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Drop Below .500

Gobblers Whip Cagers

By Steve Giannini
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Virginia's Tony Kinn Skys Another One Against VPI

The Cavaliers Were Beaten Last Night By the Blacksburg Turkeys

Virginia Tech's home court luck
held out against the Cavaliers and
Virginia fell in a close game, 68-64. It was the second loss by four
points in the past four days and
plunged the cagers below the .500
mark with a 9-10 record. The
Gobblers now stand at an admirable
13-8 season while upping their
Blacksburg record to 7-1.

Play opened slow in the game
with the defenses dominating the
action. Tech was using its typical
man to man defense, and Coach Bill
Gibson had decided to go to
something new with his team also
employing a man to man defense
instead of the usual zone.

It did not take long for the
Gobblers' outstanding 6-4 senior
guard, Chris Ellis, to begin hitting.
The Cavaliers responded in kind
with tallies from English, Case, and
Wilkes. Third-year man Mike Wilkes
quickly went to work inside and
came up with six points to keep
Virginia in range of the Hokies.

Rebounding was fierce in the
early stages of the game with John
Gidding holding the edge for
Virginia and big 6-9 Techman Dan
Wetzel grabbing his team's share.

The two state rivals were going
about it in a hard-fighting manner
when Wilkes dumped the ball in for
two and put the Cavaliers ahead
18-14.

Tony Kinn, in for a cold Chip
Case, kept Virginia ahead as the
torrid shooting Chris Ellis poured in
the scores. Then Cavalier center
Norm Carmichael rallied for five
straight points to make the score
33-26. Virginia went into a zone
defense right before the half and
held the advantage at intermission,
37-33.

It had been a very foul-free first
half, but Virginia had not been able
to capitalize on what chances they
had from the free throw line.
They were only one for four on
foul shots.

VPI's Chris Ellis was high scorer
at the half with 14 points, but Mike
Wilkes was close behind with 12
markers.

When Tech returned to the
floor, it was obvious they were
playing inspired ball before a vocal
home crowd. Ellis could not miss,
and on a shot by sophomore guard
Lloyd King, VPI took the lead for
good at 41-39.

The Hokies defense was also
playing its part as they forced
Virginia to turn over the ball again
and again.

But Virginia fought back and on
a long jumper by Chip Case the
score was cut to VPI 50, Virginia
49. A moment later Case hit again
and the score was within one, Tech
on top, 52-51. It was nip and tuck
while Ellis kept the Gobblers ahead
of Kinn's, Wilkes', and Case's
tallies.

Tony Kinn managed to tie the
score at 57 all only to have VPI
streak for 4 straight points.

The crucial point of the game
came when Virginia could not tie
the score with Tech leading 64-62
and three minutes remaining in the
game. VPI began a slow down and
after a long jumper by Kinn which
missed, Case was called for an
offensive foul and Wilkes and Ellis
rounded out the scoring, VPI 68,
Virginia 64.

VPI's high scorer was Chris Ellis
who tallied for 23 points against
Mike Wilkes' 20 for Virginia. The
Cavaliers' percentage from the foul
line was a low 36.4% to Tech's
56%.