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Sports News Stirs Grounds

Hoopsters Triumph
In Big Five Opener

By Davis Marshall
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

HAMPTON, Va. - Maybe the
Cavaliers really are as good as
people say. Before an anomic crew
of 1,616 (1,956 paid) Tuesday
night, Bill Gibson's basketball team
opened up the 70-71 season with an
81-52 mauling of VMI. It took
nearly ten minutes for the Cavaliers
to start rolling, but five minutes
later VMI was hopelessly out of the
fray.

The two teams were tied five
times in the early going, with
VMI forging to as much as a four
point lead, 17-13 (6:35 elapsed)
but, at 9:55 substitute Jim
Hobgood connected on the go
ahead field goal to trigger an eleven
point Cavalier surge which wasn't
halted until Virginia led 30-20. For
the final ten minutes of the first
half VMI only tallied six points as
Virginia moved out to a 41-25
halftime lead.

The Cavalier lead was never
threatened in the second half. The
Keydets did come within 17 points
at 13:05, but two quick field goals
by Tim Rash, and one each by
Frank DeWitt and Hobgood,
effectively contained whatever
comeback the outmanned Keydets
could muster.

Scott McCandlish, a ferocious
surprise on the boards where he
blocked numerous shots, led all
scorers with 18 points and all
rebounders with 13. Tim Rash
continued his scoring spree of late
last season with six of seven shots
from the floor and 14 points.
DeWitt and Hobgood tallied 11 and
10 points respectively. Captain Bill
Gerry, who, like the other starters,
only played about 25 minutes,
added nine points and nine
rebounds.

Barry Parkhill's varsity debut
was exactly auspicious as he
connected on three of eight field
goal attempts and three of four foul
shots for nine points. Overcoming a
vicious verbal attack by the
Keydets ("bush league," screamed a
fan) he still managed three assists to
lead both teams.

"I thought Rod Brewer did an
excellent job against Parkhill.
Parkhill had all the publicity and it
was a great challenge to Brewer,"
said Coach Mike Scheulor.

Kentucky-born Brewer connected
on four of 16 shots from the floor.

"I was very pleased with the
defense but not with the offense,"
said Coach Gibson. "We thought
our press would really help us." In
the initial moments of the game
VMI came out with a full court
It seemed that whenever
the Cavaliers managed to move
upcourt a Keydet would foul and
conversely whenever Virginia failed
to bring the ball upcourt a Cavalier
would be charged with a foul. VMI
soon learned that it couldn't afford
to swap foul for foul with depth
rich Virginia squad. "I thought our
substitutes did a remarkable job"
commented Coach Gibson.

Virginia managed to hit on fifty
per cent of its shots as opposed to
VMI's 30.6 per cent.