ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 8, 1996 TAG: 9612100035
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY STAFF WRITER
Former Roanoke College basketball coaches Charles Moir and Ed Green averaged nearly 22 victories over the combined 18 seasons they guided the Maroons during the 1960s, '70s, and '80s.
But Saturday afternoon, as they sat side-by-side near the rafters of the Bast Center, even Moir and Green had to be impressed with the 60 percent shooting and swarming defense of the 1996-97 edition of Maroons.
Roanoke cruised to a 96-74 victory over Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday, improving its record to 5-0 heading into a four-week holiday break.
Senior floor leader Jason Bishop scored 20 points in 23 minutes to pace four Maroons in double figures. Nathan Hungate, Derek Bryant, and Jon Maher added 12, 11, and 10 points, respectively. Thirteen players saw at least five minutes of action for Roanoke, and 11 scored. The Maroons led by 28 points (81-53) midway through the second half.
Roanoke coach Page Moir was understandably pleased. ``We came out early, shot well, were patient with our offense, and got everyone involved,'' Moir said. ``Wesleyan is one of the teams to beat in this [Old Dominion Athletic Conference] league. They've got some good wins under their belt.''
The Marlins (4-3, 2-2) were led by freshman Tim Petrillo's 17 points. Russell DeMont scored 14 points (on seven of 10 shooting) for Wesleyan.
Virginia Wesleyan defeated Roanoke twice last season, including 76-73 in Salem.
``Our big concern was that last time we were up by 20 points in the second half and they came back and beat us,'' Bishop said. ``We knew we had to play hard all game.''
Bishop and Bryant, who are roommates, each connected on three 3-pointers, combining for half of the team's 12 treys during the game.
``If we're open, coach gives us the green light,'' Bryant said. ``We came out hot today.''
``All of our shots were feeling pretty good during warmups,'' Bishop said. The team made 35 of its 58 field-goal attempts for the game, including a sizzling 71 percent from 3-point range.
The Maroons played a nearly flawless first half, holding a 20-point lead (50-30) at intermission. Roanoke committed just four team fouls in the first 20 minutes.
Roanoke made its first four shots, catapulted to a 13-5 advantage five minutes into the game, and never was threatened. The Maroons connected on a whopping 68 percent of their shots in the first half, including 88 percent (seven of eight) from 3-point land.
Bishop initiated the 3-point barrage, scoring all of his 3-pointers en route to a 15-point first half, his game average before Saturday.
Roanoke ran off nine unanswered points in a minute and a half to go up 44-24. Just as he did less than two weeks ago, Hungate dribbled out the first-half clock, draining a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
``We can't play any better than we did today,'' said Roanoke assistant coach Garland Berry, in his 12th season at Roanoke.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 60 linesby CNB