ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 8, 1996 basketball TAG: 9612100030
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
THE CAVALIERS FALTER in the second half of their first ACC test of the season, losing 62-52.
Apparently, there is more than one Virginia team that can't score against Clemson in the ``red zone.''
Taking a cue from the Cavaliers' football team, the men's basketball team ran up and down the court but produced little offense Saturday in a 62-52 loss at University Hall.
Clemson, which trailed 34-25 with less than 13 minutes remaining, used an 11-0 run to get back in the game and shot 66.7 percent in the second half to win the earliest ACC opener for either team since 1985.
``I said, coming in, that I don't like these games,'' said Clemson coach Rick Barnes, ``but I like it right now. Really, I don't. I think conference games are way too important.''
He can only imagine how Virginia (4-2 overall, 0-1 ACC) feels. The Cavaliers will have to look at that 0-1 next to their name in the conference standings for the next 27 days - until they visit Maryland on Jan. 4.
``We looked at the schedule and looked at the opponent and saw this as a perfect opportunity to get ourselves in good position going into Christmas,'' junior guard Curtis Staples said. ``It will be awhile before we get another chance.''
Staples converted an offensive rebound to put Virginia ahead 29-19 to start the second half and didn't have another basket. He finished 1-for-6 from the field, including 0-for-5 on his specialty, 3-point shots.
``I can't remember the last time that happened,'' Staples said. ``In middle school, maybe. I give Clemson a lot of credit for playing tough defense, but I kind of took myself out of the game by getting in foul trouble.''
Staples had made at least one 3-pointer in 50 consecutive games before Saturday. He spent most of the first half on the bench after picking up his second foul with 9:44 left and, although he never fouled out, played only 21 minutes.
It didn't seem to matter in the first half, when 25th-ranked Virginia outrebounded the Tigers by 14 in grabbing a 27-19 lead. All things considered, Clemson (6-1, 1-0) was happy to be in the game after shooting 18.8 percent from the field.
``At halftime, looking at the stat sheet, I told our players I thought it was an improvement over the last two years here,'' said Barnes, who didn't have to be reminded that Clemson shot 23.8 percent at University Hall in 1994 and 24.0 in 1996.
Clemson had lost 16 of its past 18 games at Virginia and, until Saturday, had never won an ACC road game after trailing by more than seven points at halftime.
``If we're going to take the next step, that's going to be it,'' said Barnes, whose Tigers opened the season by beating defending national champion Kentucky at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.
Sophomore point guard Terrell McIntyre finished with a game-high 20 points for the Tigers, ranked 12th by The Associated Press and ninth in the USA Today/CNN coaches' poll, and Greg Buckner had 13 points to finish with 15.
Buckner put the Tigers ahead 41-40 when he hit a pair of free throws after being fouled by UVa freshman Willie Dersch with 5:15 remaining. Dersch had been in the game only seconds after replacing Courtney Alexander.
Alexander was in the midst of his worst shooting game of the season, but had made a pair of free throws that put the Cavaliers ahead 40-39. By the time he returned, Clemson was ahead 43-40.
``Basically, we were looking for some kind of lift,'' UVa coach Jeff Jones said. ``We weren't in sync offensively and while we weren't necessarily looking to Willie to score, he moves a little better without the ball and we thought we might get a little more flow.''
Alexander scored eight of his team-high 16 points after returning with 3:46 left, but he uncharacteristically missed back-to-back free throws, the first on the front end of a one-and-one with Clemson ahead 47-42 with 2:40 left.
``By that time, my mind was totally shot,'' said Alexander, who, until that point, was 21-of-25 from the line for the season. ``That's something that I can take away from this game. Never get too down as a team and individually.''
The thing Jones will take away from the game is this: three assists, 16 turnovers.
One of the chief criticisms of last year's 12-15 UVa team was its inability to score out of its halfcourt offense.
``I think we took a step back,'' Staples said. ``We felt, going into the game, that we would play with intensity for 40 minutes. We didn't have that fight in the second half today.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 87 linesby CNB