DATE: Friday, November 28, 1997             TAG: 9711280168

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: BOULDER, COLO.                    LENGTH:   40 lines

COLORADO WINS AS NSU FADES IN FINAL MINUTES

They almost did it again.

The Norfolk State Spartans, who legitimized their status as a Division I team with a 19-point victory at Long Beach State on Tuesday, had their way with Colorado for much of the night Thursday until going cold late and falling 67-56 before 2,089 relieved onlookers at the Coors Event Center.

The Spartans (1-4) led by as many as 11 in the first half and by five at the break. But they scored only four points in the final nine minutes as the Buffaloes (4-1) closed the game with a 13-2 run.

``They didn't just show up to collect a check,'' Colorado coach Ricardo Patton said. ``They were really prepared to play.''

Kenny Price's fifth 3-pointer of the night, at the 3:31 mark of the second half, broke a 54-54 tie and put Colorado ahead to stay. Price finished with a game-high 22 points.

Colorado guard and Suffolk native Howard Frier scored only five points but lived up to his reputation as a defensive specialist by hounding high-scoring guard Damian Woolfolk into 4-for-12 shooting. Frier was in Woolfolk's face as the Spartans sophomore missed three straight attempts in a futile effort to singlehandedly snap the Spartans out of the shooting funk.

Freshman forward Darrell Neal led the Spartans with 14 points. Guard Kenny Brown added 13 before leaving the game with a knee injury with 4:44 left in the game and the Spartans ahead by a point after a collision with Frier near midcourt. By the time Brown returned at the 1:28 mark, the Spartans were down by eight.

But Norfolk State coach Mike Bernard refused to blame Brown's absence, the altitude or fatigue for the Spartans' demise and claimed no moral victory for his team's close encounter on the road against a Big 12 team.

``A lack of execution,'' Bernard said. ``We got outrebounded (42-29) and outhustled.

Bernard said he was particularly frustrated by the Spartans' inability to operate inside. Norfolk State attempted just four free throws.

``You gotta take it to the rack,'' Bernard said.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu