DATE: Wednesday, November 19, 1997          TAG: 9711190738

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: FAIRBORN, OHIO                    LENGTH:   68 lines

ODU AND NORFOLK STATE DROP OPENERS FORMER CHURCHLAND STAR MARVIN RODGERS SCORES 20 POINTS TO HELP WRIGHT STATE STUN MONARCHS

Old Dominion's basketball team traveled more than 700 miles Tuesday only to be beaten in large part by a forward from Portsmouth.

Marvin Rodgers, a former Churchland High star, overcame foul trouble to pour in a game-high 20 points and help lead Wright State to a 64-52 victory over ODU in the Monarchs' season opener.

Wright State, which has only four scholarship players back from the team that won seven games last season, figured to be one of the easiest stops on ODU's schedule. But on this night the Raiders delighted a jubilant crowd of 6,011 by outhustling the Monarchs. They dove for loose balls, played aggressive, ball-hawking defense and leapt over the taller Monarchs for rebounds.

The disparity in effort showed statistically: Wright State outrebounded Monarchs 51-33, including 22 offensive rebounds. That drew criticism from ODU coach Jeff Capel and the Monarchs themselves.

``This was a team that got (outrebounded) by 18 in their first game,'' Capel said. ``We should have competed harder. They were tougher physically and mentally than we were.''

Even the Raiders questioned ODU's toughness.

``We expected them to attack us,'' said junior guard Keion Brooks, who had 15 points. ``We were a little surprised they came at us so soft.''

So was ODU forward Cal Bowdler, who had 12 points and led the Monarchs with eight rebounds.

``When you look at our schedule, this is probably one of our easier games,'' Bowdler said. ``I thought we would have some spring in our step but we didn't. We lacked toughness tonight. We've got to find it, because from now on, there's no letup in our schedule.''

Wright State (2-0) had toughness aplenty, especially from forward Thad Burton, who had 19 points and a school-record 22 rebounds. But it was Rodgers upon which ODU focused its defense, which allowed Burton and others to break open.

Rodgers burned ODU early and often from long range, including three 3-pointers in the first half, in which Wright State took as much as a 12-point lead.

But Rodgers went to the bench with two fouls with 10:03 remaining and Wright State leading by 12. ODU then chipped away at the lead and narrowed the gap to four at the half with a late flurry, including fallaway 3-point jumpers from Mike Byers and freshman Michael Williams.

The Monarchs briefly retook the lead early in the second half, 36-35 and 38-37. But Wright State then buried ODU with an 18-2 run that put the game out of reach.

Rodgers made a layup at 12:35 that put Wright State ahead for good 39-38 with 12:35 remaining. Five minutes later, his fallaway 3-pointer gave the Raiders a 53-40 lead.

How Rodgers felt about beating ODU isn't known. He declined interviews, as he has since the Dayton Daily News three weeks ago reported alleged irregularities in his transcript from Wallace Community College in Alabama. The newspaper reported Rodgers may have received credit for classes he did not attend.

Rodgers, who was expelled from West Virginia as a freshman in 1996 after pleading guilty to second-degree sexual assault, graduated from Wallace Community College last summer.

But Capel, who could not recruit Rodgers because ODU does not accept NCAA academic nonqualifiers, said he felt good for Rodgers, no matter how much Tuesday's loss hurt.

``I'm happy for Marvin,'' he said. ``I was really glad to see him on the floor. He deserves to be on the basketball court.

``I'm happy he will get a chance to complete his education.''

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu