' said Travers. ``It wasn't packed like this for Dorothy Hamill and she didn't show up.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
BETH BERGMAN/Staff
Old Dominion fans Derek Stewart, with his hand to his mouth, and
Chad Beck, standing, reflect the suspense during the first half of
Thursday night's game against North Carolina. The game stayed close
until Carolina pulled away in the second half.
Photo
BETH BERGMAN/Staff
ODU student Jim Piehl of Chesapeake cheers his team Thursday night
at Scope as they played North Carolina. The No. 1 Tar Heels beat the
Monarchs 98-79.
by CNB