Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, December 5, 1993 TAG: 9312050107
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
After all, Virginia Wesleyan was picked to finish sixth in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference in the coaches' preseason poll and was riding a four-game losing streak.
But the top-rated Maroons needed a swell in the second-half to shake the Marlins 87-83 in a men's college basketball game.
"Wesleyan didn't have all their good players and I think our guys thought maybe they might just roll over and die," said Page Moir, Roanoke's coach. "I think they took them lightly, which was obvious in how we played the first few minutes."
Wesleyan was without Rick Chalk, an all-ODAC center last season who is recuperating from a preseason knee injury.
Roanoke played most of the game without junior forward Bryant Lee, the team's second-leading scorer who injured his left ankle scrambling for a loose ball in the first half. Moir said he thought the ankle was sprained and was not sure if Lee, who averages 16 points and 10 rebounds a game, would miss any starts.
The Marlins took an early 6-0 lead and denied the Maroons a basket until a 3-pointer by freshman Jason Bishop three and a half minutes into the game.
Roanoke shot 32 percent in the first half (11 of 34) to 48 percent by Wesleyan which held Hilliary Scott, the Maroon's top scorer, to five points in the half. Scott's first basket was a 3-pointer at the 5:55 mark that pulled the Maroons to within two, 26-24.
Wesleyan (1-5 overall, 0-2 ODAC) maintained its lead until the 3:51 mark of the first half when Roanoke starting forward Stan Clements made a free throw, his only point of the afternoon, to tie the score at 27-27.
While Roanoke dog paddled through the half, Virginia Wesleyan cruised. Robert Reich hit a 3-pointer with three seconds left to put the Marlins up 36-33 at halftime. Reich finished with a team-high 25 points, including six 3-pointers.
"They came out ready to play," said Scott, a preseason All-American candidate. "And we were just flat for some reason. I don't know why. I came out in the second half and wanted to step it up and I did."
Scott finished with 19 points, 10 on free throws, nine rebounds and four steals. Kevin Martin, a 6-4 guard from Collinsville, led the team with 20 points, 10 above his average.
"We just didn't have a lot of intensity in the first half," Martin said. "Maybe because our roles aren't as defined. Everyone is expected to step up. But it's a good problem to have seven or eight guys who can do it."
Roanoke (5-1, 1-1) came out with renewed enthusiasm in the second half, outscoring the Marlins 25-10 in the first 10 1/2 minutes to take a 60-46 lead.
Reich got Wesleyan back in it by nailing three straight 3-pointers in a span of 80 seconds. The 6-3 sophomore added a leaning jumper to cut the deficit to three at 60-57.
Roanoke pulled away in the final eight minutes with the help of Martin who scored 10 and Scott who added eight, including a breakaway dunk with two minutes left.
The Maroons improved to 69 percent from the floor in the second half.
"Our shooting has gone south, but I'm not worried," Moir said. "It'll come around. We're fortunate our pressure got us some layups in in the second half and that really got things going."
The Maroons held a 42-29 rebounding edge over the Marlins, who had three other players score in double figures. John DeCandido scored 18, Brian Snead had 15 and David Alston added 12 points and a team-high six rebounds.
by CNB