COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Syracuse’s Quick Start Finishes Connecticut Win Streak

Syracuse got off to a quick start and Connecticut finished strong, but the sixth-ranked Orangemen emerged from Saturday’s Big East Conference game with a 90-86 victory at Syracuse, N.Y., before a Carrier Dome record crowd of 32,820.

Forward Derrick Coleman scored a career-high 29 points as Syracuse avenged last month’s 70-59 loss in Hartford, Conn. The Orangemen, who ended the Huskies’ 10-game winning streak, have won six consecutive games.

“We really got out to a good start and that’s what we had to do against this team,” said Syracuse forward Stephen Thompson, who added 19 points. “Last time we came out slow and we never did get going. This time we wanted to come out fired up and do the job right.”

Billy Owens, who scored 21 points for Syracuse, said: “I think we kind of shocked them a little bit. We wanted to get out to a big start on them early, because when we get that kind of jump early, it’s hard for anybody to catch up to us.”

But No. 8 Connecticut almost did.

Syracuse led, 81-71, with 2:10 to play, but the Huskies chipped away down the stretch. Syracuse made 17 of 22 free throws over the final seven minutes.

“About a month ago when we beat Syracuse, people asked me what was wrong with Syracuse,” said Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun. “I said, ‘Nothing. Syracuse is a great basketball team.’ Tonight, they put us in a hole early, and they didn’t let us out of that hole. And we’re not an easy team to keep in such a hole.”

Syracuse is 18-3, 7-3 in the Big East. Connecticut (20-4, 7-3) was led by Chris Smith’s 25 points, all in the second half.

OTHER TOP 25 TEAMS

No. 1 Missouri 107, Nebraska 85--Doug Smith scored 44 points, including 12 in a 23-9 run beginning the second half, as the Tigers won their 29th consecutive home game.

Smith, a 6-foot-10 senior whose previous career high was 32, fell just two points shy of Missouri’s single-game record.

The Tigers (22-2, 8-1 in the Big Eight Conference), whose top ranking fell into jeopardy Thursday night with a 65-58 loss at Kansas State, appeared listless in the first half.

But Smith scored six of the first eight points in the second half to help turn a close game into a rout. The Huskers (9-12, 2-6), who earlier in the week snapped a 17-game road losing streak with a 91-82 victory at Colorado, were led by Rich King with 25 points.

No. 2 Kansas 88, Iowa State 83--Kevin Pritchard scored 18 points and the Jayhawks took advantage of a four-point play late in the game to move into position for a return to the top of the national rankings.

Kansas (24-1, 7-1 in the Big Eight) had to survive a shaky final minute to break a six-game losing streak at Iowa State.

Four other players scored in double figures for Kansas, which hosts Missouri on Tuesday.

Iowa State (7-13 and 2-6) lost for the seventh time by five points or less.

Kansas was clinging to an 82-81 lead when Mark Randall was fouled by Brian Pearson as Jeff Gueldner hit a jump shot from the top of the key. Randall made both free throws for an 86-81 lead with 1:03 left and the Jayhawks held on.

Baylor 82, No. 3 Arkansas 77--David Wesley scored eight of his 23 points in the final two minutes at Waco, Tex., as the Bears avenged an earlier 99-84 loss.

Baylor’s victory also snapped a 12-game Arkansas winning streak and handed the Razorbacks their first loss in the Southwest Conference.

Wesley, who missed 11 games because of a stress fracture of the right leg before returning on Wednesday against Texas, hit six free throws and got a basket off a steal in the closing minutes. For the game, Wesley hit 12 of 12 free throws.

The game was tied, 70-70, before Wesley took charge. The Hogs scored only two baskets in the final 3:07.

Arkansas was led by Lee Mayberry, who had 16 points. Todd Day, who was averaging 20 points, was held to nine.

Arkansas dropped to 20-3 and 11-1 in the SWC. Baylor is 13-9 and 5-6.

No. 4 Duke 114, Maryland 111--Phil Henderson scored nine of his 26 points in overtime after the Blue Devils had to rally from an 11-point deficit in the final five minutes of regulation at College Park, Md.

Duke (18-4, 8-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) came back from a 103-102 deficit in overtime with seven consecutive points, four by Henderson and three by Alaa Abelnaby, with 1:16 remaining.

After Jerrod Mustaf, who scored a career-high 35 points for Maryland, converted a three-point play eight seconds later, Christian Laettner hit the front end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity to give Duke a 110-106 lead with 42 seconds left.

Laettner led Duke with 26 points.

Evers Burns then made a layin with 31 seconds left to get Maryland within 110-108, but Henderson made two free throws two seconds later and Bobby Hurley sank two more to clinch the victory.

Maryland, which lost for the 11th time in 12 games to Duke, dropped to 13-10 and 3-6.

No. 5 Georgetown 56, Florida 40--Alonzo Mourning scored 10 of his 14 points during a 16-1 first-half run to lead the Hoyas in a nonconference game at Landover, Md.

Georgetown (19-2) has won four consecutive games. Undermanned and undersized Florida (6-13) has not won since Jan. 13, dropping eight in a row.

Georgetown trailed 9-1 and 15-10 before rallying behind Mourning to take a 26-16 halftime lead. The Hoyas, who got 15 points from Mark Tillmon, never let the lead slip below nine points in the second half.

Stacey Poole scored 12 points for Florida.

No. 11 Louisiana State 119, Tennessee 113--Chris Jackson scored 49 points at Knoxville, Tenn., including 10 three-point baskets, as the Tigers took over first place in the Southeastern Conference.

Jackson scored 17 points in a 31-13 run midway through the second half as LSU (19-4, 9-3) broke away from a 61-61 tie to take a 92-74 lead.

Allan Houston scored 43 points for Tennessee (12-9, 7-5). The Volunteers fought back to within 112-106 on a three-point basket by Greg Bell with 1:49 to play, but could get no closer.

No. 14 La Salle 99, Manhattan 78--Lionel Simmons scored a career-high 40 points and moved past Elvin Hayes into eighth place on the NCAA scoring list in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game at New York.

La Salle (19-1, 10-0) never trailed in opening a 45-38 halftime lead. The Explorers pulled away with 16 consecutive points, seven by Simmons, that made the score 66-42 with 13:43 to play. Manhattan dropped to 9-13 and 5-6.

No. 16 Georgia Tech 94, No. 15 Louisville 84--Kenny Anderson scored four points and had four assists in a 17-7 run to open the second half as the visiting Yellow Jackets remained unbeaten outside the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Georgia Tech (16-4) made 21 of 29 field goals in the second half (72%), after hitting only 14 of 34 (41%) in the first half.

Dennis Scott led Georgia Tech with 30 points and Anderson finished with 29 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds. LaBradford Smith scored 23 points for Louisville (18-5).

No. 23 Michigan State 84, Ohio State 75--Steve Smith scored 25 points and Kirk Manns 24 as the Spartans hit seven consecutive field goals down the stretch in a Big Ten Conference game at Columbus, Ohio.

Michigan State (19-5, 8-3) made 14 of 23 shots from the field in the second half and finished 28 of 53 for 53%.

Ohio State, led by Mark Baker’s 19 points, fell to 11-10 and 5-6.

No. 24 St. John’s 83, Villanova 69--Boo Harvey scored 27 points for the Redmen, who have won two consecutive games after losing three in a row.

Malik Sealy added 22 points for St. John’s (19-6, 7-4), which has a solid grip on fourth place in the Big East after the home victory. Greg Woodard led Villanova (13-12, 5-7) with 14 points.

No. 25 Indiana 98, Northwestern 75--Eric Anderson scored 26 points to lead the Hoosiers in a Big Ten game at Bloomington, Ind.

Indiana (15-6, 5-6) has won 20 consecutive home games against Northwestern (8-13, 1-10), which has lost 34 consecutive road games.

OTHER GAMES

EAST

Pittsburgh 117, Providence 102--The Panthers’ Brian Shorter scored 34 points and was perfect on his 11 field goal attempts at Pittsburgh to set a Big East record for field goal percentage.

Pittsburgh’s 117 points were a league record and marked the most points ever scored against Providence (12-8, 5-6). Connecticut owned the Big East single-game record with 113 points against Seton Hall in 1982. The 219 combined points scored also was a league record. The Panthers are 10-11 and 4-6.

MIDWEST

Wichita State 68, Drake 62--John Cooper scored 22 of his 25 points in the second half, including the go-ahead basket with 1:38 left, as the Shockers rallied at Des Moines, Iowa, and spoiled the debut of the Bulldogs’ replacement coach, Eddie Fields.

It was Drake’s first game since a player revolt resulted in the ouster of Coach Tom Abatemarco earlier in the week. The Drake players boycotted practice for two days, then said they no longer would play for Abatemarco, complaining he was too harsh with them.

Wisconsin 80, Iowa 71--Larry Hisle, Jr., and Brian Good, two low-scoring guards, combined for 34 points as the Badgers ended a 15-game losing streak in Iowa City, Iowa.

Wisconsin, which shot 77% from the field in the first half, is 12-12 and 3-9 in the Big Ten. Iowa fell to 11-10 and 3-8.

SOUTH

Clemson 74, Virginia 63--Center Elden Campbell tied a career-high with 29 points as the Tigers won their 20th consecutive home game. Clemson improved to 18-5 and 6-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Virginia dropped to 14-7 and 3-6.

North Carolina State 80, DePaul 71--Rodney Monroe scored 22 points and combined with Brian Howard for the Wolfpack’s first 20 points in the second half in a nonconference game at Raleigh, N.C.

North Carolina State is 17-6 and DePaul is 13-11.

Georgia 75, Alabama 64--Alec Kessler scored 18 points as the Bulldogs took the lead midway through the second half at Athens, Ga., and claimed a share of second place in the Southeastern Conference.

Both teams are 8-4 in the SEC. Georgia is 15-6 and Alabama 17-6.

Southern Mississippi 86, Memphis State 82--Russell Johnson scored 19 points to lead the Eagles in a Metro Conference game at Hattiesburg, Miss.

Memphis State (14-8, 5-4) led 80-79 going into the final minute of play, but Southern Mississippi (15-7, 6-3) scored seven unanswered points.

SOUTHWEST

Houston 93, Notre Dame 82--Byron Smith scored 24 points to lead the Cougars (17-6) in a nonconference game at Houston. The Irish fell to 12-8.

WEST

Colorado State 86, Texas-El Paso 68--Mike Mitchell scored 10 consecutive points to open the second half and finished with 34 to lead the Rams (18-6, 8-4) in a Western Athletic Conference game at Fort Collins, Colo.