ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 8, 1996 TAG: 9612100040
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
Matt Matheny's alley-oop dunk with just six seconds elapsed Saturday sent a message in VMI's basketball game against Washington and Lee. The ball ripped through the net and the Keydets ripped W&L 112-67 in the second meeting of the neighboring schools since 1941.
``The worst thing to have happened to Washington and Lee was for us to have lost the Navy game Thursday night,'' VMI coach Bart Bellairs of his team's 68-62 shortfall. ``Our kids came out hungry. If we had played then with the intensity we had today, Thursday may have turned out differently.''
No Keydet looked hungrier or more intense than Maurice Spencer, a senior captain from Martinsville. Spencer made six of eight 3-pointers, 13 of 19 total shots, and scored a career-high 32 points. He had 21 in the first half.
The Generals (2-5) took their only lead, 3-2, at the 17:25 mark when Kelly Dyer hit a 3-pointer. VMI (2-2), however, burst to a 25-6 lead at the 10:53 mark. The Keydets held W&L without a field goal for more than six minutes during their run.
``There was one sequence in the first half where we didn't even get a shot off,'' Generals coach Kevin Moore said. ``We were throwing the ball away and not protecting it.''
Moore said his players were struggling to stay focused in the game, their third in four days. W&L lost to Hampden-Sydney in overtime on Wednesday and beat Guilford by one on Friday.
The Generals' freshman big men, Rich Peterson and Scott Hudson, had 11 and 10 points, respectively. Hudson led W&L with six rebounds.
Although they were playing for only the second time in 15 days, VMI's players risked fatigue, too. Already missing freshman center Chris DiNunzio (foot sprain) and guards Jason Bell and Warren Johnson (academically ineligible until end of fall term), the Keydets may be without 6-foot-9 freshman forward Eric Mann in their upcoming games. Mann was scratched from the starting lineup on Saturday due to a stress fracture in one of his legs.
In Mann's absence, Spencer and sophomore forward Brent Conley took over. Conley scored 18 points and had a game-high 14 rebounds in 23 minutes of action. The pair was still on the court when VMI pushed its lead to 47 points, 94-47 with 7:46 to play. Darryl Faulkner added 11 points and Matheny, from Cave Spring High School, had 10 points and three assists.
``Maurice Spencer had a great game and Brent Conley really let the game come to him,'' Bellairs said. ``He's been putting the weight of the team on his shoulders and I think he did a good job of not forcing the action this afternoon.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 53 linesby CNB