ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 25, 1996 TAG: 9601250057
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
In its continuing search for answers to its questionable play, Virginia turned to a zone defense Wednesday night.
The Cavaliers still are searching.
Wake Forest became the first team to shoot 50 percent against UVa this season when the Deacons hit 55.8 percent in an 81-64 men's basketball victory at Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
Junior center Tim Duncan had 20 points and 11 rebounds as ninth-ranked Wake raised its record to 13-2 overall and 5-1 in the ACC, good for a three-way tie for first with Georgia Tech and North Carolina.
It was the third straight loss for Virginia, which fell to eighth among nine ACC teams. The Cavaliers' record dropped to 7-8 overall - their worst 15-game record since 1978 - and 2-5 in the conference.
``The truth is we played better than we had in the last two games,'' UVa coach Jeff Jones said. ``We did more of the things we wanted to do. But, every time we made a mistake offensively or defensively, Wake cashed in.''
Harold Deane had a game-high 28 points and Curtis Staples added 16 for the Cavaliers, who shot only 40.4 percent overall but made 11 of 23 3-pointers.
That might have been enough to keep the Cavaliers in most games, but Wake was 10-of-20 from 3-point range. That followed a miserable outing Sunday, when the Deacs were 5-of-25 on 3-pointers in a 55-41 loss at Clemson.
``When we're hitting shots, the zone plays into our hands and we shot well,'' said Wake guard Rusty LaRue. ``When you try to guard Tim inside, it's tough to spread out and get everyone.''
Five players hit 3-pointers for Wake and four made more than one. Sophomore guard Jerry Braswell, not known for his range, had two 3-point goals and a three-point play in the first half and finished with a career-high 19 points.
After falling behind 12-7 early, Wake went on a 3-point barrage that forced Virginia to abandon its zone, which was merely an invitation for Duncan to abuse UVa's centers.
Fifth-year senior Chris Alexander earned a spot on the bench when he fouled Duncan on a breakaway, but not hard enough to prevent a Duncan dunk, and then allowed Wake to rebound Duncan's missed free throw.
Chase Metheney, a 7-foot-4 redshirt freshman, was only worse. On his first trip down the floor, Metheney had the ball stripped by Braswell, who is 6-1. Moments later, Duncan went around Metheney for a dunk. On his third and last possession, Metheney fouled Duncan.
``Tim Duncan is the catalyst for all of it,'' Jones said. ``The plays that [Tony] Rutland gets, the plays that [Ricardo] Peral gets, it all starts with Duncan. With them, it's choose your poison.''
The Cavaliers got as close as 46-44 early in the second-half, thanks to Deane, who had 11 points in a matter of four trips down the floor. Deane had gone 3-for-12 in the first half, that coming off an 0-for-8 performance at Georgia Tech.
``You know that, from time to time, he is going to have nights like that,'' said Wake coach Dave Odom. ``I kept thinking he would miss and we kept rotating players on him, but it didn't happen.''
LaRue hit a 3-pointer from the corner to make it 49-44; then, UVa worked the ball into the post, where Alexander let a ball bounce through his legs. LaRue followed with a jumper from the top of the key.
The Cavaliers were on the verge of a defensive stop when Peral, who had one field goal to that point, banked in a 3-pointer from in front of the Wake bench as the 35-second clock expired. A Duncan dunk completed a 10-0 run.
LaRue hit six of nine shots from the field and finished with 16 points and four steals despite the fact that his wife, Tammy, is four days overdue with their first child.
The Deacons were in a jovial mood after winning their fifth straight against Virginia. The Cavaliers' third-straight double-digit defeat also represented the second-most lopsided loss to the Deacons since 1971.
Jones, whose team entered the game ranked third in the nation in field-goal percentage defense, said the Cavaliers will continue to work on the zone. Odom said he was surprised ``but not shocked'' to see it.
``We had not seen a lot of zone and had not worked much against it,'' Odom said. ``When you're on the road and not at the top of your game, it's a good time to try things.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 80 linesby CNB