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NIT Second Round: Memphis 83, Virginia Tech 62 by Chris James, TechSideline.com, 3/19/05
Sophomore guard Jamon Gordon was the only Hokie starter to shoot 50%, leading the Hokies in scoring with 16 points on 6-12 shooting. Memphis placed five players in double figures and were led by Rodney Carney with 17 points. Anthony Rice also added 16 for Memphis, who improved to 21-15 on the season. The game started out well for the Hokies, who hit their shots in the early going and played good defense against the Tigers. Throughout most of the first half, the teams battled back and forth, with neither able to gain a significant advantage. There were 12 lead changes and five ties in the first half, and the game had the looks of another NIT classic for the Hokies, who have won a lot of NIT games in dramatic fashion in the past. However, that was not to be the case, as Memphis closed the first half on a 19-4 run. The Hokies hit just one of their final 10 shots over the last eight minutes before intermission. Memphis took advantage on the offensive end, despite shooting only 37.1% in the first half. The Tigers used their superior size and talent on the inside to outmuscle the Hokies for 12 first half offensive rebounds, and poured in many baskets after collecting their own misses. Despite playing poorly, the Hokies had a chance to get back into the game in the 2nd half, but choked the opportunity away at the free throw line. Despite going to the free throw line 29 times, Tech could only convert 16 shots for a subpar 55.2%. Tech also struggled from the field, shooting just 35.5%. Normally a solid 3-point shooting team, the Hokies only shot 2-14 (14.3%) from beyond the arc. Plagued by foul trouble, Zabian Dowdell played just 24 minutes, shot 3-10 from the field (including 1-4 three pointers), and scored just 8 points. Thanks to Dowdell's foul trouble and similar troubles for Deron Washington, several Hokie reserves saw significant minutes. Wynton Witherspoon had four points and three rebounds in 18 minutes, and Robert Krabbendam hit both of his shots from the field, scoring four points in 13 minutes. In all, the Hokie bench played 54 minutes and had 12 points. Senior forward Carlos Dixon played his final game at Virginia Tech, scoring 13 points on 5-12 shooting. Dixon finished his Tech career high in the Hokie record books, ranking 16th in scoring, 7th in steals and 10th in assists. Dixon is Tech's only senior. NIT SECOND ROUND
VIRGINIA TECH (62)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
D Washington 21 1-5 3-6 4-5 4 4 5
C Dixon 36 5-12 2-3 1-4 2 1 13
C Collins 32 2-8 4-8 4-9 1 2 8
Z Dowdell 24 3-10 1-2 1-2 0 4 8
J Gordon 33 6-12 4-7 2-4 4 2 16
B Ritchie 1 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
S Harris 7 1-4 2-2 0-0 0 3 4
W Witherspoon 18 2-6 0-0 1-3 0 2 4
R Krabbendam 13 2-2 0-1 0-2 1 0 4
A Calloway 6 0-0 0-0 0-2 0 0 0
J King 6 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 2 0
C Tucker 3 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
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TOTALS 200 22-62 16-29 13-31 12 20 62
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Percentages: FG-.355, FT-.552. 3-Point Goals:
2-15, .133 (C Dixon 1-3, C Collins 0-1, Z
Dowdell 1-4, J Gordon 0-3, B Ritchie 0-1, S
Harris 0-1, W Witherspoon 0-2). Team
Rebounds: 4. Blocked Shots: 5 (J Gordon 2, C
Dixon, W Witherspoon, D Washington).
Turnovers: 10 (Z Dowdell 3, J Gordon 3, W
Witherspoon 2, C Dixon, S Harris). Steals: 12
(J Gordon 4, D Washington 4, C Dixon, S
Harris, W Witherspoon, Z Dowdell).
MEMPHIS (83)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
D Erwin 31 6-9 1-2 0-7 2 3 13
A Barclay 15 0-0 0-0 8-12 2 3 0
J Hunt 31 6-13 1-6 3-7 2 2 15
A Rice 31 4-12 4-5 0-1 3 1 16
D Washington Jr 33 5-12 2-2 0-2 5 2 14
W Williams 11 1-4 0-2 1-2 0 1 2
A Thiero 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
R Carney 23 6-14 3-7 1-2 0 2 17
S Njoya 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
J Dorsey 21 2-2 2-2 3-9 1 4 6
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TOTALS 200 30-66 13-26 16-42 15 19 83
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Percentages: FG-.455, FT-.500. 3-Point Goals:
10-22, .455 (J Hunt 2-3, A Rice 4-11, D
Washington Jr 2-3, R Carney 2-5). Team
Rebounds: 5. Blocked Shots: 5 (A Rice 2, D
Erwin, R Carney, J Dorsey). Turnovers: 17 (D
Washington Jr 4, J Dorsey 4, A Rice 3, D
Erwin 2, J Hunt 2, A Barclay, R Carney).
Steals: 6 (A Rice 2, D Erwin, R Carney, W
Williams, D Washington Jr).
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VIRGINIA TECH 27 35 - 62
MEMPHIS 41 42 - 83
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Technical fouls: None. A: 9,129. Officials: Doug
Sirmons, Patrick Adams, Tim Clougherty
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Memphis,
TN -- The Virginia Tech Hokies saw their hopes of a third NIT
championship come crashing down in FedExForum when they fell to the Memphis
Tigers 83-62 on Saturday afternoon. The Hokies had a bad day shooting, were
outrebounded by a bigger team, and didn't show the defensive intensity that was
needed. With the loss, the Hokies finish the season with a record of 16-14. This
marks the first time since 1996 that Tech has finished with a winning record in
two consecutive seasons.