THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 14, 1996 TAG: 9601140233
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines
For the first time this season, Old Dominion's basketball team Saturday went from a peak to a peak, leaping the valley that has often ensnared the Monarchs.
ODU's 84-69 victory over Richmond at the Robins Center represented its most lopsided win of the season. The Monarchs have won four of their last five, but prior to Saturday had followed every impressive win with a sub-par performance.
``For the second straight game, everything clicked for us, especially on the defensive end,'' said ODU forward Joe Bunn, who scored a game-high 19.
ODU (7-8, 2-1 Colonial Athletic Association) played well Wednesday at UNC-Wilmington. The Monarchs have won four in a row on the road and have a 5-2 mark as visitors.
Defensive intensity - something ODU has lacked at times - was the catalyst Saturday.
``Defensively we played pretty good for 40 minutes,'' coach Jeff Capel said. ``To do that coming off of our last effort where we played really solid for 40 minutes is something that we hadn't done all year. We hadn't put back-to-back games defensively together like we did tonight.''
There were plenty of other things for Capel to like. The Monarchs shot a season-high 61.2 percent from the field - compared with 46 percent for Richmond - blocked five shots, made 11 steals and benefited from 25 Spider turnovers.
Bunn and center Odell Hodge (16 points) dominated inside, both making 7 of 9 field-goal tries.
``We got our shots from point-blank range,'' Hodge said. ``The guys did a good job of finding us down low.''
Twenty of ODU's 30 field goals came off assists. Sophomore point guard Brion Dunlap led the way with seven assists to go along with six points and two steals.
``He's playing the way he did last year for us,'' Capel said. ``He's making great decisions with the basketball and getting everybody involved. He's our leader. When he's playing as well as he's playing, we're a pretty good basketball team.''
But the news was not all good for the Monarchs. Early in the second half, starting freshman forward Skipper Youngblood crumpled to the floor after making a basket inside and landing on someone's foot. Youngblood injured his right ankle and spent the rest of the game on the bench stretched across three seats.
``Right now it looks like a sprain,'' ODU trainer Scott Johnson said.
Youngblood had company. ODU forward Mario Mullen missed his fourth consecutive game with a bad back. He dressed out, but spent the night lying on the floor at the end of ODU's bench. Mullen practiced for the first time since Dec. 28 Friday and the Monarchs are hopeful he can play Wednesday when they host George Mason.
Eleven Monarchs played nine minutes or more against the Spiders (4-8, 0-3). ODU has employed a platoon system in recent games, with the starting five being replaced with five brand-new players early in each half. The two groups play primarily together, although ultimately there is some intermingling.
``It keeps a fresh group of guys on the court at all times and I think it works to our advantage,'' Hodge said.
The Monarchs built a 13-point advantage in the first half before Richmond cut the halftime deficit to seven with the benefit of a bizarre seven-point play. ODU's E.J. Sherod (10 points, three assists, four steals) was called for back-to-back fouls and then a technical, resulting in four Richmond free throws by Adam Mobley. The Spiders got the ball out of bounds, and Mobley hit a 3-pointer.
In the second half, Richmond got within four early, then ODU regained a seemingly comfortable 12-point lead. But a 7-0 Spider run made it a five-point game with 6:25 to play. ODU led by six with four minutes left, then outscored Richmond 15-6 down the stretch.
``Our kids are really playing hard,'' Capel said. ``Their intensity is great and we're competing very hard in practice, there's no let-down. We just really work hard now, and it's paying off. We're taking things from the practice floor to the game floor.''
Old Dominion (7-8): Poag 2-8 4-4 9, Youngblood 2-2 0-0 4, Hodge 7-9 2-6 16, Dunlap 2-2 2-2 6, Beyers 4-8 2-3 11, Bowler 2-3 0-1 5, Samuels 0-1 0-0 0, Sherod 2-5 6-6 10, Bunn 7-9 5-7 19, Bassette 2-2 0-1 4, Parker 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-49 21-30 84.
Richmond (4-8): Mobley 2-6 6-6 11, Poole 7-8 2-5 16, McKinney 0-1 0-0 0, Cueto 5-10 2-2 16, Oliver 2-5 0-0 4, Patrick 1-7 0-0 2, Wardf 0-0 0-0 0, Baker 2-5 0-0 6, Edwards 2-3 0-0 4, Jefferson 2-4 4-6 10, Hensel 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-50 14-19 69.
Halftime: Old Dominion, 44-37. 3-point goals: Old Dominion 3-11 (Poag 1-6, Beyers 1-2, Bowler 1-2, Sherod 0-1), Richmond 9-18 (Mobley 1-4, Cueto 4-7, Baker 2-4, Jefferson 2-3). Fouled out: Cueto. Rebounds: ODU 29 (Hodge 6), Richmond 28 (Poole 7). Assists: Old Dominion 20 (Dunlap 7), Richmond 11 (Cueto 7). Total fouls: Old Dominion 17, Richmond 22. Technicals: Sherod, Richmond bench. A: 6,679. by CNB