COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : When Push Comes to Shove, Virginia Is Able to Hold Its Own

With its top scorer injured after unintentionally getting hit in the nose with an elbow, Virginia knew it had to play harder in order to beat Clemson.

The Cavaliers did, outscoring the 17th-ranked Tigers, 12-3, early in the second half, and won, 69-66, Saturday to advance to today’s final of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament at Charlotte, N.C. They will play 14th-ranked Georgia Tech, which beat 12th-ranked Duke, 83-72, in the other semifinal.

Virginia (19-10) trailed, 42-40, when Dale Davis accidentally elbowed forward Bryant Stith. When Stith returned to the floor a few minutes later after going to the locker room, the Cavaliers had a 52-45 lead. Clemson (24-8) never got closer than three points the rest of the game.

Kenny Turner said seeing Stith on the floor inspired Virginia.

“It’s always a physical game with Clemson,” Turner said. “But there comes a time when you say, ‘Hey, our backs are against the wall and you’re not going to kick us anymore. We’re going to stand up.’

“We had enough of it. . . We just had to say it stops now. You can push us, but we’re going to push you back.”

Virginia will be making its first appearance in the championship game since 1983. The Cavaliers are playing their final season under Coach Terry Holland, who is leaving to become athletic director at Davidson.

Brian Oliver scored 11 points during a late 15-3 run as Georgia Tech (23-6) beat Duke (24-8) to set up the first ACC tournament final without a team from North Carolina.

Scott and Oliver each scored 31 points for the Yellow Jackets, who are making their third appearance in the title game. They won the 1985 championship.

OTHER TOURNAMENTS METRO ATHLETIC

No. 18 Louisville 83, Southern Mississippi 80--LaBradford Smith, who made his first nine shots, scored 24 points and Felton Spencer had 21 to help the Cardinals win the Metro Conference tournament at Biloxi, Miss.

The victory sends the Cardinals (26-7), who also won the regular-season conference title, to the NCAA tournament for the ninth time in the last 11 years.

Southern Mississippi (20-11), which tied for second in the regular season, appeared to have tied the score, 81-81, with two seconds left. But the officials ruled that Russell Johnson’s basket was a two-pointer, not a three-pointer.

MIDWESTERN COLLEGIATE

Dayton 98, No. 24 Xavier (Ohio) 89--Negele Knight scored 32 points and had 15 assists as the Flyers won their 10th consecutive game, this one in the final of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference tournament at Dayton, Ohio.

It was the second time in eight days that Dayton (21-9) beat the Musketeers (26-4), the MCC regular-season champions.

SOUTHEASTERN

Mississippi 65, Vanderbilt 62--Gerald Glass made two three-point baskets and two free throws in the final 52 seconds to spark the Rebels’ comeback in the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament at Orlando, Fla.

Glass, who had made only two of his previous 10 shots, gave the Rebels (13-16) their second lead of the game at 63-62 on his second three-point shot, and then sealed the victory with the two free throws with 4.6 seconds left.

Alabama 87, Auburn 71--James Sanders, a 33% shooter averaging 7.2 points, made his first seven shots and scored 21 points, and the Crimson Tide (22-8) made their first six shots in the second half to open a 20-point lead in the other semifinal.

Derrick Dennison was held to eight points--all in the second half--after scoring 34 Friday when Auburn (12-18) upset LSU, 78-76.

SOUTHWEST

No. 9 Arkansas 115, Baylor 75--The Razorbacks, using an effective full-court press, raced to a 19-1 lead and went on to set a Southwest Conference tournament scoring record in the semifinals at Dallas.

The 115 points broke the tournament record set by Houston in a 111-67 victory over Texas Christian in 1977. Todd Day scored 17 of his 22 points in the first half for Arkansas (25-4).

Baylor (16-13) had upset Arkansas, 82-77, Feb. 10.

Houston 89, Texas 86--The Cougars had to withstand a late rally during which the Longhorns overcame a 19-point deficit to pull to within two points, but Carl Herrera and Byran Smith made two and three free throws, respectively, in the final minute of the other semifinal game.

Lance Blanks missed a three-point attempt at the buzzer, as Texas (21-8) lost to Houston (25-6) for the third time this season.

WESTERN ATHLETIC

Texas El Paso 75, Hawaii 58--The Miners scored 12 consecutive points with 15 minutes left in the second half to build a 48-35 lead and the Rainbows never got closer than nine points in the Western Athletic Conference tournament championship game at El Paso.

The Miners (21-10) earned an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. Hawaii is (23-9).

BIG SKY

Idaho 65, Eastern Washington 62--Ricardo Boyd made a three-point shot at the buzzer at Boise to give the Vandals their second consecutive Big Sky Conference tournament title.

MID-AMERICAN

Ball State 69, Eastern Michigan 58--Paris McCurdy and Curtis Kidd led the top-seeded Cardinals (23-6) over the fifth-seeded Hurons in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference tournament at Detroit.

The Cardinals (23-6) will play Central Michigan in the title game. The Chippewas (13-16) beat Miami (Ohio), 78-76, in the other semifinal.

NORTH ATLANTIC

Boston U. 75, Vermont 57--Bill Brigham, who scored 26 points, made a short jump shot to key a 22-7 second-half run by the Terriers (18-11) in the final of the North Atlantic Conference tournament at Hartford, Conn.

SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC

Southern, 120, Alcorn State 94--Joe Faulkner scored 29 points and Robert Youngblood had 28, including 18 in the second half, for the Jaguars in the semifinals of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament at Houston.

Southern will play Texas Southern in the finals. The Tigers routed Mississippi Valley State, 105-75, in the other semifinal.

NONTOURNAMENT

No. 13 Michigan 127, Iowa 96--The Hawkeyes’ Les Jepsen scored the game’s first basket, but Demetrius Calip scored the next seven points--including one of his four three-point baskets--to start a 9-0 run and the Wolverines went on to set a scoring record at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Michigan’s previous high at home was 125 points against Northern Michigan on Dec. 20, 1988.

The Wolverines (22-7 overall, 12-6 in the Big Ten) have won 10 of their last 11 games against Iowa (12-16, 4-14) at home.

Ohio State 93, No. 19 Minnesota 83--Perry Carter scored 24 points and the Buckeyes (16-12, 10-8) held off a late Golden Gopher rally in a Big Ten game at Columbus, Ohio.

Fifty-seven fouls were called as the teams shot 71 free throws. Willie Burton scored 31 points for Minnesota (21-7, 11-7).