Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 11, 1994 TAG: 9401110134
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
Such mysteriously was not the case Monday night at Radford University's Dedmon Center. Damian Ingram's steal and subsequent pogo stick throw-down all but put the Highlanders to sleep.
After enduring a scoreless drought of 5 minutes, 16 seconds, Radford held on for a 78-70 Big South Conference victory over Maryland-Baltimore County.
With Radford's once-potent offense reduced to a holding action, the Retrievers (1-8 overall, 0-2 in the conference), went on a 10-0 roll in the next 4:39. Radford made four of five free throws in the last 41 seconds to keep UMBC at bay. The ending made for an unpleasant thrill for Radford (8-3, 2-1).
The Highlanders led by as many as 18 points, but the fizzle at the end wasn't to Radford's liking.
"Everybody came to the huddle after the dunk real uptempo and ready to go," Ingram said. "I don't know what happened after that."
"We kept trying to stick it to them on defense," said Radford guard Jason Lansdown. "Good thing that was because if we'd broken down at both ends of the floor, they would have come back and won that game."
Despite 51.9 percent field-goal shooting in the second half, UMBC was held to 37.2 percent accuracy for the game, the second outing in a row the Highlanders have held their opponent to less than 40 percent. Radford, meanwhile, shot 57.5 percent including 63.2 percent (12-of-19) in the second half.
The Highlanders got 19 points from Anthony Walker, the Big South rookie of the week, who canned three of four 3-point attempts. Lansdown scored 17 points and Don Burgess had 15. Tyrone Travis, coming off the bench for the second game, scored 11 to go with 11 rebounds and four blocks. Travis was honored before the game for scoring his 1,000th point in an 82-58 victory over Towson State on Saturday.
UMBC was without 6-foot-8 Sonique Nixon, suspended indefinitely last week for academic reasons, but that was not the Retrievers' only trouble. They have lost their past seven games.
"They've been struggling," said Ron Bradley, Radford's coach. "I didn't want them to wake up here."
They didn't until the last five minutes of the game. Forwards Kevin Bellinger and Marc Lay scored 32 points between them, 21 of those in the second half.
Skip Saunders, a preseason all-conference pick, was held to five points, eight fewer than his average. Counting Towson State's Scooter Alexander, limited to nine here Saturday, that's twice in a row Radford has removed the enemy's best offensive player from the game.
\ see microfilm for box score
by CNB