THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 6, 1995 TAG: 9512060575
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
If Virginia is going to live or die with the jump shot this season, it may not be too early to start digging a grave.
Unable to get its outside game cranked up, the 15th-ranked Cavaliers (2-2) made only 1 of 18 3-point attempts Tuesday night in a revealing 61-48 loss to unranked Vanderbilt (5-1) at University Hall.
The game was almost a rerun of the Cavaliers' loss to Vanderbilt last December in Nashville, which coach Jeff Jones called the low-point of the season.
Jones can only hope the Cavaliers don't sink any lower this year.
``This loss was a lot worse than last year's,'' a visibly disappointed Jones said.
``It was on our homecourt, and last year we at least fought back in the second half. Tonight, we gave up at some point.''
Virginia, a habitual slow-starter, made only one of its first 12 field goal attempts, fell behind 13-4 and never fully recovered.
Four minutes into the second half, the Cavaliers cut Vandy's lead to 31-28 but failed to score a field goal the next six minutes as the Commododres pushed the margin back to 13.
Vanderbilt's defensive strategy was simple, and one the Cavaliers can expect to see frequently if they do not develop an inside scoring game.
Vandy used a box-and-one to deny shooting guard Curtis Staples the ball and concentrated the remainder of its efforts on preventing point guard Harold Deane from driving the lane.
Staples was 1 for 9 on 3-pointers.
Deane was 1 for 12 from the field, finishing with 4 points - his lowest total since his freshman year. The junior court leader also contributed only four assists.
With their guards handcuffed, the Cavaliers got little help inside.
Vandy coach Jan van Breda Kolff said he schooled his players on the defensive strategy in only one day.
But, really, it was so simple that they didn't need any longer than that.
``Deane is the heart and soul of the Virginia team,'' van Breda Kolff said. ``As he goes, so goes Virginia. We didn't want him penetrating and we didn't want to put him on the line.''
Deane admitted he became frustrated when he couldn't play his normal game and no one else stepped up to relieve the pressure on him.
``I made some bad decisions and took some bad shots,'' he said.
The frustration carried over on the defensive side, too, as Deane made some unwise fouls and fouled out with two minutes remaining.
Overall, Virginia played its usual tough defense and Vandy won despite making only 32.8 percent of its field-goal attempts.
The Cavaliers shot 35.5 percent from the floor, but had five fewer 3-pointers and eight fewer points from the free-throw line.
But it wasn't the cold shooting that put concerned Jones the most.
``Our problems go a lot deeper than just not shooting well,'' he said. ``We stood around, we watched, and we played too much as individuals.''
Jones said Vandy had a good defensive plan, but added, ``The truth is, I don't think they needed it. They would have beaten us, regardless.''
Jones said if NCAA rules permitted, he would have ordered his team back on the court for a late-night practice session.
``We need lots of practice,'' he said, ``but we have to have tomorrow off. So, this game is going to sit with us for the next day or two.''
Virginia came back strong after last season's disappointing loss to Vanderbilt, and Deane said he expected that to be the case again.
``We've been through this before,'' Deane noted. ``We've just got to get over it and come back strong.''
Virginia's next game is Saturday at Richmond. by CNB