ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 16, 1996 TAG: 9602160095
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: DURHAM, N. C.
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
THE CAVALIERS ARE DOWN to six healthy scholarship players going into Saturday's game against No. 17 North Carolina.
The sun came up Thursday for Virginia's men's basketball team; or, rather, the X-rays on Jamal Robinson's injured left ankle came up negative.
Coach Jeff Jones isn't sure if Robinson will play again this season, but the situation isn't quite as bleak as it appeared Wednesday night following the Cavaliers' 79-69 loss at Duke.
``The ankle was twisted at such an angle that I had to look away,'' Jones said. ``The preliminary set of X-rays indicated there was no break. They're calling it a high-ankle sprain.''
Jones said Robinson definitely will not play Saturday, when the Cavaliers (11-11 overall, 5-7 ACC) visit 17th-ranked North Carolina (17-7, 8-4). UVa will go to the Smith Center with six able-bodied scholarship players.
Jones has suspended freshmen Scott Johnson and Darryl Presley, who were arrested Tuesday on one count each of petty larceny. They are not expected to play again this season, although Jones would not confirm that Thursday.
UVa's lone scholarship reserve Saturday will be 7-foot-4 Chase Metheney, a redshirt freshman who has been a non-factor in ACC play. Metheney has played in nine conference game and has one field goal and 12 personal fouls in 57 minutes, including four fouls in six minutes at Duke.
The Cavaliers used all four of their walk-ons, who combined for zero field goals, two missed free throws in two attempts and six fouls in 17 minutes. Two of the non-scholarship players, Mike Curtis and Martin Walton, were on the floor when Duke trimmed a 35-18 deficit to 40-28 at halftime.
``We hit a couple of big [3-pointers] to keep it within striking distance,'' said Mike Krzyzewski, Duke's coach. ``I thought the 3 [by Chris Collins] to get it down to 40-28 was huge because we were thoroughly outplayed in the first half.''
It was the fourth ACC game this season the Cavaliers have lost after leading at the half, and the 17-point lead was the largest squandered by Virginia in Jones' six seasons as head coach. In 1993, Virginia Tech rallied from a 15-point deficit to defeat UVa 59-53 in Richmond.
``Things in the first half were a little too easy,'' Jones said. ``The fact that Mike kept them in the locker room until almost one minute was left [during the break] indicated that he was getting after them pretty good.''
Jones said there were no plans to add any walk-ons to the UVa roster, but he conceded events Wednesday night might prompt him to use more zone defenses. Only one Virginia player fouled out of the game, but three others had four fouls.
It was a tightly called affair in which the teams were whistled for 54 fouls, 28 against Virginia. There were 10 fouls called in barely two minutes to start the second half and both teams were in the bonus by the first television timeout, with 15:37 left.
Many of the calls were made by official Rick Hartzell, who also called a pair of technicals on the Cavaliers, the first against Jones with the Cavaliers up 45-38 and in possession of the ball with 15:14 left.
``I was literally having a conversation with [official] Frank Scagliotta,'' Jones said. ``It was a give-and-take situation where Frank wanted to know why I was upset. I was showing him how I felt [Steve] Wojciechowski had put his forearm into Harold [Deane's] chest.''
Hartzell also called a technical on Deane after the Cavaliers' point guard slammed the ball to the court in disgust after picking up his fourth foul with 7:03 remaining. The technical foul represented Deane's fifth personal, causing his disqualification.
``I'm going to speak to our entire team,'' Jones said. ``I think it's an important lesson for all of us - coaches, players, everyone - to make sure that whenever things go against us, justly or unjustly, that we don't let our temper or disappointment get the better of us.''
Deane seemed eager to voice additional comments to Hartzell, but teammates directed him back to the bench, where he sat emotionless with a towel over his head.
``I don't think I did enough to be in the situation I was in - to be thrown out of the game,'' Deane said. ``I have a lot of respect from a lot of people in the ACC and, for something like that to happen so quick, it puts a big question mark over my head.''
UVa freshman Courtney Alexander, showing no fear in a hostile environment, had a career-high 30 points. However, the Cavaliers got a total of two field goals from three other starters - Norman Nolan, Chris Alexander and Curtis Staples.
``I think, down the stretch, Duke made some shots and that's why they won the game,'' Staples said. ``Despite everything that happened, we still had a shot in the last few minutes. They got it done and we didn't.''
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: headshot of Robinsonby CNB