ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, February 4, 1997 TAG: 9702040119
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RADFORD
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
If it suits their purposes, basketball coaches are more than happy to command their players to forget the past. One of the beauties of the game, players are told, is that there is always tomorrow.
Tomorrow arrived with a flourish Monday night for the Radford Highlanders. Radford ushered in the second half of the Big South Conference campaign with an 81-66 dismantling of Maryland-Baltimore County.
Forget it that Radford (10-10 overall, 4-4 conference) was once again at break-even. Never mind that Radford limped into the Dedmon Center having lost three of its past four games in the conference. The stuff is distant history, the players were told.
"We're not out of this race yet,'' Radford coach Ron Bradley said. "We're not where we want to be at all. We can still win. We've got the second half of the conference schedule ahead of us and we're 1-0 while [first-place] UNC Asheville is 0-2.''
No need to get too excited right yet, though. Not with UNCA, UNC Greensboro, Charleston Southern and Coastal Carolina all looming in in the way of the Highlanders' continued prosperity.
All that was easily overlooked as Radford won convincingly.
"Just what the doctor ordered, just what Anthony Walker ordered, just what the whole city of Radford ordered,'' said Anthony Walker himself.
Walker ordered up one of his tastiest games in quite awhile, scoring a game-high 19 points while making five of eight shots from 3-point range.
Radford was a combined 10-of-23 from beyond the arc, which represented a higher shooting percentage than the Highlanders managed from all distances.
Eric Bowens operated a little closer to the hoop and came up with 18 points. Bowens added four free throws in as many attempts. Radford was 17-for-19 from the stripe.
Long-range marksman Corey Reed had 15 points, all but two coming in the first half.
The Retrievers (2-18, 1-9) played well at times, just not enough of them.
"We have to be realistic here,'' coach Tom Sullivan said. "We go out every night trying to win. But our margin of error is slight.''
Isaac Green helped keep the Retrievers on the move by scoring 17 points to go with nine rebounds. Despite his efforts, Radford won the battle of the backboards 40-29, the fourth straight time it has outrebounded its foe.
Jason Womble tossed in 14 and Marc Lay 13.
Radford took over the second half with a 17-2 run and the rest was an unhurried march to the finish line.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 55 linesby CNB