THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 7, 1995 TAG: 9502070435
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HAMPTON LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Virginia Commonwealth cleaned the glass Monday night as efficiently as their big men must surely clean their plates.
Old Dominion (12-10) got blown out by an in-state rival for the second consecutive game, losing, 81-67, to VCU at Hampton Coliseum. The Monarchs concluded nonconference play 5-9.
As in Saturday's loss at James Madison, the Monarchs (12-10) were taken out of the game early and never made a serious bid to get back into it. Virginia Commonwealth destroyed ODU on the boards, 53-28. It was the third consecutive game in which the Monarchs had a double-digit rebounding disadvantage.
``I think Virginia Commonwealth did a very good job coming out and being the aggressor early and taking the game right to us,'' ODU coach Jeff Capel said. ``They came out and challenged us, and we backed away.''
VCU starting center George Byrd and power forward Bernard Hopkins combined for 31 points and 32 rebounds. ODU starting center David Harvey and power forward Mario Mullen combined for 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Rams (15-8) had more offensive rebounds (19) than ODU had defensive rebounds (18). VCU point guard Sherman Hamilton - part of what the Rams dub their ``Bullwinkle'' backcourt of Sherman and Mr. (Ben) Peabody - had
eight boards, more than any ODU player.
``They just outplayed us,'' Mullen said. ``There's no excuses. We haven't been competing.''
Of the Rams' 44 second-half points, 19 came on offensive rebounds. VCU wide bodies Byrd (6-foot-8, 270 pounds, career-high 20 rebounds) and Hopkins (6-7, 250) went to the boards all night as if there were steak lingering around the rim.
``This is kind of incredible,'' Rams coach Sonny Smith said of the rebound totals.
Capel was incredulous.
``People who are physical with us lately, we've run from that instead of accepting the challenge and trying to compete,'' Capel said. ``That was evident tonight. On the first play they went right inside right at us, and we backed away. That set the tone for the game.''
Ten minutes into the game, the Monarchs had seven points and seven turnovers. The Rams were up by 16 points with 13 minutes expired.
ODU cut the margin to 12 at halftime. The Monarchs started the second half strong and got the lead down to 45-36 with 15:56 remaining on Petey Sessoms' lone successful 3-point shot in nine attempts.
VCU's 16-4 run over the next five minutes - including 10 second-chance points - produced a 21-point lead, its largest of the game. ODU got no closer than 14 the rest of the way.
Sessoms led ODU with 22 points, and Mike Jones added 16. The Monarchs made just 6 of 27 3-pointers, shot 29 percent from the field in the first half and 39 percent for the game.
``We shut their 3-point shooting down totally in the first half, and that's what we wanted to do,'' Smith said.
The Rams snapped ODU's four-game winning streak in the series thanks to five players in double figures. Hopkins and Tyron McCoy both had 18 while Byrd and Ivan Chappell, a junior from Chesapeake, scored 13.
``We were much bigger than them,'' Chappell said. ``We got just about every rebound. Our perimeter guys were not afraid to shoot because we knew Hopkins and Byrd would get the rebound.''
The game was ODU's second of five during a 10-day stretch. The Monarchs host Richmond at 7:35 p.m. Wednesday. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
CHRISTOPHER REDDICK/Staff
VCU's George Byrd, right, grabs a rebound in front of a pair of
Monarchs.
by CNB