THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 26, 1995 TAG: 9501260539
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
Norfolk State's game plan against Shaw Wednesday night was to push Shaw's league-leading perimeter shooters out of their comfort zones, forcing them to take longer shots than they'd like.
Shaw's, apparently, was simply to push.
The Bears, trailing most of the second half, pushed, slapped, pinched and bumped their way to 25 second-half fouls, sending Norfolk State to the line 30 times in the final 10 minutes in an 84-68 Spartan victory - their 12th in a row - at Echols Arena.
Norfolk State (15-2, 10-1 CIAA) shot a season-high 53 free throws in all, hitting 36 of them.
``Coach told us they get a lot of steals, they gamble a lot, so they'd be fouling,'' said reserve guard Marvin Stinson, who hit 9-of-10 from the line and had 14 points.
Shaw (12-5, 7-4) has a couple of the CIAA's top thiefs in guards Roderick and Billie Owens, who aren't related.
The Bears also have some of the league's top perimeter shooters, and came into the game shooting a CIAA-best 49 percent from the field, 37 percent from three-point range.
Shaw shot just 37 percent Wednesday however, 22 percent from behind the arc.
``The key was the fact that we were able to push up defensively and take away any chance of them being effective from the three-point area,'' coach Mike Bernard said.
Shaw's Jeff Campbell, the league's top 3-point shooter, was 2-of-8 from beyond the line. No other Bear hit more than one.
Norfolk State hit just two treys itself, but had its way inside and in transition. Several of Shaw's long misses turned into easy baskets for the Spartans, who shot 59 percent.
Corey Williams led the way with 18 points, 10 at the line. Blitz Wooten had 14 and Derrick Bryant 13, most of them inside.
Wooten got Norfolk State rolling early, scoring six quick points to give Norfolk State a 14-6 lead.
The Spartans led by 10 at the break, and opened the second half with an 8-0 run. Shaw didn't get closer than nine the rest of the way.
The Spartans got at least eight points from six different players, including nine points and five rebounds from reserve center Matthew Thompson, who has been playing well of late.
``Each game has been a total team effort of late,'' Bernard said. ``Right now we're getting the kind of total balance we need to compete.''
With the victory, the 4th-ranked Spartans equaled their longest winning streak of last season, when they advanced to the Division II Elite Eight.
``The funny thing is, we're not where we want to be,'' Wooten said. ``When everything clicks, it's going to be like a bomb, it's going to explode.''
They may not have exploded yet, but the ticking is getting louder. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Corey Williams...
by CNB