THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 20, 1997 TAG: 9702200294
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 71 lines
American basketball coach Chris Knoche walked into the postgame interview room at the ODU field house, noticed two kegs of beer on tap and immediately broke out laughing.
It was perfect symmetry. If ever there was a game that could drive a coach to drink, Knoche had just seen it.
Old Dominion hammered the Eagles 99-61 for the Monarchs' most lopsided victory in 120 games. They beat Florida A&M by the same 38-point margin early in the 1993-94 season.
The win boosted ODU into a three-way tie for second place in the Colonial Athletic Association with James Madison and William and Mary at 8-6, 1 1/2 games behind league-leading UNC Wilmington.
Any of those four could still earn a share of the conference regular-season championship, although the Seahawks would clinch it with a win in their final league game Saturday at East Carolina. ODU hosts George Mason Saturday at the field house and James Madison Monday at Scope.
American went down smooth for ODU Wednesday. The Monarchs made their first 10 shots from the field to take a 22-10 lead just five minutes into the game. They finally missed a shot on their 11th possession when Skipper Youngblood had his shot blocked, but he got it back and scored.
``The first 10 minutes it was pretty fun being out there,'' ODU forward Mark Poag said. ``You could tell the chemistry was there.''
Whatever concoction ODU (17-10 overall) mixed up in the shooting lab finally worked for Poag. He had made just 9 of 45 3-pointers in his previous eight games, but on ODU's first possession Wednesday he got a wide-open look from beyond the arc and buried it. Then ODU went inside to Odell Hodge, back outside to Poag for another trey, inside to Hodge again and then to Poag again for another 3-pointer. Poag smiled and pumped his fist as he ran back upcourt after that one.
He finished with 19 points - 5 of 8 on 3-pointers - and added four rebounds and three assists for his best game in a month.
``I didn't get discouraged,'' Poag said of his slump. ``When I get my shot, I take it. Luckily enough, tonight some of them were actually going in.''
So were Hodge's (25 points, 11 of 14 from the field) and Mike Byers' (5 of 7, three 3-pointers). But basically, everyone's shots were falling for ODU.
``It's definitely good to see because when (Poag) is making those shots it just extends the defense a lot and it's good for us,'' ODU coach Jeff Capel said. ``And I thought Odell really played well. I haven't seen him play with that much emotion and quick moves inside - missing it and getting it back and going up again and again and again and finishing plays.''
The Monarchs also played solid defensively and were up by 20 just nine minutes into the game. They led 62-24 at halftime.
``Tonight we finished a basketball team for the first time all year,'' Hodge said. ``We jumped out on them and finished them so they didn't have a chance to get back in the basketball game.''
ODU posted season highs in points, field-goal percentage (.613), field goals made (38), 3-point percentage (.643) and assists (27).
Knoche resisted the urge to knock back a couple of brews - which were left over from ODU's booster gathering - but it was hard not to knock his team's performance. American (10-14, 6-8) made 5 of 26 3-pointers, was outrebounded by 11 and at one point trailed by 44 points.
``We played like (crap),'' Knoche said. ``We were prepared very poorly, that is my job. We ran into a buzzsaw. We didn't defend at all.
`` ... You listen to talk radio and you read the papers and stuff, and a month ago everybody was ready to do the coronation for (ODU). Then they struggle, and now all of a sudden they've regrouped. I hope credit is being given back to these guys.'' ILLUSTRATION: MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN/The Virginian-Pilot
From left, Old Dominion's Brion Dunlap, American's Jarion Childs
and Amerian's Jarmaine Epps follow the bouncing ball.