ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, November 14, 1996 TAG: 9611140033
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FROM STAFF REPORTS
Former Patrick Henry High School standout Curtis Staples scored 14 of his 21 points in the first half Wednesday as Virginia built a big lead and held on for an 84-71 men's basketball exhibition victory over the Court Authority in Charlottesville.
Norman Nolan and Courtney Alexander added 13 points apiece for the Cavaliers, who led 51-29 at the half and held their biggest lead at 30 points with six minutes left.
Warren Peebles scored 16 points to lead Court Authority, a touring team based in Richmond.
Virginia opens its regular season against South Carolina in the Maui Invitational Nov.25.
In other college basketball in the region:
* Senior Anthony Walker scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half as Radford scored a 76-64 exhibition victory over the Hungarian National Team.
Walker hit three 3-pointers as the Highlanders outscored the Hungarians 16-7 over the last 5:30 of the first half. Eric Bowens and Corey Reed added 14 points apiece for Radford, which will face the Mid South AAU squad in another exhibition at home at 7 p.m. Monday.
* Tora Suber scored 23 points as Virginia turned back the Victorian All-Stars, a touring Russian squad, 82-76 in a women's basketball exhibition in Charlottesville.
Tiffany Bower had 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds for the Cavaliers, and Tammy Gardner added 12 points.
Virginia opens the regular season at 7:30 p.m. on Nov.22 at Pittsburgh.
* The Virginia Tech women's basketball team will play its final exhibition at 7 p.m. tonight against Athletes in Action at Cassell Coliseum. Athletes in Action features Hall of Famer Nancy Leiberman-Cline.
* The Roanoke College men's basketball team will play its first and only exhibition of the 1996 season at 8:30 p.m. tonight in the Bast Center. The Maroons will meet the Antigua Mongrels, a touring team that has already played three Old Dominion Athletic Conference teams.
SOCCER UVa's Fisher named ACC's best
Virginia senior midfielder Mike Fisher has been chosen as the Atlantic Coast Conference's player of the year for the second straight season and joins three other Cavaliers on the all-ACC first team.
Sophomore defenders Matt Chulis and Scott Vermillion and sophomore midfielder Ben Olson also made the first team. Junior forward Matt Leonard was named to the second team and UVa coach George Gelnovatch was named coach of the year in his first season at the helm. (Complete team in Scoreboard. B4)
Fisher, the Cavaliers' all-time leader in points (165) and assists (53), is the third player in ACC history to earn player of the year honors more than once, joining Clemson's Clyde Brown (1972, '73, '74, '75) and North Carolina State's Henry Gutierrez (1990, '91).
* Washington and Lee women's soccer coach Jan Hathorn was named ODAC coach of the year in a vote of the league's coaches. Hathorn led the Generals to a school-record 12 victories.
Three Roanoke College players made first-team All-ODAC: forward Lisa Franzino, midfielder Tori Erickson and goalie Kara Hedges. W&L had three selections: forward Karin Treese, midfielder Jenni Grant and back Claire Bowers. Aimee Beightol, a Randolph-Macon sophomore back from Cave Spring High School, also made the first team. (Complete team in Scoreboard. B4)
ETC. Johnstone to appear at banquet
Former major league outfielder and well-known flake Jay Johnstone will be the speaker for the sixth annual Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame induction banquet Feb. 2, 1997.
In a big-league career spanning 1966-85, Johnstone played for the California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. His lifetime batting average was .267 with 1,254 hits and 102 home runs.
Johnstone's most memorable hit was in Game 4 of the 1981 World Series when his pinch-hit, two-run homer helped the Dodgers come back and beat the Yankees 6-3. Los Angeles won the Series four games to two. In 1976, he hit .778 and slugged 1.111 for the Phillies in the National League Championship Series against Cincinnati.
His real fame came for his antics and his success after his playing days. A comic banquet speaker, he has written a book and hosted a cable television show, ``The Lighter Side of Sports.''
Founded in 1991, the Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame covers the seven-county area of Roanoke, Franklin, Bedford, Botetourt, Floyd, Craig and Montgomery Counties and the independent cities within those boundaries.
* Roanoke Express defenseman and team captain Dave Stewart may miss this weekend's games against South Carolina and Louisville with an ankle injury. Stewart strained his left ankle when he fell in front of the Express goal during Tuesday night's 6-2 win over the Richmond Renegades. Defenseman Michael Smith also injured an ankle when he was hit with a shot late in the game, but he won't miss any action.
Four Express players have suffered ankle injuries this season. Right wing J.F. Tremblay has missed nine games because of an ankle sprain and left wing Kyle Millar has played in only four of 15 games after hurting an ankle in the preseason.
* The University of Virginia field hockey team will face ACC rival Duke in a first-round NCAA tournament game at North Carolina at noon Saturday. The Cavaliers (17-4) and Blue Devils (12-9) split two games this year with both teams winning on the road.
The winner gets a second-round date with top-ranked and defending national champion North Carolina (20-1) at 1 p.m. Sunday.
LENGTH: Long : 103 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Johnstoneby CNB