THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, March 4, 1996 TAG: 9603040125
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Long : 111 lines
A year ago, Old Dominion ended a season basking in the memories of the program's finest game since moving to Division I with an NCAA tournament upset of Villanova. Sunday, the Monarchs ended a season with perhaps their worst game.
UNC-Wilmington's relentless defense stifled, smothered, snuffed and stomped ODU in a Colonial Athletic Association tournament semifinal at the Richmond Coliseum. The 59-39 win by the third-seeded Seahawks' was an assault on the record book in areas the No. 2 Monarchs would prefer all records remain intact.
Eleven field goals for ODU, school record low. Ditto for 26.2 percent field goal shooting. And 39 points, another one for the books.
ODU's basketball records date to 1964-65, when it began playing only four-year schools. The last time any team representing the school scored fewer points in a game was 1949-50, when the North Carolina State freshman team pinned a 75-38 loss on ODU - then known as the Norfolk Division of the College of William and Mary.
Several Monarchs said they could barely fathom playing so poorly.
``I can't believe we could do it in the CAA tournament,'' senior guard Duffy Samuels said. ``I thought we got all of those games out of the way early in the year.''
The loss likely ends a four-year string of postseason appearances for Old Dominion (18-13). An NCAA tournament bid evaporated Sunday and chances are remote the Monarchs will be invited to the National Invitation Tournament when bids come out Sunday night.
``I really don't care,'' ODU's Odell Hodge said. ``If it is given to us, so be it.''
Nothing was given to ODU Sunday. UNC-Wilmington (13-15) - which will meet Virginia Commonwealth in tonight's tournament final at 7 - took the Monarchs out of the game from the outset. The Seahawks had a 15-3 lead 10 1/2 minutes into the game as ODU made just one of its first seven shots and turned the ball over six times in its first 13 possessions.
It was 26-6 with 3:28 left in the half, 27-12 at halftime.
``The first half is about as well as we've ever played defensively,'' said Seahwawks' coach Jerry Wainwright, whose team ranks fifth nationally in scoring defense.
``We just missed a lot of easy shots early,'' ODU coach Jeff Capel said. ``In a game against Wilmington you've got to maximize possessions because there will be so few of them because of the way they play.
``They did a good job limiting the possessions of our post players Joe (Bunn) and Odell, and our perimeter players had a night where they couldn't throw the ball in the ocean from the shore.''
Bunn, who averaged 16.3 points, made 1 of 8 field goals and finished with nine points. Hodge (14.6) took just two shots and had five points.
But Capel said the larger problem was ODU's outside shooting. Four perimeter players - Brion Dunlap, Mike Byers, Samuels and Mark Poag - were a combined 3 for 21. E.J. Sherod, who plays both inside and outside, was 3 of 7 for a team-high 12 points.
``In postseason play in my opinion, you win with guard play,'' Capel said. ``We just didn't get a lot out of our perimeter players.''
Despite all its problems, ODU had one chance to get in the game midway through the second half. The Monarchs scored seven unanswered points from the free throw line to trim the margin to 31-21, and Samuels made a steal and drove to the basket for a layup with 12:30 remaining. The ball went in and the whistle blew.
``I thought I was going to get the basket and one,'' Samuels said.
But an official waved it off and called Samuels for charging into Billy Donlon. ODU's bench went ballistic.
``It was a judgment call, I don't question judgment calls,'' Capel said. ``I don't know if it was a block or a charge or a no call.''
At the other end, Darren Moore made a three-point play on a basket and foul shot for a 13-point lead with 11:55 to play. ODU got no closer than 11 points the rest of the way, as dejection cloaked the Monarch bench.
``We accomplished a whole lot this season,'' Hodge said. ``But we definitely didn't want it to end like this.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
LAWRENCE JACKSON
The Virginian-Pilot
Mike Byers, left to right, Duffy Samuels, Joe Bunn and Reggie
Bassett find it difficult to watch the closing minutes of Old
Dominion's upset loss to UNC-Wilmington.
LOWLIGHTS
Old Dominion's loss to UNC-Wilmington set a number of school and
CAA tournament records for futility by the Monarchs (Most ODU
records date to 1964-65, when the school began playing only
four-year schools):
Fewest points, 39 (old record 41 vs. James Madison in 1982)
Fewest field goals, 11 (old record 12 vs. South Florida in 1986)
Lowest field goal percentage, 26.2 (old record 28.1 vs.
UNC-Wilmington in 1992; also sets CAA tournament record, old record
28 by East Carolina vs. William and Mary in 1984)
Fewest points in half, 12 (ties record set vs. Arizona State in
1995)
Fewest assists, 4 (ties record set vs. Georgia State in 1980)
by CNB