Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 21, 1994 TAG: 9403210028
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SACRAMENTO, CALIF. LENGTH: Medium
In a basketball season that has been marked by periodic scoring droughts, Virginia had one beauty of a dry spell Sunday. Two of them, in fact.
The second proved to be the Cavaliers' undoing as they fell to ninth-ranked Arizona 71-58 in a second-round NCAA Tournament game at ARCO Arena.
The Wildcats (27-5) enjoyed a 16-0 run in the first half and put the Cavaliers away with a 10-0 second-half surge during which UVa (18-13) missed 14 straight shots.
"I wouldn't say it was fitting," said Tom Perrin, the assistant coach who prepares UVa's scouting reports, "but we lost because of a problem we have had all year: consistency and firepower on offense."
Arizona had plenty of firepower, if not much balance. The Wildcats got all their scoring from four players, including 50 from starting guards Khalid Reeves and Damon Stoudamire.
Reeves had his problems early with Virginia's defensive stopper, Cornel Parker, but scored Arizona's last six points of the first half after Parker had gone to the bench with his second foul.
When Reeves also scored the first six points of the second half, it was clear that he had become the aggressor. The Wildcats were on the verge of a blowout when they took a 39-26 lead with 18 minutes, 14 seconds remaining.
Second-half comebacks have been Virginia's trademark and, only two days earlier, the Cavaliers had overcome a 41-26 deficit in beating New Mexico. Sunday's game was no exception.
When Junior Burrough hit a layup for the Cavaliers with 15:04 left, the margin was down to 41-39 and it was 52-46 after a jumper by Parker with 9:59 on the clock.
The next 7 1/2 minutes were a Virginia nightmare, however. In a stretch of 13 possessions, UVa not only was 0-for-14 from the field, but committed three turnovers and had five personal fouls.
"We didn't take enough good shots, inside or outside," freshman guard Harold Deane said. "And, it wasn't just one or two guys. It was everybody. I don't know why we weren't more patient. There was plenty of time left."
That was not the case when Deane connected with 2:29 left. By that time, Arizona had gone ahead 62-46 and was comfortably on its way to a West Regional semifinal meeting with Louisville.
A late flurry - where was the scoring when the Cavaliers needed it? - got Virginia as close as 65-56, but UVa was forced to foul and Arizona went 8-for-8 from the free-throw line in the final 1:37.
The Wildcats scored 15 of their last 17 points on free throws and finished 20-for-25 at the line. Virginia took six free throws, four in the first 39 minutes, as Arizona went more than 20 minutes between fouls.
"I'm not taking a dig at anybody because I think Arizona is an excellent team," UVa coach Jeff Jones said, "but I'm not exaggerating when I say they're as physical inside as any team we've faced all year."
The Wildcats took advantage of UVa's 52 missed shots to enjoy a 47-36 margin on the boards. Joseph Blair had a game-high 12 rebounds and Ray Owes had 10 rebounds to go with 15 points.
"We felt there would be three keys: going to the boards, keeping Burrough's percentage down and keeping Deane's percentage down," Arizona coach Lute Olson said. "The things we had to do we did."
Burrough finished with a team-high 20 points, but was only 9-for-22 from the field, 3-for-13 in the second half. Deane was 6-of-17 from the field, going 2-for-11 on 3-pointers.
UVa, the worst shooting team in the ACC in more than 25 years, shot 29.3 percent in the second half and 31.1 percent for the game. Arizona finished at 43.6.
"They are capable, certainly, of getting to Charlotte [for the Final Four]," Jones said. "They'll probably have to shoot the ball better than they did today.
"They're a good team, but they're not the best team we've played. If anyone can stop those two guards - and that's a big if - Arizona will be in trouble. They're the key to everything they do."
Reeves' 30 points were the most by an opposing player against Virginia this season, but Stoudamire's contribution should not be overlooked. After Virginia had gone ahead 21-13 in the first half, he hit back-to-back 3-pointers that got Arizona started on its 16-0 run.
by CNB