THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 18, 1996 TAG: 9601180562
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
A pure shooter's dream night is unlimited wide-open jumpers and a basket that looks as big as a hula hoop.
Quick, somebody pinch Mark Poag.
``I could deal with it if every game were like that,'' Poag said Wednesday after dropping in a career-high 28 points in Old Dominion's 103-86 win over George Mason at Scope. ``I felt like whatever I was going to throw up was going to go in. I felt like I couldn't get enough shots.''
Poag, a freshman forward, made 8 of 14 3-pointers, including 6 of 9 in the first half. Poag was one 3-pointer shy of both the ODU record - set by Anthony Carver in 1989 - and the Colonial Athletic Association record.
``He got to the point where he was so hot, I wasn't even looking for my shot, I just wanted to get the ball to Poag,'' ODU guard Mike Byers said. ``You would think they'd make an adjustment after he hit, what, his first five? But no.''
No, George Mason coach Paul Westhead's team is often like a train hellbent on heading over a cliff. It stays on the track and gets there fast, no matter what the end result.
The Monarchs (8-8, 3-1 CAA) pulled out of the station midway through the first half with a 19-0 run that included a trio of treys by Poag. ODU led 48-30 with 3:49 left in the first half, and George Mason got no closer than 11 the rest of the game.
The Monarchs, winners of five of their last six and three in a row, finished 13 of 22 from beyond the arc. It was the most 3-pointers made this season by a CAA team.
``We calculated in our zone that we'd give them some shots and they'd make some, but not like that,'' Westhead said.
ODU featured an inside-outside combination that was tough to beat. Center Odell Hodge had a season-high 25 points on 10-of-12 accuracy and also contributed nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Forward Joe Bunn had 13 points and 10 rebounds, while point guard Brion Dunlap dished out a season-high nine assists.
As a team, ODU recorded season highs in points (103), field goals (35), field goal percentage (63.6), 3-pointers made (13), 3-point percentage (59.1), free throw percentage (80), defensive rebounds (31), assists (28) and blocked shots (12).
And, crazy as it sounds given the score, the Monarchs played for the most part with the patience they needed to.
``That's the biggest concern when you play a team that plays their style is getting caught up in it, mano-a-mano trying to take it at them,'' ODU coach Jeff Capel said. ``No matter how much you think you can do that, you can't do that because they practice that way every day. We couldn't get caught up in that.
``By and large we played a great pace. We ran when we wanted to run and not when they wanted to make us run.''
Despite being in control almost the entire game, Capel said with George Mason's ability to spurt quickly he wasn't comfortable until the closing seconds. Capel said his assistants were talking on the bench about getting some reserves extra playing time with about three minutes left in the game.
``I was like, `Man, you guys are crazy,' '' Capel said. ``We're not taking anybody out until they start taking their guys out. When they surrender, we'll take our starters out. They style they play, it's never over.''
Curtis McCants and Kenwan Alford led the Patriots (6-8, 1-3) with 25 points apiece.
The Monarchs are tied for third in the CAA with American, one-half game behind league-leading Virginia Commonwealth and UNC-Wilmington. ODU plays its next three games on the road, beginning Saturday night at East Carolina. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by HUY NGUYEN, The Virginian-Pilot
Despite his efforts, Old Dominion's Duffy Samuels was unable to
prevent this steal.
by CNB