THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 11, 1996 TAG: 9601110491
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
Virginia Wesleyan basketball coach Terry Butterfield has heard the routine so often he's almost surprised he hasn't bought into it by now.
It's the one about what the balance of power should be in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. It neatly divides the league into two distinct classes, with Hampden-Sydney, Roanoke and Emory & Henry in the penthouse and the rest of the league gazing up with envy.
``That mindset, I'm tired of it,'' Butterfield said Wednesday afternoon. ``And I hope our guys are tired of it, too.''
With that in mind, Butterfield labeled Wednesday night's game against defending ODAC champion Hampden-Sydney the start of ``measuring stick week.'' It didn't begin the way he hoped.
The Tigers, who advanced to the NCAA Division III Elite 8 last season, came from 11 points down with 8:43 to play to beat Virginia Wesleyan 72-66 at Van Cunningham Gym.
``I told our players that their kids have been in some situations we haven't been in yet,'' a dejected Butterfield said. ``But I feel very disappointed. I thought we handled the first three-quarters of the game very well, but we made absolutely no plays down the stretch.''
Ryan Odom, son of Wake Forest coach Dave Odom, led Hampden-Sydney with 22 points, including four 3-pointers.
Super-sub Gene Pleyo led the Marlins with 16 points, but hit just 4-of-13 shots. Percy Slight and Ryan Bradford each tossed in 14. Virginia Wesleyan shot just 37 percent.
Now 8-3, 5-1 in the ODAC, the Marlins continue their midseason court exam with home games Saturday afternoon against Roanoke and next Monday night against Randolph-Macon.
Saturday afternoon's game against Roanoke becomes more crucial to the team's fortunes in light of Wednesday's loss.
But the Marlins also know that they defeated Roanoke - in Roanoke - earlier this season. It was the first time in Butterfield's seven seasons at Wesleyan anyone could say that.
``After the game, we went outside to get on the bus, and we stopped and stared at the sky,'' Butterfield said. ``It was the most beautiful sky I'd ever seen. The clear was clearer. The blue was bluer.''
When he left campus Wednesday night, it was pitch black outside. Butterfield's mood wasn't much brighter as he contemplated one that got away. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by HUY NGUYEN, The Virginian-Pilot
Virginia Wesleyan James MacLeod, a junior guard, reaches for a loose
ball Wednesday in the Marlins contest against Hampden-Sydney. The
Tigers came from 11 points down to beat the Marlins.
by CNB