Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, December 11, 1994 TAG: 9412140083
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HOUSTON LENGTH: Medium
As hostile environments go, The Summit on Saturday afternoon did not remind anybody of the streets of Sarajevo.
That was just fine with Virginia men's basketball coach Jeff Jones.
``This was more like a neutral site,'' the Virginia men's basketball coach said after his Cavaliers defeated Rice 67-50. ``But, it was our first road win of the season and we'll take it.''
In a building that would reach its capacity of 16,611 for a Saturday night game between the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, only 3,359 showed up to watch Rice play at The Summit for the first time in more than three years.
The Owls no doubt questioned the wisdom of leaving their campus gym, Autry Court, after missing 16 consecutive field-goal attempts during one stretch of the second half and shooting 29.5 percent for the game.
``It starts working on your head after awhile,'' Jones said. ``Some of the shots they missed had nothing to do with our defense. It's tough when you get in one of those runs, because everybody in the building knows it.''
Indeed, 20th-ranked UVa missed 11 of 12 shots in watching a nine-point lead dwindle to 26-22 at the half. But the Cavaliers came out with renewed focus after halftime and jumped to a 47-29 lead with 10 minutes, 5 seconds left.
``The players will tell you, at halftime I kind of laid into our big guys,'' Jones said. ``We have to do a better job of catching the ball, of finishing plays, of forcing defenses to the glass.''
Senior forward Junior Burrough took Jones' words to heart, scoring nine points in a row during one stretch and finishing with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting.
It was the seventh time in as many games that Burrough has shot 50 percent or better, no small feat for a player who shot 40.5 percent for the 1993-94 season. Burrough's field-goal percentage actually dropped Saturday - to 60.9 for the season.
``I just want to be more consistent and, when they throw me the ball, take good looks at the basket,'' said Burrough, who insists he has set no statistical goals.
``I've had a couple of lapses in the last couple of games and again tonight, when I took difficult shots. I should be shooting even better than I am. We haven't played anybody yet who should stop me.''
Burrough's improved percentage coincides with the return of point guard Cory Alexander, who missed virtually all of last season with a broken foot. On Saturday, though, Alexander was in foul trouble and spent much of the second half on the bench.
Sophomore Harold Deane took over at the point and finished with 17 points, including four 3-pointers. In the past two games, Deane has 11 assists and no turnovers.
``I think Home Team Sports picked Junior as the player of the game,'' Jones said, ``but Harold Deane was our MVP. He gave us toughness, he initiated our defense and he hit some big shots.''
Rice, after falling behind 33-22 to start the second half, closed to 33-27 on a 3-pointer by Adam Peakes with 15:08 remaining. However, Jamal Robinson and Deane hit back-to-back 3-pointers for the Cavaliers, the second triggering an 11-0 run.
Peakes, the Owls' top returning scorer, hit only one of eight shots and finished with five points while being guarded, for the most part, by either Robinson or Jason Williford.
``We challenged Jason and Jamal and told them we hadn't stopped a good `three-man' yet,'' said Jones, who until this season had Cornel Parker to fill the role of stopper. ``I thought they did a good job.''
Rice (3-2) did not have a double-figure scorer and J.J. Polk needed seven points in the last 2:21 to finish with a team-high nine. The Owls, who trailed 53-33 at one point, scored 17 points in the last five minutes.
Rice is bidding for its fifth consecutive winning season, but, in two games with Virginia, the Owls have failed to shoot 30 percent. It was a nice sendoff for the Cavaliers (5-2) as they begin a nine-day exam break.
``It's a good win,'' Jones said. ``I don't want to disregard the win, but there's a lot more that we can and need to do, like the way we handled the last five minutes.
``We should have won the game by 30 points.''
by CNB