Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 2, 1992 TAG: 9203020082
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN SMALLWOOD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
And while they didn't ask to be put in at the end of the game to help run up the score, they certainly got satisfaction out of the Tigers' 97-70 dismantling of Emory & Henry in the championship game of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament on Sunday at the Salem Civic Center.
Last season, the Tigers not only lost to Emory & Henry in the semifinals of the ODAC tournament, but they perceived the Wasps as less than gracious in victory.
"I felt [Emory & Henry] rubbed our noses in it last year," said Turner, the 1991-92 ODAC player of the year. "A lot of those guys were still there. I don't know about anybody else, but it certainly lit a fire under me."
Turner scored 27 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and Barber sealed tournament MVP honors by scoring 26 points, dishing six assists and grabbing five rebounds.
Hampden-Sydney (23-5) garnered the ODAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament and will be host to Centre College (19-7) of Danville, Ky., in an opening-round game on Thursday. Last season, the Tigers finished 21-6 but didn't get a tournament bid.
Emory & Henry has lost in the ODAC championship game and received an at-large bid into the Division III Tournament for the third straight year. The Wasps (20-8) will travel to Ferrum for an opening-round game on Thursday.
"We learned a hard lesson last season," said Hampden-Sydney coach Tony Shaver. "We didn't have the fire at the end that we needed. We knew that the only guaranteed way to get a bid was to win the ODAC."
The Tigers, who had lost both regular-season games to Emory & Henry, won Sunday by taking the game right to the Wasps.
Hampden-Sydney's defense forced 21 turnovers and limited Emory & Henry to 35.7 percent shooting in the first half when the Tigers took a 38-25 lead.
"Every time we play them, the team that plays the best defense wins," said Barber. "Whichever is most aggressive comes out on top, and we took it to them today."
The Wasps never recovered from the first half, when they missed every type of shot and made three of 10 free throws.
"If we make our free throws and two of the layups we missed, it's a tie game," said Emory & Henry coach Bob Johnson, who is 0-for-4 in ODAC tournament championship games. "[Hampden-Sydeny] didn't allow us to come back. They took us out of everything we wanted to do."
by CNB