Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 27, 1994 TAG: 9402270142
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LYNCHBURG LENGTH: Medium
A conference-record gallery of 8,014 maintained a full-throated background of racket to a chin-to-chin battle that wasn't settled until the final seconds Saturday night at the Vines Center.
The two rivals needn't have worked so hard. Liberty (15-11 overall, 13-5 overall) was going to have the fourth seeding in the league tournament win or lose. Radford was destined to finish second or third.
Still, the joint was jumping, and when it was over the Flames celebrated with a victory lap in front of their delirious fans. The Highlanders retired to sit in pained silence in their dressing quarters.
Radford (19-7, 13-5) played without starting guard Anthony Walker, a good bet to be voted conference rookie of the year. Walker has a sprained ankle.
Nevertheless, the Highlanders led by nine points in both halves.
"We made some mental mistakes, but we still should have won," said Radford guard Johnny Watkins, one of two Highlanders to foul out. "This will help us get ready for the tournament though. We won't be going down there with the big head."
Radford will play in the nightcap of Friday's opening round quadruple-header at the North Charleston (S.C.) Coliseum against Maryland-Baltimore County. The Flames play Charleston Southern in the second game.
Don Burgess gave the Highlanders a 73-68 lead when he sank a 3-pointer with 1 minute and 19 seconds left. But Watkins committed his fifth foul five seconds later, and Matt Hildebrand, a 92.2 percent free-throw shooter, sank two.
Freshman Damian Ingram, running the team in Walker's absence, then threw the ball out of bounds.
"Shane Weddle was breaking up, and I thought he was going to stop and come back," Ingram said. "It was my fault. I made a misjudgment."
Darryl Williams exacted payment for Liberty when he hit a 3-pointer to tie the score 73-73 with 51 seconds left.
Jason Lansdown then was called for a charge on Chris Toomer, who made the second of two free throws to give Liberty the lead. (Radford was whistled for 27 fouls, putting Liberty in the two-shot situation in both halves.)
After a timeout, Lansdown was nailed again for a charge with 16 seconds left.
"He [center Jason Dixon] is a big man," Lansdown said. "Why would he try to draw a charge? He didn't even have his feet set."
Depends on who was looking at it.
"I was delighted to see our kids drawing charges," Liberty coach Jeff Meyer said. "I'd thought we'd been a little soft defensively at times."
Added Radford coach Ron Bradley: "I guess they draw charges better than we do."
An offensive foul put Radford Tyrone Travis (22 points) out of the game, and one knocked out 6-foot-10 Peter Aluma of Liberty.
Two more Radford fouls, a Dixon free throw and Lansdown's desperation shot later it was over.
Radford got 16 from Burgess, 11 from Ingram and 10 from Chris Harvey.
by CNB