THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 9, 1997 TAG: 9701090527
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: RICH RADFORD
LENGTH: 39 lines
NORFOLK - LaTina Bullock, playing on a torn anterior cruciate ligament, scored 19 points Wednesday night, but it wasn't enough as the Norfolk State Spartanettes fell to Fayetteville State in overtime, 77-74.
Bullock, NSU's All-American forward, missed a month's worth of games after tearing her left ACL in early December.
Had Bullock, a fifth-year senior, opted for immediate surgery, the recovery time would have ended her NSU career. She decided to play with a brace to support the knee and undergo postseason surgery.
``I'm in some pain,'' said Bullock, who also grabbed nine rebounds, ``but I'm just gonna deal with it. I had a choice what to do and I've chosen to play and finish my senior year.''
She played sparingly over the weekend in the Florida Tech Holiday Classic. But she was in for 38 of the 45 minutes of Wednesday's game.
``LaTina Bullock with just one good knee is better than a whole lot of players with two,'' said NSU coach James Sweat. ``She still knows how to position herself. She's playing all on intelligence now.''
The Spartanettes had taken a 64-61 lead on two free throws by Charlette Fayton with 18 seconds left in regulation, but Nattlie Pearson's 3-pointer with three seconds remaining forced overtime.
Tammy Brown scored 28 points, including a 3-pointer that gave the Lady Broncos the lead for good early in the overtime period, to pace Fayetteville State (10-3 overall, 5-1 CIAA).
Michelle Sessoms had 15 points and 18 rebounds, Fayton finished with 14 points and Tarsha Bowers had 12 for the Spartanettes (6-5, 1-1). ILLUSTRATION: Photo
LaTina Bullock played with a knee brace after missing a month with a
torn anterior cruciate ligament.