THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 26, 1995 TAG: 9501260524
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
Before the first television timeout, Old Dominion led James Madison, 9-0.
When play resumed, it took JMU until the 14-minute mark just to score its first 10 points.
It would be a long night for the visitors from Harrisonburg.
There would be no 19-point comeback this time, no replay of last March's improbable victory in Richmond.
No prayerful parabola would bail out the Dukes on a cold night in January when Lefty Driesell's team was on the road and off its game.
``Don't say it was frustrating,'' Driesell barked into a microphone after ODU's 79-65 victory. ``I don't get frustrated.''
If not, it's not for lack of disappointment in his old home town. In Driesell's seven years at JMU, his team has not won at Scope.
``Sometimes you just get your butt kicked,'' he said, dispensing with the postmortem. ``I was kind of embarrassed for our ballclub.''
Anyone expecting another resounding clash Wednesday night between the two state basketball rivals had to settle for one remarkable collision under the ODU basket.
With five minutes gone in the second half, JMU's Kareem Robinson kareemed David Harvey as he went in for a layup.
The sight and sound of the 6-foot-8, 250-pound Robinson flying into the 6-foot-8, 230-pound Harvey brought people out of their seats and drew an intentional foul call from official Dick Paparo.
Harvey got up with a bruised elbow and hip. Robinson shuffled away with bruised feelings
``I'm not out here to hurt anybody,'' he said later. ``I went for the ball all the way.''
It was Robinson's contention that if more of his teammates had gone after ODU as hard as he went after Harvey, JMU would have been in better shape.
``So many players on our team didn't come ready to play,'' he insisted.
Meanwhile, ODU couldn't have been much higher. Scope resonated with the Monarchs' spirit and tenacity.
The players remembered Richmond. And Kent Culuko's 3-point arrow to the heart that kept them out of the NCAA tournament.
You knew they would.
``We felt we owed them one for last year's last-second shot,'' Harvey said. ``We were pumped up.''
JMU probably didn't have much of a chance. How hard some of the Dukes may have played is a moot point; under the circumstances, they couldn't have been more determined than ODU.
``When you don't protect the ball,'' Driesell reasoned, ``you gotta give credit to the defense.''
Meanwhile, JMU's defense never got off the bus.
Driesell went to all manner of combinations - a triangle and two, an amoeba zone - without much success.
Madison not only failed to slow down ODU's outside threats (Mike Jones scored 24 points, Petey Sessoms 20), but the defense left open the middle for Mario Mullen, who finished with 14.
``None of this is a surprise. We've seen them play all those different defenses against other teams,'' Jones said.
When JMU had the ball, ODU stuck with a basic defense. Man-to-man. Chest-to-chest.
``We pressured them,'' Harvey said. ``And we weren't going to back down.''
That's just the sort of attitude ODU needs to take to Harrisonburg Saturday after next.
``We'll play again this year,'' Driesell said, ``probably two more times.''
He didn't sound frustrated. Well, maybe just a little. by CNB