University of Virginia Library

Duke Cools Cavalier Rally, 99-86

Tournament Loss Ends Season
For Disappointed Cavaliers

By Hugh Antrim
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Virginia's John Gidding Battles With Blue Devils' C. B. Claiborne Under Basket For Rebound

Regardless Of Strong Comeback, Cavaliers Lost, 99-86, While Duke Advanced To Friday's Rounds

Down just five points, 87-82,
with 3:18 left on the clock, a
scrapping Cavalier squad could not
quite find the extra punch to
overtake Vic Bubas' steady Blue
Devils. Despite a stubborn second
half performance, the Cavaliers
cooled off from the floor, and
Duke ceased making mistakes; and
the resulting final score registered
99-86 for the Blue Devils.

By virtue of this first round
victory, Duke is to meet Frank
McGuire's South Carolina
Gamecocks in the semi-finals
tonight. For Virginia, a long trip
back to Charlottesville and a rather
disappointing 10-15 season are the
consequences.

Kevin Kennelly's nine point first
half effort and Norm Carmichael's
work under the boards held the
Cavaliers together for the first ten
minutes of play. Virginia trailed the
Blue Devils by just one point
midway through the half, 18-17,
but could not keep up with a Duke
charge that accounted for eleven
straight.

The Cavaliers regained
composure, but the Blue Devils'
defensive switch from a zone to a
man for man kept the pressure on
the Virginians. Dick DeVenzio's
layup at the buzzer sent Duke into
the locker room with a 13 point
intermission lead, 48-35. Topping
the halftime statistics for the Blue
Devils was Dave Golden with 12
points. DeVenzio and Dave
Vandenbourg scored ten apiece to
help account for most of the
attack. Norm Carmichael was the
only Cavalier in double figures in
the first half with eleven.

Not able to erase a ten or 12
point deficit in the initial minutes
of the second period of play, the
Cavaliers appeared to bide their
time until the right opportunity
availed itself. With some 14 minutes
left in the game, Nor Carmichael
drew foul number four, and the
Cavaliers were down by 14, 60-47.

The Cavaliers went to work on
that lead, and before long the Blue
Devil advantage had been cut to
seven points with eleven minutes
left, 69-63. Mike Wilkes was all over
the place, Chip Case began to find
the mark, John Gidding asserted
himself underneath, and sub Bill
Gerry took up where Carmichael
left off.

A comeback was in the offing
though occasionally marred by
untimely ball-handling errantry,
and the Cavaliers found themselves
behind by just eight points, 75-68,
at the nine minute mark.

To the mild surprise of the near
capacity crowd at the Charlotte
Coliseum, the Virginia Cavaliers
were back in the game. Baskets by
Gerry and Wilkes cut the Duke
advantage to five points, 77-72,
only to have the Blue Devils go
ahead by eleven, 86-74. But Wilkes
and the comeback minded Cavaliers
stormed back to within five with
little over three minutes remaining.
A worried Vic Bubas called for a
Duke time out with the score
reading 87-82.

Whatever Bubas said, it worked.
Virginia was only to score four
points in the final three minutes.
The Cavaliers cooled off, and
Duke's foul line performance was
agonizingly accurate.

Norm Carmichael fouled out of
the ball game with a minute left but
not before a wild punch missed its
mark. As a result of the brief
encounter, both Duke's Randy
Denton and Carmichael found
themselves out of the good graces
of the referee and on the bench.

Behind 93-82 and out of any
real contention, Virginia was left at
the mercy of the Blue Devils in the
closing moments of the game.
DeVenzio scored from outside as
desperation Cavalier fouls added to
the Duke total from the charity
stripe.

Norm Carmichael's strong
performance tallied 21 points, and
Mike Wilkes inspired the Virginia
rally with a 20 point effort.
Gidding picked up 15 and Case had
12 to round out the bulk of the
scoring.

The Cavaliers close out their
season with a 10-15 record. Ten
games in the win column are more
than any other year under Mr.
Gibson's tenure, but the Virginia
cagers have the dubious distinction
of losing eight of the last nine.