Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 7, 1993 TAG: 9301070198
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
NO CONTEST: RADFORD RIPS ALLENTOWN
Billy Joel may have been big-time bummed about Allentown, but the players on the men's college basketball team from nearby Center Valley, Pa., probably couldn't wait to get back home after going 0-for-the Old Dominion.Radford University made sure the Centaurs of Allentown College would remember their three-game trip to Virginia as a tour that would live in infamy after drop-kicking them into the chilly waters of the nearby New River by the score of 79-63 on Wednesday night.
This one, Radford's second against an outmanned Division III team, was your basic name-your-own-score deal, and Highlanders coach Ron Bradley was a sportsman, sending in crowd darlings (when they're in action long enough to be adored) Dragan Skoko and Matthew Reynolds - not to mention every freshman at his disposal - with plenty of time left.
That may have been the reason the Highlanders (6-6) squeezed out only 14 points the last 9:47. But why quibble with the details?
"To put it nicely, you're experimenting," Bradley said.
Like Dr. Frankenstein was experimenting on the big fellow.
So does a game like this help a Division I team, even one that has struggled so awkwardly?
"Well, it helps our record," said Radford guard Brian Schmall, who had a boxful of 3s after going 3-for-3 from the floor and 3-for-3 from the free-throw line, snagging three rebounds, dishing out three assists, snatching three steals and giving up three turnovers.
Radford shot 60.1 percent (16-of-26) in the first half and had the novel experience of outrebounding somebody (for only the fourth time this year) 40-28. Doug Day continued his resurgence by scoring 19 points, Jason Lansdown headed the freshman fraternity with 11 points and Tom Gallaher struck a blow for the veterans with 11 rebounds.
As for the Centaurs (4-6) . . .
"I don't want to say the kids were intimidated, because that doesn't sound very good," Allentown coach Jim Hutnik said. " . . . Panic. We did a lot of that early."
All this left the Highlanders eager to sink their fangs into the Big South Conference schedule that starts Saturday when Charleston Southern comes calling. Charleston Southern upset Radford 88-83 in the 1991-92 league tournament semifinals the last time the teams met.
"Payback time," Day chirped.
That's music to a basketball coach's stressed-out ears.
"The older kids, the veterans, have been like, `Let's get on with the league play' for about a month now," Bradley said.
\ see microfilm for box score
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.