THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, March 2, 1996 TAG: 9603020409
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. LENGTH: Medium: 90 lines
Time for the rubber match.
The Norfolk State Spartans, the only team to beat Virginia Union this season, will meet the Panthers tonight (9 p.m., WVBT-TV) with a CIAA Tournament title on the line.
It'll be the third consecutive year the two have faced off in the tournament final, with Union winning the previous two titles.
The Spartans earned their spot in tonight's final by posting an 80-67 victory over Southern Division regular-season champion North Carolina Central Friday night at Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
Norfolk State went on an 18-0 run midway through the second half, with all five starters involved in the scoring during the run, to take a 64-43 lead with just over six minutes left. After that, the Eagles never got closer than 11.
With the Spartans (22-4) ineligible for the NCAA Division II playoffs - the school has applied for Division I status beginning after next season - they've targeted tonight as their own personal national championship game.
And in spite of Virginia Union's 25-1 record and talk of a possible national championship run by the Panthers, Norfolk State forward Derrick Bryant rates this game ``an even swap.''
The Panthers reached the final with an 84-56 victory over Shaw in the nightcap.
``Coach (Mike Bernard) prepares us well for Union,'' said Bryant, who scored 15 second-half points and finished with 19 Friday night. ``He really knows how to play against (Virginia Union coach) Dave Robbins. I feel we don't go in as the underdogs.''
After the way the Spartans dissected the Eagles (20-6) in the second half Friday and shut down CIAA player of the year Levelle Moton, it reinforced N.C. Central coach Greg Jackson's similar beliefs.
``Nobody in the country prepares a team like Mike Bernard,'' Jackson said. ``I had the pleasure to work under him at North Carolina Central in 1985 and nothing's changed.''
Leading 44-38 with 11 minutes remaining, the Spartans seemed to have reason for concern when Moton got hot for a minute, canning a long 3-pointer then following with a pullup jumper from 15 feet.
But Moton went to the well one too many times when he attempted a baseline jumper on the Eagles' next possession. Maurice Whitfield, assigned to cloak Moton most of the night, blocked the shot from behind and Rodney Carmichael (18 points) converted the fast break at the other end for a 49-43 lead. The Spartans' run went into high gear.
Steals by Norfolk State's Carnell Penn (game-high 22 points) foiled the Eagles' next two possessions and led to transition buckets. The Eagles missed five shots and turned the ball over five times during the critical run.
Moton finished with 20 points, but also committed three costly turnovers and made it to the free throw line only once all night.
``Mo (Whitfield) did an excellent job,'' Moton said. ``He plays me better than most people play me. I didn't seem to have any legs. Beating St. Paul's (86-73 Thursday) was such an emotional drain. But that's taking nothing away from Mo.''
The Spartans held the Eagles to just 33.8 percent accuracy from the field, a number that was severely pulled downward by N.C. Central's love for the 3-pointer, where the Eagles were just 9 of 33.
Norfolk State also posted a commanding rebounding edge, 42-33. Carmichael's nine rebounds led the way as all five starters had at least five boards.
Although the Eagles were able to cut Norfolk State's lead to 72-61 with 2:49 remaining, Jackson said the game had been over long before that point.
``They were in control and this game was out of reach,'' Jackson said. ``I don't think we lost our composure during that run of theirs. I think they just won the game.''
In the other semifinal, Virginia Union (25-1) advanced to its fifth consecutive final.
Union's only loss of the season was a 77-74 overtime setback at the hands of Norfolk State four weeks ago.
Thomas Meredith led Union with 19 points and Luther Bates and Ben Wallace each had 13 as the taller Panthers used their size advantage throughout, posting a 61-35 edge rebounding.
Shaw finished the season 13-16. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Christopher Reddick
Blitz Wooten of Norfolk State, left, and Levelle Moton of North
Carolina Central chases after a loose ball. The Spartans face
Virginia Union, ranked No. 2 in Division II, tonight in the CIAA
titile game.
Graphic
1996 CIAA Men's Tournament
1996 CIAA Women's Tournament
by CNB