Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 13, 1993 TAG: 9303130075
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
UVA BEATS WAKE WHEN IT COUNTS
AFTER TWO CLOSE losses to Wake Forest during the regular season, Virginia had a little more incentive than usual to win its first-round ACC Tournament game.\ Virginia wasn't interested in just spending the weekend at the ACC Tournament.
The Cavaliers had done that before.
"I remember the feeling I had last year, sitting around all weekend, and having to watch the other teams play," UVa sophomore Cory Alexander said. "I didn't want to go through that again."
The Cavaliers also didn't want to experience a third close loss to Wake Forest, a situation they avoided Friday with a 61-57 basketball victory over the Deacons at the Charlotte Coliseum.
"I didn't look at this as a tournament game," said Junior Burrough, another UVa sophomore. "It was a chance to beat Wake Forest. The coaches might not like me saying this, but now my season is complete."
Wake, a 4 1/2-point favorite, had beaten Virginia three straight times, but the Deacons had not won a first-round ACC Tournament game since 1987 and now have lost seven in a row in this event.
"There is a certain amount of frustration in losing in the first round for the fourth straight time," said fourth-year Wake coach Dave Odom, whose Deacs dropped to 19-8, the same as Virginia.
"But as frustrating as the loss for the fourth consecutive year was, not being able to make the winning plays coming down the stretch - that really sticks in my craw."
The Deacons, who trailed by eight points with just over 12 minutes remaining, used a 16-4 run to take a 57-53 lead on a pair of Marc Blucas free throws with 3:39 left.
Wake, which scored 12 of its 23 second-half points at the free-throw line, did not score again despite the absence of 6-foot-9, 245-pound UVa center Ted Jeffries, who fouled out with 5:20 left.
Virginia, resorting to a lineup that included 6-7, 185-pound Cornel Parker in the middle, cut the deficit to 57-56 on a 3-pointer by Doug Smith - his only field goal of the game - with 3:11 left.
Alexander made it 57-57 by making one of two free throws with 2:12 left, then put the Cavaliers on top for good with a driving left-handed layup with 1:20 on the clock.
"Coach Jones and I had a talk about that," said Alexander, who had a game-high 20 points. "I felt I needed to make a play for myself.
"He recognizes that need, so, whenever we get in a situation like that, he gives me the freedom to call it."
Everyone knew where the ball was going next. The Deacons ran a play for All-ACC forward Rodney Rogers, who made a move to the basket and was fouled by Smith with 55.3 seconds left.
It was UVa's ninth foul of the half, one shy of the double bonus. Wake had hit 12 of 14 free throws in the second half, but Rogers' shot was short and the Cavaliers claimed the rebound.
Wake already had committed its ninth foul, so the Deacons didn't want to send Virginia to the free-throw line for two shots, although UVa is eighth in the ACC in free-throw percentage.
The Deacons committed a foul they definitely didn't need, however, when Randolph Childress hit Jason Williford with 13.1 seconds left - seconds before the shot clock would have expired.
Williford made one of two free throws, Childress missed an off-balance 3-pointer and the Deacons let several more seconds elapse before fouling Smith, who hit one more free throw with a tenth of a second left.
Virginia shot 40 percent (22-of-55), an improvement over its last meeting with Wake two weeks ago, when the Cavaliers missed seven shots in the last minute to finish 22-of-67 (32.8 percent).
Wake made only five of 23 shots in the second half to finish at 36.5 percent (19-of-52). After Rogers scored on Wake's first possession of the second half, the Deacons went nine minutes without another field goal.
Wake overcame a 49-41 deficit while Jeffries was on the bench with his fourth foul, but the Deacs were unable to capitalize when Burrough switched to Rogers after Jeffries fouled out.
"I'm kind of known for my matador defense," Burrough said, "but I got a lot of help. I tried to be there every time he got the ball and contest every shot.
"I thought, when [Jeffries] went out, that they'd see I was a smaller guy and take me inside. I don't know why, but [Rogers] kept shooting fadeaways. Maybe I shouldn't say this, but it kinda befuddles me."
Burrough said he hoped Virginia's victory over 12th-ranked Wake was a good omen for the Cavaliers, who have a semifinal meeting with No. 1 North Carolina. The Tar Heels also defeated the Cavaliers in both regular-season meetings, 80-58 and 78-58.
"We weren't even supposed to be here," Jones said. "I was watching the North Carolina-Duke game last Sunday and Brent Musburger said Wake Forest stood in the way of North Carolina reaching the championship game.
"It's something I didn't forget." \
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