ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 16, 1996 TAG: 9603180040
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
MEMO: NOTE: Shorter version ran in Metro edition.
The word on Manhattan was the Lady Jaspers liked to run.
But this could not have been what they had in mind.
Virginia staged a track meet Friday night at University Hall, racing to a 100-55 victory in the first round of the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament.
It was the largest margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament game for the Cavaliers, whose lone previous 100-point outing was a 103-63 triumph over West Virginia in the second round in 1992.
Third-seeded Virginia (24-6) showed few ill effects of a two-week layoff following a 75-67 loss to Clemson in a semifinal of the ACC tournament. The Cavaliers led 53-23 at the half and increased the margin to 51 points.
UVa coach Debbie Ryan pulled her starters with 12 minutes remaining, but 14th-seeded Manhattan (19-11) didn't come close to its 79.3-points-per-game average. The Lady J's had scored at least 90 points in nine games before Friday night.
Manhattan senior Gina Somma, the third-leading scorer in Division I, finished with 19 points and led all scorers. However, Somma was 6-of-15 from the field and the Lady Jaspers hit only 39.5 percent as a team.
Virginia junior Tora Suber did not score in the second half, but still finished with a game-high 17 points. Second-team All-American Wendy Palmer scored 16 points in 21 minutes.
``I was very pleased that I was able to put everybody in the game and not have the play deteriorate,'' said Ryan, who got 45 points from her bench. ``To get that kind of scoring was great.''
Jeffra Gausepohl, a 6-foot-6 senior, made an early appearance after freshman DeMya Walker picked up her second foul and contributed 13 points in 17 minutes. Gausepohl played only four minutes and did not score against Clemson.
``I think we realize that any game now could be the last for the seniors,'' said Gausepohl, speaking for herself and classmates Palmer and Jenny Boucek. ``It's do-or-die now, and we want to keep going for as long as we can.''
The Cavaliers should be rested Sunday, when they meet sixth-seeded George Washington (26-6) at 2 p.m. at U-Hall. The Colonials defeated Maine 83-67 for their 20th victory in the past 21 games.
``Some years, I don't like having two weeks off after the ACC tournament,'' Ryan said. ``But this year, I liked having the two weeks off to deal with injuries and bruised egos and all that.
``I gave them three days off and told them to come back to me with some ideas of what it would take to win a national championship. I told them not to come back to me without an answer.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 57 linesby CNB