Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 30, 1995 TAG: 9511300077
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: AUBURN HILLS, MICH. LENGTH: Medium
Their patience was rewarded.
The Cavaliers, who had trailed by 19 points early in the second half, got as close as one point before falling to No.2-ranked Kansas 72-66.
The Jayhawks atoned for a loss to the Cavaliers in last season's NCAA Midwest Regional in Kansas City, Mo., and coach Roy Williams was happy to survive.
``What I liked about the game was the way we played in the final three minutes,'' Williams said. ``I told our team at halftime that I thought it would go down to the wire and, when it did, I thought we made the plays.''
Virginia got as close as 65-64 on a Harold Deane free throw with 1:52 remaining and was still in the game, trailing 69-66, after Kansas freshman Paul Pierce missed a pair of free-throw attempts with 23.6 seconds left.
The Cavaliers got the ball to Deane, who drove the right side of the lane and fed the ball to Jamal Robinson for a layup. However, Deane was called for an offensive foul, and the basket was waved off.
``I didn't think I [initiated] the contact,'' Deane said. ``I think he slid up under me. The way the game was being played and as physical as it was, it just seems, on that play, you should just let it go.''
It was a bitter ending to a sweet second half for Deane, held without a field goal in the first half. Deane scored 20 of his game-high 23 points in the second half and held the Jayhawks' Jacque Vaughn to five points - all on free throws.
None of the Cavaliers had to wonder where they lost the game. They made only six of 25 field-goal attempts in the first half, with five of the field goals by sophomore forward Norman Nolan. Deane and backcourt mate Curtis Staples were a combined 1-for-11.
``The only thing that was written on the board was, `Keep our heads up,''' said Jeff Jones, UVa's coach. ``I knew, if we continued to do the kind of job we had done defensively, good things would happen.''
The situation only got worse, however, as Kansas increased its 35-20 halftime lead to 39-20. The Cavaliers closed to 41-30, thanks to 10 consecutive points by Deane, but it was a 14-point game (50-36) with a little more than 10 minutes left.
``I think it was pretty obvious in the first half that Kansas came out as the aggressor,'' Jones said. ``In the second half, we established ourselves as the aggressor, which was reflected in our trips to the line.''
The Cavaliers shot 40 percent from the field in the second half, but made 20 of 24 free-throw attempts. Deane was 9-of-10, with the lone miss on the front end of a two-shot opportunity that could have tied the score.
``Free throws hurt us all night,'' said Deane, who didn't need to look at a stat sheet to know the Cavaliers hit only five of their first 12 free-throw attempts. ``We dug a pretty big hole for ourselves, but I felt it was there to take at the end.''
Kansas (2-0) shot 36 percent in the second half, but the Jayhawks finished 21-of-28 from the line. They had made 10 free throws in a row until Pierce went 3-for-6 in the last 24 seconds.
Raef LaFrentz, a 6-foot-11 sophomore, hit eight of nine shots from the field and led the Jayhawks with 18 points and nine rebounds. LaFrentz and 6-10 Scot Pollard had 17 rebounds between them - all on the defensive boards.
Nolan was UVa's lone inside threat, finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Jones could see early that 7-4 redshirt freshman Chase Metheney was not comfortable in the face of Kansas' defensive pressure and used him for only three minutes.
``We came in here at halftime, and all of us were mad,'' Staples said. ``It was embarrassing because we didn't feel we had given the effort. In the second half, we just wanted to come out and fight. We didn't do anything of that in the first half.''
With its second-half comeback, 15th-ranked Virginia distinguished itself more than in either of its two previous games. The Cavaliers are off until Tuesday, when they entertain Vanderbilt.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB