ROANOKE TIMES
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 7, 1993                   TAG: 9303070125
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DAVIDSON, N.C.                                LENGTH: Medium


HOKIES BURNED BY UNCC GUARDS

Virginia Tech continued its odyssey into the abnormal Saturday against UNC Charlotte.

Tech shot a season-high percentage from the field and UNCC used a swingman at point guard for the entire game.

So what happens? That swingman, senior Cedric Broadhurst, gets the first triple-double in UNCC history, and the Hokies give up 17 offensive rebounds and miss 13 free throws and lose 89-80 in the teams' Metro Conference regular-season finale at Davidson College's Belk Arena.

Broadhurst had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and freshman guard Andre Davis had 32 points as UNCC broke a four-game losing streak and extended Tech's winless run to seven games in front of 1,468 spectators.

The Hokies are 9-17 overall and finished 1-11 in the Metro, their worst-ever league record. UNCC is 14-12 and 6-6.

"That really hurts us when you try to pressure someone and he ends up being better than you expected," Tech's Thomas Elliott said.

The Hokies' 6-foot-3 Jay Purcell put pressure on Broadhurst, but the 6-5 49er wasn't bothered. "Not much," he said. "One of the reasons I think I was prepared for it was I knew they were going to put a lot of pressure on me."

Added Purcell: "You've got to give him credit. He stuck the shots I gave him."

Meanwhile, the Hokies verbally stuck the officials. Fifty-two fouls were called, 29 on Tech, and UNCC shot 47 free throws to Tech's 39. UNCC was worse than Tech at the line, missing 18 times, but that didn't mollify the Hokies.

Elliott said UNCC's normally physical game ran amok because the officials "weren't calling anything." Elliott, Jim Jackson and Purcell all said they thought the last-place Hokies got no respect - and, because of it, no calls - from the officials.

Purcell fumed about a technical foul he got in the first half, Tech's second in as many games. Purcell said he stepped in when official Tom O'Neill silenced Jim Jackson's beefing during a UNCC free throw.

He said he told O'Neill he was the captain and asked why Tech's players couldn't talk to the officials. He was called for the technical.

"I'm the team captain and I can't even talk to the ref," Purcell said.

Foster also assailed the bump-and-grind game.

"We got one of those typical Saturday crews when everyone else is playing," he said. "I guess they picked up two guys in the airport. Guys were beating each other to death out there."

However, Foster does not necessarily agree with his players that Tech is targeted.

"Sometimes, you feel like you're persecuted when you keep coming close," he said.

Tech was behind 53-49 with 10:36 left and UNCC center Rodney Odom had left with four fouls. But Davis stuck a 3-pointer with 9:30 to go to make it 56-49.

With 7:06 left, Purcell's free throw cut the 49ers' lead to 61-55. Then UNCC's Aaron Wilhite scored in the lane, and Elliott's baseline turnaround was an air ball.

Davis struck again with a 3-pointer and UNCC led 66-55. The 49ers built that lead to 14 with 4:19 left and led 74-63 with 3:02 to go before Tech made another move.

A 12-4 Tech run, including four points by Purcell, was finished by Damon Watlington's 3-pointer and pulled the Hokies to 78-75 with 1:22 left. However, Davis escaped Elliott and Purcell on the inbounds play and scored after a court-length pass.

"That sort of killed us in a sense," said Jim Jackson, who broke a scoring slump with a career-high 19 points.

UNCC made its next six free throws to hold off Tech.

The Hokies shot 59.1 percent from the field in the first half, their best 20 minutes this year, but had to rally to tie at the break. Tech had nine turnovers, and UNCC had 11 offensive rebounds and took 10 more shots than the Hokies.

\ see microfilm for box score

Keywords:
BASKETBALL



by Archana Subramaniam by CNB