THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 10, 1995 TAG: 9512100214
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
Virginia's Harold Deane expected foul treatment Saturday from University of Richmond fans, but he was pleasantly surprised to get it from the Spiders, too.
The Spiders sent Deane to the foul line eight times in the second half, and he responded by hitting 12 of 15 free throws to help the 15th-ranked Cavaliers (3-2) end a two-game losing streak with a 67-52 victory in the Robins Center.
``I knew the fans were going to get on me,'' said Deane, who attended high school in the Richmond area. ``Some of them probably are still upset because I chose Virginia over Richmond when I was recruited.''
But Deane had no explanation for why the Spiders continually fouled him in the second half while the Cavaliers struggled from the field.
``I had a big smile on my face every time I went to the line,'' he said. ``I might be struggling with my shooting from the field, but I am still hitting 85 percent of my free throws. I was happy to go to the line. That is where the game was decided.''
Indeed, the Cavaliers made only 5 of 29 field-goal attempts (17.2 percent) in the second half but steadily pulled away in the final 14 minutes after Richmond had pulled to within one point.
Deane hit 9 of 11 free-throw attempts and added a 3-pointer as the Cavaliers rebuilt the lead to 61-47 with 3:45 left. He finished with a game-high 27 points despite going 4 for 11 from the field.
``If I had been in the groove, I could have had 40 points,'' said Deane, who missed several wide-open shots. ``I am making the same shots in practice, but I'm just trying too hard in the game.''
The Cavaliers shot 48 percent in the first half to lead 34-25 at intermission.
Virginia's offensive lift in the first half came from shooting guard Curtis Staples, who showed signs of snapping out of his early-season shooting slump.
Staples, who had hit only 9 of 42 3-point attempts in the first four games, nailed two straight to open Virginia's scoring.
``I'm sure it was important to Curtis, and just as big for his teammates, for those first two shots to go down,'' Virginia coach Jeff Jones said.
Staples, who finished with 18 points, said the quick hits boosted his sagging confidence.
``Everyone knew I could shoot better than what I had been doing,'' Staples said. ``I felt like my old self out there when those early shots went in.''
Richmond (3-3) was colder than Virginia from the field, hitting only 29.3 percent for the game.
After cutting Virginia's lead to 42-41, the Spiders made only two field goals and six free throws in the remaining 14 minutes.
Virginia center Chris Alexander frustrated Richmond's inside game by rejecting eight shots, the highest number by a Cavalier since Ralph Sampson had the same amount twice in the 1982-83 season.
``Those blocks were very important, not only in the points they may have saved, but it forced them to alter some of their other shots, too,'' Jones said.
As ugly as the game was at times offensively, Jones had few complaints with his team.
``The bottom line was to win, and we accomplished that,'' said Jones, who had been angered by Virginia's lackluster performance in losing to Vanderbilt on Tuesday night.
The only negative for the Cavaliers was an ankle injury to freshman Courtney Alexander, who played only seven minutes.
Jones said he did not know how serious the sprain was, but noted that Alexander would get time to heal since the Cavaliers do not play again until Dec. 21, against Virginia Union in Charlottesville. by CNB