
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, March 7, 1994                   TAG: 9403070045
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

MONARCHS ELIMINATE SPIDERS

In case there were any lingering doubt, Odell Hodge showed Sunday why he was voted the Colonial Athletic Association's player of the year two days earlier.

"He's just a heck of a player," Richmond coach Bill Dooley said, shaking his head, after Hodge made two big plays in the final minute to lift Old Dominion's top-seeded Monarchs to a 76-72 victory over the third-seeded Spiders in the semifinals of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament in Richmond.

The 6-foot-9 sophomore center from Laurel Park High School finished with 29 points and 15 rebounds as the Monarchs (20-8) moved to the league title game for the second time in three years. ODU will play second-seeded James Madison, a 91-78 winner over UNC Wilmington. The Dukes and the Monarchs split their regular season meetings.

The top-seeded team hasn't won the tournament since 1988.

"It would be nice to win it from that No. 1 seed spot," coach Oliver Purnell said, "because we had a great regular season."

Richmond (14-14) got a career-high 32 points from senior forward Michael Hodges.

"We asked an awful lot of these guys all year, and for the most part, they came through," Dooley said.

Hodges created the seventh tie of the second half when he sank two free throws to make it 72-72 with 1:34 remaining.

Kevin Swann missed a jumper in the lane on Old Dominion's next possession, but Hodge was there for the rebound and follow jumper to put the Monarchs ahead to stay with 59 seconds left.

Hodges missed a jumper with 45 seconds left, but the Spiders got the rebound and got the ball back to Hodges, whose short baseline jumper was blocked by Hodge with 21 seconds remaining. The ball was ruled out of bounds off Hodges' leg, giving ODU possession.

"It was a foul," Dooley said of Hodge's block. "But you know what? The game doesn't come down to that. There were plenty of other plays we could have made."

Hodge said he "tried to get a tip from behind so I wouldn't get the foul."

In the other semifinal Sunday:

\ James Madison 91, UNC Wilmington 78: Kent Culuko and Clayton Ritter powered second-half runs that sent the second-seeded Dukes (19-9) past the third-seeded Seahawks (18-9).

Culuko finished with 20 points and Ritter had 17 as JMU advanced to the title game for the fourth time in five years. James Madison lost in its three previous CAA championship game appearances.

North Carolina-Wilmington fell one game short in its bid to tie the school record for single-season victories. Darren Moore led the Seahawks with 24 points and Chris Meighen added 17.

Keywords:
BASKETBALL

by CNB