THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 22, 1995 TAG: 9511220703
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY REA FARMER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
It all came down to the final four minutes.
Virginia Wesleyan and rival Christopher Newport traded baskets throughout the Marlins' men's basketball home opener, and with 4:07 remaining, Marlins center Russell DeMont scored to knot the game at 70.
But Christopher Newport won the closing minutes' battle to earn an 83-76 victory.
``I thought it was a hard-fought contest,'' Virginia Wesleyan coach Terry Butterfield said. ``I think the difference was they were able to make plays from two minutes on in and we came up a little short.''
In the final minutes, Captains senior guard Andre Bolton stepped up the pressure, grabbing key rebounds and turnovers.
``We had a lot of trouble controlling Bolton,'' Butterfield said. ``He seemed to go by us at will.''
The 6-foot-1 Bolton scored 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds and had three steals.
Bolton was a threat throughout the game. The Marlins held a 50-49 edge early in the second half when Bolton grabbed two defensive rebounds, racing to the basket and scoring each time. His third consecutive jump shot pushed the gap to 57-52.
The Captains led 44-43 at the half. In the second half, they grabbed their widest lead 59-52 at 11:34 on a Sean Phillips' jump shot.
The Marlins responded to the challenge. Percy Slight was fouled on a scoring shot. He missed the free throw, but James MacLeod snagged the rebound and pumped in a shot to cut the deficit to 59-56. Slight stole the ball and scored at 10:25 to pull the Marlins to within one.
The Marlins and Captains then traded the lead until the final four minutes.
Bolton stepped up and sparked the Captains' offense. He stole a pass, streaked to the basket and scored for a 76-72 lead. He was fouled on the play and hit the shot for a three-point play. The Captains never trailed again.
Jeff McLean had 17 points and six rebounds for the Captains (2-0).
DeMont paced the Marlins (1-1) with 17 points and eight rebounds; Slight had 16 points and six rebounds. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by BILL TIERNAN, The Virginian-Pilot
Christopher Newport's Andre Bolton passes behind Virginia Wesleyan's
James MacLeod, right, during the first half Tuesday.
by CNB