Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 3, 1993 TAG: 9301040233
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
HOKIES BEAT ECU IN OT
East Carolina scorer Lester Lyons was denied and in denial Saturday against Virginia Tech, but the Hokies' shooters believed.The slumping Lyons, harassed by the Hokies, missed a shot in regulation that could have won the game and clanked two 3-pointers to start overtime.
Tech, conversely, made 12 of 14 free throws in the extra period and put down the Pirates 76-67 in front of 2,837 spectators at Cassell Coliseum.
The Hokies (4-1) play their first Metro Conference basketball game this season on Thursday at Southern Mississippi.
On Saturday, Hokies' junior Jay Purcell and freshman Shawn Smith - in the rotation mainly because Corey Jackson had fouled out early in the second half - combined to make 21 of 22 free throws, all in the last 15:30. Tech was 31-for-38 from the line (81.8 percent), its best mark since making 82 percent against California last year.
And Purcell helped strangle Lyons, who entered averaging 18.6 points but finished the day 3-of-16 from the field (0-of-8 on 3-pointers). He is 13-of-42 (30.9 percent) overall in his past three games.
"He was forcing a couple shots, and his coach yelled at him a couple of times," Purcell said.
Said Lyons: "I don't really think it's a slump. I just haven't been shooting the ball well."
Especially in overtime, when he missed two open 3-pointers on ECU's first possession. At the other end, Jim Jackson made a follow shot and Tech led 62-60. Then, ECU's Wilbert Hunter missed a jumper over Jackson, Smith rebounded, was fouled and made a pair of free throws for a 64-60 Tech lead with 3:38 left.
Pirates center Ike Copeland missed two free throws - ECU was 19-of-30 from the line - and Ronnell Peterson stripped the ball from a supine Jim Jackson but missed a short jumper.
"From then on, I thought Purcell was the difference," ECU coach Eddie Payne said.
Tech freshman Shawn Good backed in Pirates freshman Kareem Richardson and sank a soft, 15-foot jumper for a 66-60 lead with 3:04 to go.
ECU (4-4) was 3-of-12 from the field (1-of-6 on 3-pointers) in overtime.
Tech often lost close games last year - once in overtime at ECU.
"Maturity," Tech coach Bill Foster said. "Jay, in particular, now thinks like a coach, thinks like a point guard."
Of the 22 free throws Purcell and Smith tried, Purcell had the only miss and it could have given Tech a one-point lead with 41.3 seconds left in regulation. ECU held the ball, and Lyons missed a jumper through a Purcell-Don Corker double-team with 3.2 seconds left.
Tech's court-length inbounds pass was tipped out of bounds by Jim Jackson with 1.3 seconds left, and Anton Gill could not catch ECU's court-length heave to force overtime.
Purcell, a Blacksburg native, twice had scored in regulation - on a jumper and two free throws - after Tech realized it had only five seconds left on the shot clock.
As a rule, if the shot clock dips below 10 seconds, it is Purcell's pill. With Tech ahead 66-60 in overtime and the shot clock dying, Purcell missed a no-chance leaner from the left baseline but was fouled by Peterson and made both shots.
Peterson was trying not to foul. "Sometimes things don't go your way," he said.
They didn't for Corey Jackson, who followed four straight double-figure games by going scoreless from the field, committing his fourth foul with 13:49 left and getting his fifth a second later when he was called for a technical foul.
Enter Smith, who had played one minute in the first half. More than midway through the second half in a four-point game, Smith was one of four freshmen on the court with senior Thomas Elliott.
"We were sitting on the bench saying, `Do you realize we've got four freshmen in there?' " Foster said. "But they were playing pretty good.
"[Smith] is one of the best-skilled inside players we've got."
Smith didn't score from the floor but made all 10 of his free throws, including six in the last 8:41 of regulation and two in overtime.
He also had two wily defensive plays with less than five minutes left in regulation. With the score 53-53, 6-foot-8 Anton Gill got a pass in the post against Smith, who backpedaled and lured Gill into a walking call.
Tech missed on the other end, but when ECU came back, Smith got a poke-away steal from Peterson that led to a fast break. Smith rebounded Damon Watlington's miss and made two free throws.
"Coach Foster came and talked to me and said, `Smitty, I'm going to have to use you, you're going to have to step up,' " Smith said. "I took that in mind."
\ see microfilm for box score