Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 9, 1993 TAG: 9303090178
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ROCK HILL, S.C. LENGTH: Medium
UVA WOMEN PREVAIL CLAIM ACC TITLE AS TERPS FALL IN 3 OT
There was a passing of the torch Monday night as Virginia turned to a 6-foot-6 Californian to capture the ACC women's basketball championship.And it wasn't one of UVa's much-celebrated Burge twins. Freshman Jeffra Gausepohl, pressed into service when the Burge sisters fouled out, scored 14 points after regulation as Virginia held off Maryland 106-103 in three overtimes.
Gausepohl, who had one point in regulation, went 8-for-8 from the free-throw line in the second and third overtimes, including two one-and-ones in the final 26 seconds.
"I have a lot of confidence in my free-throw shooting," said Gausepohl, who was 14-of-21 from the line before Monday night. "It's probably one of my strongest points. Tonight, I was saying, `OK, just will it in,' and it went in every time."
It was the highest-scoring game in the 16-year history of the ACC Tournament and only the second title game to go into overtime. Virginia, which had never won the tournament before 1990, claimed its third championship in four years.
Maryland seemed headed for its ninth title, however, before UVa senior Dena Evans hit a 3-pointer - the Cavaliers' only 3-pointer of the game - with 12 seconds remaining in regulation.
Evans, the hero of UVa's semifinal victory over Clemson, also bailed out the Cavaliers when she rebounded a missed free throw and stuck a short jumper to make it 79-79 after the first overtime.
"It was a designed play," said Evans, who received her instructions after Charleata Beale missed the first of two free throws. "We just put it in this week."
It appeared that Evans had won the game for Virginia in the second overtime, with two one-and-ones in the final 14 seconds, but Lena Patterson banked in a 3-pointer for Maryland to make it 91-91.
"They hit a couple [of 3-pointers] off the backboard that I don't think they called," Evans said. "I didn't see where their luck could hold out forever."
Maryland had foul problems of its own, losing Jessie Hicks (23 points) in the second overtime and Katrina Colleton (24 points) in the third.
By that time, the Burge twins were long gone. ACC player of the year Heather Burge fouled out with 32 seconds left in regulation after scoring 22 points in 18 minutes. Evans, who played the entire 55 minutes, finished with 19 points and was named tournament most valuable player.
Gausepohl, from the same hometown (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) as the Burges, scored 12 points in the Cavaliers' 74-46 victory over Wake Forest in the first round but did not play in the semifinals.
For most of the three overtimes, UVa's lineup consisted of freshmen Gausepohl and Jenny Boucek, sophomores Beale and Amy Lofstedt, and Evans, a veteran of three Final Fours.
"Dena is just a real story on our team" Ryan said. "She has just taken these kids and just yanked them through the season. . . . I just didn't see a time when I could take her out."
With the Burge twins sidelined, Evans continued to feed Gausepohl and the 6-1 Lofstedt in the post. Lofstedt had 12 of her 18 points in overtime, including seven in the third overtime.
"I wouldn't have thought in my wildest dreams that it would be Amy and me in there that they would want to get the ball to," said Gausepohl, whose father played at VMI.
Virginia, which defeated N.C. State 124-120 in a three-overtime game in 1990-91, improved to 24-5 with its 10th straight win. Maryland fell to 22-7.
"This was really sweet because a lot of people came into this year thinking that we weren't going to be much," Ryan said. "This was the best game I've ever been involved with."