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Tying shot not to be for UALRPETE PERKINSARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE It came down to a play UALR has practiced all season. The play failed. Freshman guard Nick Zachery's three-point attempt on UALR's final possession in overtime fell short. Louisiana Tech put in two free throws with 0.8 seconds left and departed Alltel Arena with a 75-70 victory on Sunday. "We work on that play almost every day in practice, where we need a three to tie the game," UALR Coach Porter Moser said. "But Tech did a great job defensively." With 18 seconds left, Louisiana Tech had the ball and a 71-70 lead when senior guard Gerrod Henderson missed an 18-footer. Sophomore guard Brian Martin of Greenwood rebounded for Tech (9-5, 2-1 Sun Belt Conference), and Henderson regained possession and was fouled by senior guard Laverne Smith. Henderson made both free throws to give Tech a 73-70 lead at 12.3 seconds. On the court for UALR (8-4, 1-1), before a crowd of 3,145, were Zachery, Smith, freshman point guard Alex Finger, freshman forward Co Willis and senior forward Stan Blackmon. Senior guard Alan Barksdale fouled out with 3:04 left in overtime. He scored 18 points, including five three-pointers. "We would've loved to have Barksdale out there," Blackmon said. Willis inbounded to Finger, who dribbled up the left sideline and passed to Zachery. Zachery dribbled counterclockwise toward the top of the key, as Blackmon and Willis set a double screen for Smith on the right side. Zachery then took a contested shot from 23 feet, and it missed off the front of the rim. The play was designed for Smith, but Henderson worked through the screen to cover him. "It's an inexperience thing," Moser said. "It's a combination of inexperience, and Nick wanting to make a play. Can he make that shot? Absolutely. But Laverne was in there, and we wanted to get him the ball." Moser did not allow Zachery to meet with the media. "I have a funny feeling there are going to be a lot of games like this one in the Sun Belt Conference this season," Tech Coach Keith Richard said. "This league is so balanced. There are going to be a lot of close ones." UALR made it close after trailing 46-37 with 9:08 to play. "We weren't worried," Barksdale said. "Nine minutes to go is a lot of time left. Coach just said, 'Hey, we're still in this game. We'll just run our stuff, stick with it, and we'll get back in this game, no problem.' '' Three-point shots on consecutive possessions by Barksdale and Smith gave UALR a 58-57 lead with 1:11 left. A free throw by senior point guard Travis Lewis put Tech up 62-60 with 9.5 seconds left in regulation. UALR used another play it often practices to force overtime. Blackmon took a pass from Finger at the free throw line in the UALR frontcourt. He had options for passes to the wings for Smith and Barksdale, or to drive the lane. The drive was Blackmon's first choice. "He would turn, face the basket, and then he would have the whole lane," Moser said. "We wanted that, because they were having trouble guarding Stan." Blackmon led all scorers with 31 points. He was fouled on his way to the basket and hit two free throws to tie the score at 62 with 2.4 seconds left. "I'd never made two to go into overtime," Blackmon said. "I tried not to think about it. I just concentrated." "Stan played a tremendous game," Barksdale said. "If everyone would've made the effort Stan made, we wouldn't have lost." "Offensively, Stan was a warrior," Moser said. "When he had the ball in his hands, I felt pretty good." Blackmon was helped by Tech foul trouble. Four Tech players fouled out, including sophomore forwards Antonio Meeking and Zach Johnson and senior center Jon Fowler. With such trouble, Richard needed help from his bench. Tech completed the game with two starters. "Our bench was unbelievable," Richard said. "Obviously they were the key to the game. When we went to overtime, I didn't feel good." "Those guys played as hard as their starters did," Blackmon said. "They came out there and gave it their all. They knew what they were supposed to do." Moser said boosters tried to encourage him after the game. He said he appreciated their comments, but that they provided little solace. "The crazy thing about it is, I know we only won four games last season, but I've really stopped thinking about where we've come from," Moser said. "I know we're in a rebuilding process, and it's going to take a couple of years, but I just expect to win. I'm so competitive, that I want to win now. This hurts. I believe in our kids, in our coaching staff, and I go into each game expecting to win."
Halftime -- UALR 30, Tech 29. Officials -- Hightower, Vaughn, Hall. Attendance -- 3,145.
This article was published on Monday, January 8, 2001RETURN to main page
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