Still looking for that 16th win, the women’s basketball team fell to 15-11 overall, 7-8 in the conference, after an enthralling match against Old Dominion University Sunday afternoon. The College had the upper hand until the one minute, 14 second mark when ODU’s Tish Lyons knocked down her second foul shot to tie the game at 52 points. The Tribe was unable to score in the remaining minute as the Lady Monarchs hit four of their six free throw attempts to secure a 56-52 victory over the College.

p. Junior Kyra Kaylor led the Tribe with a game-high 24 points and 13 rebounds. Junior Devin James added 12 points to the total as freshman Tiffany Benson recorded three blocks to move her into fifth place for the most blocks in a single season.

p. The College still needs just one more tally in the victory column to achieve back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in the team’s Division I history. Currently, the Tribe is in a four-way tie for fifth place in the conference with Towson University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Georgia State University. With only three games to go, two of which being VCU and Georgia State, every game is vital for tournament seeding.

p. In the opening half, the College came out strong, taking an early 9-0 jump on the Lady Monarchs by way of back-to-back three pointers from Sarah Stroh and Kyra Kaylor, punctuated by a three-point play by James. Despite a 12-point lead with 11:09 remaining, ODU rattled off seven unanswered points to push the margin down to five points with 7:42 on the clock. The College saw a nine-point advantage down the stretch, but by halftime the Lady Monarchs only trailed the Tribe 40-35.

p. “The first half was close to flawless,” said Head Coach Debbie Taylor. “We played outstanding defense and held ODU to just 42 percent shooting. It was the best team basketball we’ve played since I’ve been here.”

p. The second half was a bit slower as the Tribe only scored four points within the first seven minutes. At the 13:40 mark, the College only held a 44-42 advantage and would not score again for three minutes. It was then that Kaylor attempted to break open the game with a lay-up and a three-pointer, giving the Tribe a 49-44 lead with 9:39 on the clock.

p. Baskets were few and far between, but at 1:14 ODU tied the game for the first time at the free-throw line, matching the Tribe’s 52 points. Kaylor attempted two lay-ups in the remaining time but was unsuccessful. Despite missing two foul shots down the stretch, the Monarchs regained possession and were fouled twice more, sinking the remaining four shots to secure a 56-52 victory in the end.

p. The Tribe outshot the Lady Monarchs 43 percent to 31 percent overall and held them to just 19 percent shooting in the second half. Additionally, ODU took 17 more shots and 14 more free throws than the Tribe and only held a slight advantage in the rebound column.

p. “We played great defense in the second half but there were too many turnovers and missed scoring opportunities,” said Coach Taylor. “When push came to shove, we fouled and threw the ball away; we just couldn’t handle the ball pressure. That’s the closest we’ve ever come to beating ODU, but when you know you can win, it’s disappointing.”

p. The Tribe hosts Georgia State University at the Kaplan Arena Thursday night at 7 p.m. In its last contest in Atlanta, the College defeated the Panthers by a narrow 77-76 margin.

Women’s tennis continued their winning ways this weekend as they won both of their matches, bringing their season record to 8-0. This is the second time in College history that the team has won eight consecutive matches; the record was set in 1999. The team played Ohio State University Sunday, defeating the Buckeyes 6-1. The Tribe also gained a victory against Marshall University Friday, with a score of 7-0.

p. The match against the Buckeyes began with the no. 1-ranked doubles team of senior Megan Moulton-Levy and sophomore Katarina Zoricic earning a decisive 8-1 victory at the first position. The second doubles team, consisting of freshmen Ragini Acharya and Magdalena Bresson, had a very trying match. The duo was down 2-7 before battling back to win six straight games, making the score 8-7. Ohio State’s team of Sonia Ruzimovsky and Caitlin O’Keefe won the next game to make the score 8-8. The match ended 11-9 in favor of the Tribe after a tiresome tiebreaker, as no player could break her serve until Bresson served out the winning point.

p. The top three singles matches were all victories for the Tribe, as Moulton-Levy, Zoricic and Acharya won their matches with ease. Sophomore Barbara Zidek won at the fifth position, 6-2, 6-3, and Bresson took down her opponent in the no. 4 spot, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Ohio State won one match, at the sixth position, as Julie Voss defeated Tribe freshman Carmen Pop 4-6, 6-4, 1-0.

p. The Tribe preceded Sunday’s victory with a win over 58th-ranked Marshall. On the doubles court, Moulton-Levy and Zoricic won at the first position, 8-3, over Karolina Soor and Thaddea Lock of the Thundering Herd. Zidek and freshman Lauren Sabacinski defeated a senior-junior duo from Marshall, 8-6.

p. The singles matches were just as successful, as all six girls defeated the Thundering Herd opponents in just two sets. Moulton-Levy, ranked fifth nationally in singles, defeated no. 18 Kellie Schmitt, 6-2, 6-0. Zidek defeated no. 94 Thaddea Lock, 6-2, 6-2, at the fifth position.

p. The team will be back on the court March 2 when they face 44th-ranked Harvard University. A win over the Crimson would set a new College record of nine consecutive victories.

Tribe baseball dominated in its home opener at Plumeri Park Friday afternoon against Rutgers University, earning the 9-1 victory and improving their record to 1-3.

p. “We played our best game of the year,” Head Coach Frank Leoni said. “It was a combination of good pitching and good hitting.”

p. Sophomore first baseman Mike Sheridan and sophomore right fielder Ben Guez each hit 2-for-3 with an RBI, junior catcher Tim Park batted 2-for-5, and senior second baseman Brent McWhorter gained his first home run of the season in the bottom of the eighth. Defensively, the team shut out Rutgers until the top of the ninth. Junior pitcher Sean Grieve earned the win, working five scoreless innings, and senior Warrick Staines and junior Pete Vernon provided sound relief in the final three innings.

p. “Grieve was able to pitch in and out of trouble, which was the key to the game,” Leoni said.

p. In the second game of the series against the Scarlet Knights Saturday, the Tribe was defeated 8-15. Junior starting pitcher Jimmy Drury took the loss and Rutgers pitcher Casey Gaynor earned the win. Offensively, senior third baseman Greg Sexton went 4-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs, while McWhorter went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a walk. Sophomore Jeff Wera hit a home run and Sheridan recorded three runs. Park, junior left fielder Greg Maliniak, freshman pinch hitter Chris Jensen and junior designated hitter Aaron Hurwitz all registered hits.

p. The final game of the series was an intensely close contest, with Rutgers ultimately earning the 9-8 win. The Tribe out-hit Rutgers 14-12 and seemed to have sealed the win with a 5-0 lead in the fourth, but Rutgers held on, bringing in six runs in the next two innings.

p. “It’s the toughest loss I’ve suffered so far as head coach here,” Leoni said. “We let it get away, but it will act as a good learning experience.”

p. A sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth gave Rutgers the advantage, breaking the 8-8 tie. Tribe freshman starter Kevin Landry performed solidly through four innings, taking relief from Staines, junior Pat Kantakevich and Vernon, with Vernon taking the loss. McWhorter hit 3-for-5 with one RBI and one run, and Sexton shined with a stellar performance, hitting for the cycle (earning a single, double, triple and home run), scoring three runs and driving in four more.

p. “This is a unique accomplishment in baseball, and it should be recognized,” Leoni said.

p. The Tribe will travel to no. 4-ranked University of Virginia today and host the University of Maryland-Baltimore County for a series this weekend.

Saturday evening I found myself in a state of pure despair. With the deadline for my article fast approaching, I began to channel surf in a seemingly hopeless attempt to encounter any form of inspiration. After fruitless 20 minutes, I eventually settled upon one of the least inspiring sporting events of the year, the NBA All Star skills challenge. As I watched a group of pampered and unmotivated NBA superstars dribble through sets of cones, make easy lay-ups and pass into massive nets, I began to give up all hope for an idea for my article. However, as the skills challenge came to a close, TNT commentator Ernie Johnson announced an incredible event that was to follow. At that moment, I realized that my savior came from one of the most unlikely sources imaginable: Charles Barkley.

p. The stage had been set weeks ago in the TNT post game analysis booth. Outspoken hall of fame analyst Charles Barkley had audaciously boasted that there was no way that 67-year-old NBA referee Dick Bavetta could beat him in any kind of foot race. To a casual sports fan, this may not have seemed a very bold statement. Why shouldn’t a physical specimen and NBA hall of fame inductee like Barkley be able to defeat a senior citizen referee in a race? However, take one look at Barkley and realize that a Dick Bavetta victory would not be out of the question.

p. The-43-year old Barkley pushes 300 pounds and looks as if he hasn’t participated in any kind of physical activity since his retirement after the 2000 NBA season. Hence, many of Barkley’s colleagues questioned his ability to finish the race, let alone his chances against Bavetta.

p. After much trash talking and mudslinging between the two competitors, the much anticipated race was slated to take place during NBA All Star weekend. The two athletes, Barkley and Bavetta, would be pitted against each other in the most epic event in recent sporting memory. Each competitor would be required to run the length of the court 3.5 times, a seemingly daunting task for both participants.

p. Donned in a flashy sweat suit, Bavetta emerged onto the court with both an intimidating game face and unwavering confidence. Barkley, however, did not look nearly as prepared. Strategically wearing an extra baggy T-shirt to hide his substantial gut, Barkley looked tremendously intimidated by his grizzled opponent.
Finally, after two false starts by the anxious Barkley, the race began. The stadium immediately grew quiet, as thousands of fans found themselves in a state of shock. The portly Barkley was able to jump out to a sizeable lead on the favored Bavetta.

p. As the race continued, Barkley was able to maintain a substantial lead; however, things became interesting when the two competitors entered the stretch run. It seemed as if Barkley would be able to coast to an easy victory. However, Barkley, widely known for his loud mouth and cocky demeanor, began pedaling backwards in an effort to taunt his opponent. Suddenly, in a clumsy display, Barkley tripped over his own feet and tumbled in the general direction of the mid-court line. Bavetta, the wily veteran that he is, saw his window of opportunity and lunged across the finish line in an awkward attempt to steal a victory from Barkley. However, much to the chagrin of the fiery Bavetta, Barkley was somehow able to break the tape first and capture arguably the most momentous victory in his entire sporting career.

p. “I think some of the footage that we saw of him slo-mo-ing and staggering along, that was not the Charles Barkley I saw tonight,” said the winded and bloodied Bavetta, “What I saw tonight is what I expected.” Although Bavetta was not surprised, Barkley’s unlikely victory will go down as one of the most incredible and inspiring upsets of the year in professional sports.

p. __Graham Williamson is a sports columnist for The Flat Hat.__

**Men’s Tennis**

The Tribe men showed why they deserve their new ranking in the top-100 this past weekend as they didn’t lose a game, easily dispatching both Norfolk State and Longwood University 7-0 on Saturday. The two victories in the double header extended the Tribe’s winning streak to four games and moved their match record to 6-5 on the season. Senior Colin O’Brien (left) won both of his singles matches playing in the top spot while teaming up with sophomore Marwan Ramadan to win both matches at number one doubles. Ramadan, playing singles in the no. 2 position, ran his winning streak to three and overall record to 10-8 with a pair of victories.

**Men’s Golf**

Despite being tied for fifth heading into the final round of their spring season opener, the Tribe could not hold pace with the field and finished in eighth place at the Rice Intercollegiate over the weekend. Sophomore Doug Hurson, who entered the final round in a tie for fifth place overall, shot a 77 Sunday and fell back to a 12th place finish. However, this 77 was tied for the Tribe’s best score of the day as the entire field struggled in the conditions. Senior Ryan Price also shot a 77 Sunday to improve to a tie for 19th. Following a trip to Ireland over spring break, the Tribe will host the William and Mary Invitational March 26-27.

**Track and Field**

Over the weekend, the Tribe men and women traveled to Blacksburg, Va. for the Virginia Tech Challenge. The Challenge marked another forum for the men and women to earn qualification marks for the IC4A Championships and ECAC Championships, respectively. The men racked up 13 IC4A Championship invitations through strong performances by senior Sean Anastasia-Murphy, senior Matt Wolak, and sophomore Ryan Jones, who all led the Tribe with two invitations each through strong track performances. Three women were awarded ECAC bids, while senior Bonnie Meekins cleared 5’10” in the high jump to move into second on the Tribe’s all-time list for that event. In the process, Meekins earned a provisional qualification for the NCAA Indoor Championships.