THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 15, 1995 TAG: 9501150225
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DURHAM, N.C. LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
For 30 minutes Saturday afternoon, the Cameron Crazies, as those vocal Duke students who cram into Cameron Indoor Stadium are called, had a field day with Virginia guard Cory Alexander.
Alexander had zero points with less than 10 minutes remaining, and the Blue Devils seemed to have their first ACC victory of the season safely in hand.
``Over-rated,'' the Crazies shouted to Alexander, who has described himself as the best point guard in the league and a prize for some NBA team next year.
In the end, Alexander had the last word.
He snapped out of his scoreless funk in time to explode for 22 points and carry Virginia (10-3, 4-0) to perhaps its greatest comeback ever, a 91-88 victory in double overtime.
The Cavaliers had been down by 23 points with 17:45 left in the second half.
When the final buzzer sounded to seal Virginia's fourth straight ACC win, keeping the Cavaliers the only unbeaten team in league play, Alexander trotted to the sidelines, smiled at the Crazies, and clapped his hands.
``The only thing I said to them was `good game,' '' Alexander said. ``I love playing in this building, and I love these fans. It is a great atmosphere, and we had a lot of fun today.''
But Alexander and his teammates didn't have much fun in the first half.
The struggling Blue Devils (9-6, 0-4), off to their worst league start since 1981-82, came out sizzling and bolted into a 30-10 lead in the opening 13 minutes.
Their biggest lead was 46-23 before Virginia began its comeback.
``We said at halftime we didn't want to just make the score respectable,'' Alexander said. ``We felt we could still win.''
Freshman guard Curtis Staples said the comeback was fueled on pride.
``This one came from the heart,'' Staples said. ``We looked at the scoreboard and were embarrassed by what we saw. We knew we were a better team than that.''
With sophomore guard Harold Deane leading the way, the Cavaliers had closed to 52-39 when Alexander hit his first field goal, a 3-pointer, at 9:39.
Staples gave Virginia a 69-68 lead at 1:37, but it took a pair of five-minute overtime sessions before the Cavaliers completed the victory.
Alexander missed a 3-pointer at the end of regulation, and Staples let a pass from Alexander slip through his hands and go out of bounds at the end of the first overtime.
Finally, Jamal Robinson put Virginia ahead for good with his only goal of the game with 50 seconds left in the second overtime.
Alexander hit one free throw and Junior Burrough a pair in the final 29 seconds to complete only the eighth Virginia victory in 43 games in Cameron.
Alexander, 0 for 5 at intermission, scored 10 points in the final 9:39 of the second half. He had five points in the first overtime and seven in the second overtime.
``During the first part of the game they (Blue Devils) seemed determined to stop me, and I let Harold (Deane) and Junior (Burrough) carry us,'' Alexander said.
``I think they began to tire in the second half and that gave me some opportunities for shots.''
Burrough had 23 points and Deane, who fouled out in the first overtime, had 22.
``The difference was when it came time, Cory took over and proved what a great player he really is,'' Staples said.
Alexander also drew praise from inside a quiet Duke locker-room.
``You have to give him credit,'' said Duke guard Jeff Capel. ``He hit a lot of tough shots under pressure and with hands in his face. There isn't much you can do about that.''
When Duke was building its big lead, there wasn't much the Cavaliers could do with Capel, either.
The sophomore, who has assumed a leadership role, hit four 3-pointers in a three-minute stretch for a 19-7 Duke lead.
He had 16 points at intermission, and finished with 28.
``I began worrying when they got the margin down to single digits,'' Capel said. ``They never panicked and didn't try to get it all back at once. They showed why they are 4-0 in this league. A lot of teams in their situation would have died.''
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who is recovering from back surgery, missed his third straight game and is not expected to return for at least two more weeks. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cherokee Parks of Duke struggles to hold on to the ball. Parks
finished with 19 points.
by CNB