College Basketball Roundup : Kansas Is Upset by Upstart Miami, 87-86

It was right out of Hollywood, and Joel Warren was the unlikely star.

Warren’s first point of the night was the last one of the game, giving Miami an 87-86 upset victory over No. 16-ranked Kansas Thursday night at Miami.

“It was like in the movies--the kid that hardly ever scores gets in and makes one point to win the game,” said Warren, a senior reserve who is averaging 3.5 points a game. “People aren’t looking for me in that situation.”

Warren was fouled going to the basket with 2 seconds left. His first shot hit the rim three times before rolling off, but the second one went in without touching the rim to break Kansas’ 11-game winning streak.

The victory was the first over a top-20 team for Miami (10-6) in the 4 seasons since the Hurricanes’ basketball program was resurrected.

“It felt so good to have the other seniors hugging you after all we’ve been through, the good times and the bad times,” Warren said. “It’s definitely the biggest win we’ve had.”

Kansas (13-2) lost for the first time since being beaten by Seton Hall on Nov. 28.

Kevin Presto hit a 3-pointer with 2:08 left to give Miami an 85-84 lead. Eric Brown added a free throw with 23 seconds left, but Milt Newton’s 2 free throws brought Kansas into an 86-86 tie with 11 seconds left.

“Nobody gave us a prayer,” Miami Coach Bill Foster said. “When you look at the total set of circumstances--where we are, what we’ve been through--it’s just a heck of a win.”

Dennis Burns scored 25 points for Miami, and Brown added 23 points and 10 rebounds. Newton had 20 points for the national champion Jayhawks.

Illinois 103, Wisconsin 80--Kendall Gill made all 7 shots he took, including 4 3-pointers, and scored 19 points as the second-ranked Illini beat the Badgers for the 16th straight time, in a Big Ten game at Champaign, Ill.

Wisconsin (9-3, 1-2) had a 25-24 lead when Illinois (14-0, 2-0) took command with a 20-6 run.

Nick Anderson scored 18 points and Ken Battle and Lowell Hamilton each had 17 for Illinois. Trent Jackson scored 19 points and Kurt Portmann added 18 for Wisconsin.

Michigan 98, Minnesota 83--Sean Higgins, making his first start after a 3-game suspension for drinking, scored 20 points, and the sixth-ranked Wolverines downed the Gophers in a Big Ten game at Ann Arbor, Mich.

Minnesota (8-4, 0-2) became only the third team this season to lead Michigan (14-1, 2-0) in the second half this season when Kevin Lynch scored to make it 43-41 with 17:18 left. But Michigan went on a 12-4 run, with Higgins hitting two 3-pointers, to take control at 69-56 with 8:28 left.

Glen Rice had 31 points and Rumeal Robinson added 24 for Michigan. Willie Burton and Melvin Newbern each scored 19 for Minnesota.

North Carolina State 97, Coastal Carolina 69--Chucky Brown scored 20 points, and Avie Lester had 15 as the No. 15 Wolfpack trounced the Chanticleers at Raleigh, N.C.

N.C. State (10-1) used a 22-6 run while building a 45-27 halftime lead en route to winning their eighth straight game.

Richard Scantlebury scored 20 points for Coastal Carolina (4-8).

Kentucky 69, Florida 56--Derrick Miller, held scoreless for the first 13 minutes of the game, hit his first 7 shots of the second half and scored 30 points to lead the Wildcats past the Gators in a Southeastern Conference game at Gainesville, Fla.

The 6-foot 5-inch junior made 11 of 14 shots, missing only 1 shot after halftime, and also had 8 rebounds as Kentucky (8-7, 3-0) went over the .500 mark for the first time this season.

Dwayne Schintzius had 20 points and 13 rebounds for Florida (7-8, 1-3).

BYU 85, San Diego State 81--Mike Smith scored 20 of his 35 points in the second half and ignited an 11-0 run that carried the Cougars past the Aztecs in a Western Athletic Conference game at Provo, Utah.

San Diego State (8-5, 2-1) took a 55-40 lead on a basket by Tony Ross to open the second half, but BYU (6-6, 1-2) outscored the Aztecs, 45-26, the rest of the way.

Michael Best scored 21 points for San Diego State.

Providence 105, Central Connecticut State 56--Marty Conlon scored 16 points, and the undefeated Friars routed the Blue Devils at Providence, R.I.

Providence (13-0), top-ranked Duke, second-ranked Illinois and UC Santa Barbara are the only undefeated Division I teams.

Bryan Heron scored 20 points for Central Connecticut (6-8), which lost its fifth straight game.

LaSalle 86, Fordham 73--Lionel Simmons scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half, and the Explorers defeated the Rams in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game at New York.

Fordham (5-7, 1-2), closed within 38-37 on Andre McClendon’s 3-pointer 1:09 into the second half, but Simmons scored 10 points in an 18-4 surge by La Salle (10-3, 2-0).

Dan O’Sullivan scored 23 points for Fordham.

U.S. International 94, Manhattan 73--Gary Williams scored 21 points, Paul Wilson had 20, and the Gulls beat the Jaspers at Riverdale, N.Y.

Wilson scored 18 points as USIU (7-12) took a 46-32 halftime lead.

Peter Runge had 24 points and 15 rebounds for Manhattan (3-11).

Temple 89, Massachusetts 68--Mike Vreeswyk and Mark Macon each had 18 points as the Owls became the seventh team in college basketball history to reach the 1,300-victory mark by turning back the Minutemen at Springfield, Mass., in an Atlantic 10 Conference game.

Rafer Giles had 20 points for Massachusetts (5-7 and 0-5). Ernest Pollard added 16 points for Temple (6-5, 5-0).