THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 28, 1995 TAG: 9501280357
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
Fresh off winning a first-place game over James Madison, Old Dominion tonight plays a team trying to avoid last place in the Colonial Athletic Association.
The Monarchs (10-8 overall, 5-0 CAA), winners of five in a row, travel to Richmond for a 7:30 game at the Robins Center. The Spiders (4-12, 0-5) have lost six in a row. A seventh would drop them into a tie for last place with George Mason.
The Spiders were once the CAA's model program, with postseason appearances in eight of nine seasons. But they have not been to the NCAA tournament the last three seasons or the National Invitation Tournament the past two.
Four players the Spiders were counting on this season are not with the team - two transferred, one quit and one was dismissed from the squad - and starting freshman point guard Carlos Cueto is out after having an appendectomy last week. Without Cueto, Richmond has eight scholarship players, four of whom are freshmen.
``When half your team is freshmen, it's going to be a factor in your whole season,'' Spiders coach Bill Dooley said. ``We don't dwell on it too much, that's just a matter of fact with our team.''
The Spiders could be hard to get up for after Old Dominion's emotional victory over the Dukes. The rematch with James Madison is just a week away in Harrisonburg.
``That's the best game we've played so far,'' ODU guard Mike Jones said after the JMU win. ``We're not looking ahead to playing them again. Right now, we're just looking forward to playing Richmond.''
NO ACT: A couple weeks ago, Jones went after a UNC Wilmington player who had fouled him hard, then admitted after the game he was feigning anger to try to motivate his teammates.
But that was no act Wednesday when Jones wanted a piece of James Madison's James Coleman during the first half of the Monarchs' victory at Scope.
Jones and Coleman got tied up going after a rebound, and Coleman proceeded to swing his elbows and kick, dragging Jones across the floor. Referee Dick Paparo put a bear hug on Coleman, and the whole thing began to look like a rugby scrum.
Then Coleman threw the ball at Jones, prompting a technical foul call by Paparo and the rage of Jones, who had to be restrained by teammate Duffy Samuels.
``The thing I didn't like was when he threw the ball and hit me right in the head,'' Jones said. ``I was mad. He disrespected me.''
HOT SHOT: Jones' 24 points against JMU continued his streak of torrid shooting.
Since conference play began, Jones has raised his scoring average from 16.5 per game to 18.2 per game, and his 22.8 average in conference games ranks second in the league.
In five CAA games, Jones is shooting 49 percent from the field and 3-point range and averaging four 3-pointers per outing.
``Personally, I don't think he's ever shot the ball this well over this long of a stretch,'' teammate Petey Sessoms said. Sessoms is still ODU's leading scorer (22.4 per game) and second in the league.
James Madison coach Lefty Driesell was impressed with ODU's senior duo before Wednesday's game, and probably more so now after they combined for 44 points and also shut down the Dukes' two top scorers.
``They're getting more shots because Odell (Hodge) is not there and they're producing,'' Driesell said. ``I think both of them right now have to be first-team all-conference.''
HARVEY HOBBLED: ODU center David Harvey is expected to play tonight, but he has been hobbled since Wednesday. He was fouled while in the air by James Madison's Kareem Robinson and landed hard on his hip.
Harvey's contributions have increased in conference play. In five games, he's averaging 9.2 points and 6.2 rebounds, dramatically better than the 5.1 points and 4.4 rebounds he produced in 13 non-conference games.
After a recent game, Harvey attributed the improvement to the experience of playing against some of the nation's best big men during non-league play.
``I'm not going to face anybody in the CAA like (North Carolina's) Rasheed Wallace or (Wyoming's) Theo Ratliff,'' Harvey said. ``I just feel more confident, and my teammates have more confidence in me now.'' by CNB