THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 11, 1996 TAG: 9601110488
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WILMINGTON, N.C. LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Old Dominion got key points from an unlikely source and closed both halves with flurries that left UNC-Wilmington snowbound Wednesday night.
The Monarchs (6-8, 1-1 Colonial Athletic Association) beat the Seahawks 61-48 at Trask Coliseum, one of two conference venues where ODU lost last season. On the heels of a humbling loss to Virginia Commonwealth, ODU played what coach Jeff Capel called its best game of the season.
``We played with a high level of intensity and great concentration and effort for 40 minutes,'' he said.
And they got leadership at important moments from sophomore point guard Brion Dunlap, who has worked his way out of the doghouse he occupied a few weeks back. Dunlap had eight points, five rebounds, four assists and one turnover. He seemed to provide key plays every time ODU needed one.
``It's one of the best games I've ever seen him play, especially from a scoring standpoint,'' said forward Joe Bunn, who led the Monarchs with 13 points and 10 rebounds. ``He was able to get the ball in the lane, break the defense down and get some points on the board.''
When UNCW (4-9, 2-1) cut what had been an 11-point ODU lead to six midway through the second half, Dunlap made a nice feed to Odell Hodge for a basket underneath. At the other end of the court, he rebounded a miss and went the length of the floor for a layup to put the cushion at 45-35.
The Seahawks spurted back, slicing ODU's lead to 48-45. They had a chance to draw within one with 4:38 remaining, but freshman Billy Donlon missed two free throws.
Dunlap scored ODU's next four points, two on foul shots and then a basket with 2:06 remaining - the Monarchs' first in 6:06 - that made it 52-45. A 3-pointer got the Seahawks back within four, but they did not score in the final 1:45.
``This is the best game Brion's played all year long,'' Capel said. ``In a couple of key possessions he did a really good job of running our offense and making plays. I could tell on the floor he was our leader.''
Dunlap acknowledged that early in the season he may have led the team in grousing and bad attitude. His playing time was reduced, and so was his confidence.
``I wasn't doing the things I should have been doing,'' Dunlap said. ``I wasn't leading the team like I'm supposed to.''
ODU took the lead for good with a 17-1 run spanning 10 minutes at the end of the first half and the start of the second. Five Monarchs scored in the spurt, while UNCW missed 10 consecutive shots to fall behind 39-28.
The second half ended in similar fashion, with ODU outscoring the Seahawks 13-3 in the final 3:12. UNC-Wilmington made just 1 of 10 from the field down the stretch.
The Seahawks shot 30 percent from the field - including 3 of 22 from 3-point range - as ODU kept the ball out of the paint and turned in one of its best defensive efforts of the season. ODU shot 49 percent.
``Maybe they got a little bit tired,'' Capel said of the Seahawks. ``That's what we were trying to do. We pushed the tempo a little bit and played a lot of people.''
The Monarchs played much better inside than they did against VCU, which outrebounded ODU by 17. Wednesday, the Monarchs enjoyed a 36-31 edge and attacked UNCW's inside beef. The Seahawks' Preston McGriff and Darren Moore (11 points apiece) both had three first-half fouls. ODU blocked five shots, including three by freshman Skipper Youngblood.
``When we play hard and smart, we're a good team,'' Bunn said.
ODU travels to Richmond Saturday. The Monarchs have followed their best wins this season with lackluster performances in the next outing.
``We can't let these guys relax,'' Capel said. ``We have to keep the pressure on.'' by CNB