clarinews@clarinet.com (01/12/90)
_U_n_i_t_e_d_ _P_r_e_s_s_ _I_n_t_e_r_n_a_t_i_o_n_a_l In a memorable struggle between the ACC's two best teams, Duke got in the final flurry Thursday night to knock Georgia Tech from the ranks of the unbeaten. Christian Laettner's dunk and free throw with 34 seconds left, helped the 11th-ranked Blue Devils to a 96-91 triumph over No. 9 Georgia Tech before a record crowd of 9,795 at Alexander Coliseum. It was Duke's first win in five trips to Alexander. Laettner's 3-point play gave the Blue Devils 92-86 lead and capped an exciting conference contest that saw both teams battle back from sizable deficits. ``I thought we won the game,'' said Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski. ``It was a game where somebody was going to win. A team wasn't going to lose that game.'' Phil Henderson scored 26 points and Laettner finished with 23 for Duke, which won its eighth straight and raised its record to 11-2 overall and 2-0 in the ACC. Dennis Scott had a game-high 30, but only 9 in the second half for the Yellow Jackets, 10-1 and 1-1. Brian Oliver added 24 points for Georgia Tech. Trailing by 9 points with 9:00 to play, Duke went on a 14-0 run over four minutes, to take the lead. ``We seemed to have momentum and everything there, but something happened,'' said Georgia Tech Coach Bobby Cremins. ``That's something I've got to look at. If we got good shots and missed them, that's fine.'' Henderson's 3-pointer ended the spurt and put Duke up 85-80. Georgia Tech twice got to within one, but the Blue Devils held on with Laettner's dunk an exclamation point in the victory. Laettner scored 10 points in the final 8:37. ``We came here ready to win and prepared to win,'' said Laettner. ``We didn't think about playing an unbeaten team, we just thought about playing a good game against a good team.'' The game also featured two of the country's finest freshamn, guards Kenny anderson of Georgia Tech and Bobby Hurley of Duke. Their matchup was a standoff with Anderson getting 19 points and Hurley 15. Both handed out 11 assists to their teammates. Elsewhere in the Top 20, No. 10 Louisville bested South Carolina 79-66; No. 12 Indiana pasted Northwestern 77-63; No. 15 Minnesota was upended by Purdue 86-78; No. 17 Arizona waxed Southern Cal 90-75; No. 18 Loyola-Marymount outscored Santa Clara 113-100; and No. 19 UCLA thumped Arizona State 62-53. At Columbia, S.C., Keith Williams made 8 of 9 field goals and scored a career-high 24 points to power Louisville. Cornelius Holden added 14 points For Louisville, 11-2 overall and 1-1 in the Metro Conference. Jo Jo English led South Carolina, 5-4 and 1-1, with 20 points. At Evanston, Ill., Eric Anderson scored 20 of his 24 points in the second half to lead the Hoosiers, 12-1 and 2-1 in the Big 10. Anderson accounted for 11 points during an 18-2 run that erased a 46-40 deficit and helped Bobby Knight become the winningest coach in Big 10 history with 229 wins, surpassing Purdue's Ward ``Piggy'' Lambert. Rex Walters led Northwestern, 7-5 and 0-2, with 20 points. At West Lafayette, Ind., Ryan Berning scored all 13 of his points in the final nine minutes -- including 6 free throws in the last 71 seconds -- to help Purdue snap the Golden Gophers' 10-game winning streak. Tony Jones scored 17 points to lead six players in double figures for Purdue, 10-2 overall and 2-0 in the Big 10. Willie Burton scored 22 points for Minnesota, 10-2 and 1-1. At Los Angeles, Jud Buechler collected 22 points and 10 rebounds and Sean Rooks added 18 points to power Arizona. Rooks scored 7 points in a 17-2 run as the Wildcats overcame a 52-49 deficit and coasted to their fourth Pacific-10 triumph in a row. Arizona is 9-2 overall and 4-2 in the league. Harold Miner led the Trojans, 5-6 and 0-4, with 26 points and Chris Munk added 20. At Santa Clara, Calif., Bo Kimble, the nation's leading scorer, tallied 35 points and Hank Gathers added 22 to boost the Lions. The Lions, who reached 100 points for the 11th time in 13 games, improved to 10-3 and 1-0 in the West Coast Conference. The Broncos fell to 3-11 and 0-2. At Los Angeles, Trevor Wilson collected 17 points and 11 rebounds and Don McLean added 12 points and 10 rebounds to power UCLA, 10-2 overall and 4-0 in the Pac 10. Alex Austin tied a career high with 31 points for Arizona State, 8-5 and 2-3. In other games, it was: Holy Cross 63, Manhattan 56; Massachusetts 80, George Washington 61; St. Joseph's 75, Rhode Island 67; Temple 73, West Virginia 69; Clemson 78, North Carolina-Asheville 54; Furman 60, Davidson 57; Southern Mississippi 87, Virginia Tech 85; Cincinnati 82, Florida St. 62; Evansville 66, Detroit 54. Also, it was: Marquette 95, Dayton 84; Michigan State 78, Ohio State 68; Wisconsin 73, Iowa 69 in overtime; Tulane 81, Memphis State 80; Tulsa 101, Bradley 82; Brigham Young 69, Texas-El Paso 67 in overtime; California 72, Washington State 67; Utah 79, New Mexico 60; Washington 71, Stanford 59; and Wyoming 76, San Diego State 60
clarinews@clarinet.com (TOM WITHERS, UPI Sports Writer) (01/14/90)
Minnesota Coach Clem Haskins was pleased with his team's performance Saturday against Michigan, but his assesment of the officiating wasn't nearly as complimentary. Terry Mills made two free throws with 27 seconds left and No. 4 Michigan made 26 of 32 free throw attempts Saturday to post an 87-83 victory over No. 15 Minnesota. Minnesota took just nine shots from the free-throw line, making only three, and the Golden Gophers were whistled for 28 personal fouls, compared to 15 for the Wolverines. The differential didn't sit well with Haskins. ``The free throws were 32-9,'' Haskins said. ``It's hard to overcome that. We're good enough to overcome 55 percent bad calls, but you can't overcome 65-70 percent. ``I was pleased with my team to stay within four points with a chance to win. If we'd made a few extra free throws -- and we had the chances -- we could have won.'' The effectiveness of Michigan's front line was the key to the Wolverines' victory. Mills and forward Sean Higgins scored 23 points each and center Loy Vaught pulled down four key rebounds down the stretch to go along with 26 points from guard Rumeal Robinson as Michigan improved to 11-2 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten. Melvin Newbern and Walter Bond paced Minnesota, 10-3 and 1-2, with 20 points each. Kevin Lynch added 16 and Willie Burton scored 12. ``Clem (Haskins, Minnesota's coach) will say it's poor officiating,'' Michigan Coach Steve Fisher said, ``but we'll say we passed up good outside shots to get better inside shots. That's why we got so many foul shots.'' Haskins said the Golden Gophers ``feel good about this game. There's no disgrace losing to the defending (NCAA) champs. I have great confidence we can beat this team or any team in the conference.'' Mills and Vaught keyed an 11-0 run that gave the Wolverines control with four minutes to play. Vaught pulled down four crucial defensive rebounds in the final 6:30 while Michigan was overcoming a 66-63 deficit. Newbern's layup with 35 seconds to go, following a Robinson turnover, brought the Gophers to within 84-83, but Mills made his two free throws and Robinson added another with six seconds to go to account for the final score. Minnesota outscored Michigan 10-2 to end the first half and led 44-40 at intermission. Elsewhere Saturday in the Top 20, No. 1 Kansas mastered Oklahoma State 91-77, No. 2 Georgetown held off DePaul 74-64, No. 3 Oklahoma routed Texas 103-84, No. 5 Missouri husked Nebraska 111-95, No. 8 Nevada-Las Vegas crumbled Temple 82-76 and No. 9 Georgia Tech bested North Carolina State 92-85. Also, No. 11 Duke defeated Maryland 91-80, No. 16 St. John's edged Pittsburgh 71-70, No. 19 UCLA upended No. 17 Arizona 73-67 and No. 20 Alabama burned Mississippi State 62-57. _x_ _x_ _x_ _6_2_-_5_7_. At Lawrence, Kan., Rick Calloway scored 17 points and the Kansas defense harried the Cowboys, 8-5 and 0-2, into a 6:40 scoring drought. The Jayhawks, 18-0 and 2-0, led 57-56 with 14:26 left but Oklahoma State did not score again until a Royce Jeffries baseline jumper with 7:46 remaining. At Rosemont, Ill., Alonzo Mourning scored 21 of his 26 points in the second half to rally the Hoyas, 13-0. Mourning hit a pair of free throws and David Edwards scored four points to give Georgetown the lead for good with less than five minutes left. David Booth scored 18 points for the Blue Demons, 8-8. At Norman, Okla., Jackie Jones scored 22 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked a school-record 9 shots to lead the Sooners, 12-0. William Davis added 19 points for Oklahoma, which won its 38th consecutive home game. Travis Mays scored 21 points for the Longhorns, 10-3. At, Lincoln, Neb., Doug Smith scored 31 points and Anthony Peeler added 29 to help the Tigers, 15-1 and 2-0. Lee Coward and Nathan Buntin each added 21 points for Missouri. Carl Hayes scored 20 points, 15 in the first half, for the Cornhuskers, 6-7 and 0-2. At Philadelphia, Larry Johnson made 6 free throws in the final 34 seconds to help the Runnin' Rebels record their 10th victory in 13 games. Johnson finished with 26 points. Donald Hodge scored a season-high 29 points for Temple. At Atlanta, Brian Oliver made 8 free throws in the final 1:54 and finished with 27 points to help the Yellow Jackets, 11-1 and 2-1, hold off the Wolfpack, 12-3 and 1-1. Kenny Anderson and Dennis Scott each scored 18 points for Georgia Tech. Rodney Monroe scored 25 points for North Carolina State. At Durham, N.C., Christian Laettner scored 27 points and Alaa Abdelnaby added 22 to lead the Blue Devils, 12-2 and 3-0, to a victory over the Terrapins, 10-5 and 2-2. Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski recorded his 214th victory, moving him past Vic Bubas into second place on the school's all-time win list. At New York, Jayson Williams scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half and the Redmen, 14-3 and 3-1, overcame a pair of missed one-and-one free throw attempts by Boo Harvey in the last minute to hold off the Panthers, 5-9 and 0-4. Brian Shorter scored 21 for Pittsburgh. At Starkville, Miss., James Sanders scored 13 points and David Benoit added 12 to help the Crimson Tide, 12-3 and 3-1. Melvin Cheatum and Robert Horry each added 10 points for Alabama. Cameron Burns scored 23 points and Tony Watts had 15 for Mississippi State, 8-5 and 1-4.
clarinews@clarinet.com (TOM WITHERS, UPI Sports Writer) (01/16/90)
Whether it is football or basketball, defense is the key to winning in the rugged Big Ten. The Michigan Wolverines proved that Monday night. The No. 7 Wolverines won for the first time at Illinois since 1979, holding the sixth-ranked Fighting Illini to 41 percent shooting, in a 74-70 Big Ten victory. Michigan ended Illinois' 28-game home winning streak in the first meeting between the two schools since last year's memorable NCAA tournament semifinal matchup in which the Wolverines won in the final seconds. Michigan limited Illinois to 29 of 71 field-goal shooting Monday and outrebounded the Illini 41-31. ``I told the kids in the locker room, in my eight years at Michigan, this is the best defense we have played,'' Wolverines Coach Steve Fisher said. ``If you don't defend and rebound, you can't win. ``Anytime you can go anywhere on the road and win, it's a big victory. To come in to a place like Champaign, Illinois, and beat this team here, it's very significant and important. I'm glad we don't have to come and play them again here this year.'' Terry Mills scored 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds and Sean Higgins added 16 points for the Wolverines, 12-2 and 2-1. Loy Vaught had 14 rebounds. Stephen Bardo led the Illini, 12-2 and 2-2, with a career-high 20 points and Kendall Gill had 15. ``You can't shoot 40 percent and win. You can't beat an average team shooting 40 percent,'' Illinois Coach Lou Henson said. ``Hustle and guts will only take us so far. We have to shoot.'' Michigan downed the Illini 83-81 in their Final Four game last year when Higgins buried a jumper in the final seconds. Michigan went on two capture the NCAA title. Higgins had three 3-pointers in the first half Monday and four for the game. ``I think I shot one of nine here last year, and I wanted to redeem myself,'' Higgins said. ``It was like we won the national championship after the game.'' Michigan never trailed. The Wolverines led 37-33 at halftime and increased their lead to 10 when Demetrius Calip hit two free throws to make it 54-44 with just over 14 minutes remaining. Illinois closed the gap to 62-60 with 7:51 left and drew withing 71-70 when Gill hit one of two free throws with 33 seconds left, but Vaught hit two free throws and Rumeal Robinson one to ensure the victory. Elsewhere in the Top Twenty; Connecticut surprised No. 5 Syracuse 70-59; ninth-ranked Nevada-Las Vegas defeated Fresno St. 84-75; No. 18 Xavier of Ohio buried the District of Columbia 110-52; and co.-No. 19 La Salle downed Canisius 89-77. At Hartford, Conn., Tate George and Chris Smith scored 17 points apiece and Connecticut benefited from another poor Syracuse shooting performance to upset the Orangemen. Syracuse, 12-2 and 4-2, made just 25 of 71 field-goal attempts (35 percent). The Huskies, 14-3 and 4-2, led from the opening minutes, and built a 30-14 lead in the first half. The Orangeman got no closer than four points the rest of the way. The victory was Connecticut's fourth straight in the Big East, only the second time in the league's 11-year existence that the school has won four consecutive conference games. At Fresno, Calif., Larry Johnson scored 28 points to lead the Runnin' Rebels to the Big West victory. Johnson hit 11 of 14 shots, including 7 of 7 in the second half. He also grabbed nine rebounds. Tod Bernard led Fresno State with 27 points. Nevada-Las Vegas improved to 11-3 and 5-1 while the Bulldogs dropped to 6-8 and 1-4. At Cincinnati, Tyrone Hill scored 12 of his game-high 20 points in the first 10 minutes to lead the 18th-ranked Musketeers. The margin of victory was the largest in school history for Xavier, which improved to 12-1. UDC, 9-10, is playing at the Division I level for only the second year. At Philadelphia, Lionel Simmons scored 27 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to power the Explorers. Simmons scored seven points during a 10-0 run that extended a 43-42 lead to 53-42 with 14 minutes to play. Doug Overton added added 21 points for La Salle, which improved to 11-1 overall and 2-0 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Dyall Nixon led Canisius, 2-12 and 0-6, with 23 points. Elsewhere it was: Massachusetts 82, St. Bonaventure 55; Penn St. 64, Duquesne 56; Clemson 117, Georgia St. 59; Richmond 51, Wake Forest 49; Virginia Commonwealth 86, Jacksonville 81, OT; Virginia 89, Virginia Military 78; Akron 80, Wright St. 66; St. Louis 66, Butler 64; New Orleans 75, Tulane 59; Colorado St. 65, Wyoming 57; Long Beach St. 72, New Mexico St. 56; San Jose St. 66, Fullerton St. 60; Santa Barbara 91, Utah St. 82 and Washington 83, Miami (Fla.) 67. -- This, and all articles in this news hierarchy are Copyright 1990 by the wire service or information provider and licenced to Clarinet Communications Corp. for distribution. 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clarinews@clarinet.com (TOM WITHERS, UPI Sports Writer) (02/01/90)
Though they were trailing by nine points at halftime Wednesday night, Michigan Coach Steve Fisher told his team not to worry. After watching Purdue make 70 percent of its shots in the first half, Fisher stressed to his No. 4 Wolverines that there was no way the Boilermakers could shoot 70 percent in the second half. He was right, Purdue only shot 69.6 percent the rest of the way. Purdue, ninth-ranked and one of college basketball's biggest surprises this year, remained unbeaten in the rugged Big Ten with a 91-73 thrashing of the Wolverines. The Boilermakers established a Crisler Arena record, making 35 of 50 shots and now hold a two-game lead in the Big Ten. ``Everybody's chasing Purdue,'' Fisher said. ``And everybody could be in a big hurt. Michigan State needs a victory (Thursday) over Minnesota. ``Purdue was running off the floor saying, `We're for real.' And they are.'' ``You play that well,'' Purdue coach Gene Keady said, ``you're going to beat a lot of good teams. The kids are really working together.'' Tony Jones and Steve Scheffler combined for 41 points as Purdue improved to 8-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 1936. It has won 11 conference games in a row overall, one shy of the school record. Jones, who hit 11 of 21 shots, scored 23 and Scheffler had 18 points while missing just one shot. Loren Clyburn scored 15 with Woody Austin and Ryan Berning getting 13 apiece. Berning made 6 of 7 shots. Michigan dropped to 5-3 in the Big Ten and 15-4 overall. The Wolverines were led by Rumeal Robinson, who had 17, and Terry Mills with 15. After the Wolverines closed to within three at 55-52 with 13:59 to play, the Boliermakers went on a 13-0 run that put the game away. Scheffler who has made an amazing 51 of 61 shots in Big Ten play, converted his only miss into a layup that started the spree. ``Scheffler misses and puts in his own rebound,'' Fisher said. ``If we get it, you never know. They go on a 13-0 run and we don't score for seven minutes.'' Keady has stressed self-discipline to his team this year, resulting in their excellent shooting percentages. The Boilermakers never took a shot from outside of 12 feet unless it was wide open. ``The coaches emphasize if you have a real good shot, be willing to make the extra pass to get an even better shot,'' said Scheffler, who made 7 of 8. ``We don't have much of a choice because if we don't, we're dead.'' ``A lot of things can still happen,'' said Scheffler. ``To start celebrating is very dangerous. We could lose our next five games easily.'' While the rest of the country waits for the Boilermakers to collapse, Keady is cautiously optimistic. ``Our goal was to finish 12-6 and it looks like we should be able to do that unless we screw it up real bad.'' Shooting 70 percent, Purdue can't miss. Elsewhere in the Top Twenty; No. 1 Missouri edged Iowa State 95-93; No. 2 Kansas buffaloed Colorado 90-69; No. 3 Arkansas nipped Rice 70-66; No. 5 Duke downed Clemson 94-80; No. 8 Oklahoma pounded Nebraska 105-64 and No. 14 LSU nipped Mississippi 79-77. At Ames, Iowa, Freshman Travis Ford nailed a 19-footer with five seconds left in the game to lead the Tigers in a Big Eight matchup. After Ford's game-winner, the Cyclones were unable to get off a shot. Anthony Peeler scored a career-high 42 points and tied a school record by converting 20 straight free throws. Missouri has won 11 in a row and improved to 20-1 overall and 6-0 in the conference. Victor Alexander and Phil Kunz each scored 20 points for Iowa State, 7-10 and 2-3. At Lawrence, Kansas, Rick Calloway led a balanced attack with 17 points as the Jayhawks cruised past Colorado in a Big Eight game. Mark Randall added 14 points and Kevin Pritchard had 13 points to help the Jayhawks raised their record to 21-1 and 4-1 in the league. Shaun Vandiver scored 28 points for the Buffaloes, who fell to 9-10 and 1-5. Colorado has not won a league road game since Februrary 183, a span of 47 games. At Houston, Todd Day and Arlyn Bowers each converted two free throws in the final 20 seconds and the Razorbacks held off the Owls in a Southwest Conference game. Day scored 23 points to help Arkansas to their 10th straight win and improve to 18-2 and 9-0. Lenzie Howell added 14 points and 10 rebounds for Arkansas. Mike Rourke scored 19 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for Rice, 9-9 and 4-4. At Durham, N.C., Phil Henderson scored 20 points and Alaa Abdelnaby and Bobby Hurley added 18 points to pace the fifth-ranked Blue Devils. Christian Laettner added 15 points for Duke, which improved to 17-3 overall and 7-1 in the ACC. Elden Campbell's 26 points paced Clemson, which fell to 15-5 overall and 4-3 in conference play. Kirkland Howling added 15 points and Sean Tyson 14 for the Tigers. At Norman, Okla., Damon Patterson scored 20 points and Jackie Jones added 16 points and 13 rebounds and the Sooners notched their 41st straight home win.Skeeter Henry added 16 points for the Sooners, 15-2 and 4-1. Terrence Mullins scored all 10 of his points during a decisive 20-4 first-half run. Dapreis Owens led Nebraska, 7-11 and 0-5, with 16 points and Carl Hayes added 15. At Oxford, Miss., Maurice Williamson made a pair of free throws with eight seconds left and Chris Jackson scored all 28 of his points in the second half, including four three-pointers to lead the Tigers. Williamson added 17 points for the Tigers, 15-4 and 6-3. Gerald Glass scored 33 points and snared ninerebounds for Mississippi, 3-6 and 6-12.
clarinews@clarinet.com (TOM WITHERS, UPI Sports Writer) (02/02/90)
Georgia Tech's Three Basketeers combined Thursday night to hand North Carolina its worse conference loss in 27 years. Dennis Scott scored 37 points, Brian Oliver added a career-high 34 and freshman Kenny Anderson handed out 17 assists, and No. 15 Georgia Tech gave No. 18 North Carolina a 102-75 beating, the Tar Heels worst defeat in the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1963. ``That's probably as well as we can play,'' said Georgia Tech Coach Bobby Cremins, ``I really thought we played an outstanding game.'' In particular, Cremins singled out the play of Anderson, who has more than lived up to his preseason billing. ``I told Kenny Anderson a long time ago, `that probably your best game would be when you could get 15 or 16 assists and score eight points'. He had that type of game. He provided tremendous leadership.'' Anderson scored only six points but it was his ball handling and assists that carried the Yellow Jackets, who improved to 13-4 overall and 3-4 in the ACC. The Tar Heels, who got off to a poor start this year and had fallen out of the national rankings, had won five straight. ``I can't ever remember us being out of a game with two minutes to play,'' said Carolina Coach Dean Smith. ``Of course I felt we were out with five minutes to play.'' Scott, averaging 28 points a game, went over the 30-point mark for the 10th time this year and extended his three-point streak to 68 games. ``I thought Scott and Oliver had great games,'' said Smith. ``We forced Kenny Anderson into some turnovers, but he made some nice passes. Our defense has been so good and it was non-existent today. But a lot of that had to do with Georgia Tech.'' Cremins felt his team desperately needed a conference win after dropping three straight. ``Even though we've had our backs to the wall. We played as well as we can play. We put out some great moments at times. I'm really proud of this team.'' The Tar Heels, 15-7 and 5-2, managed to cut their deficit to 14 at 76-52 on a 3-pointer by Rick Fox, but could get no closer. Fox led the Tar Heels with 18 points and Hubert Davis added 15 off the bench. Georgia Tech held its biggest lead of 28 points five times late in the second half. Elsewhere in the Top Twenty; No. 10 Nevada Las Vegas plastered Utah St. 124-90; No. 12 Louisville pummelled Virginia Tech 96-69; No. 17 UCLA was upset by Southern Cal 76-75 and No. 20 Minnesota held off Michigan State 79-74. At Las Vegas, Nev., Stacey Augmon scored a career-high 34 points and the Runnin' Rebels also did some brawlin' after the game. Several players exchanged punches at the game's conclusion, although none was hurt. The Rebels, who had all five starters score in double figures, improved to 15-4 overall and 9-1 in the Big West Conference. Utah State, which fell to 11-10 and 5-5, was led by Kendall Youngblood's 16 points. At Louisville, Jerome Harmon led five players in double figures to lead the Cardinals. The Cardinals, who improved to 16-3 overall and 6-1 in the Metro Conference, never trailed and forced the Hoakies into 23 turnovers. Louisville, which opened up a 31-point lead in the second half, used a 14-0 first-half run to put it away early. Virginia Tech, 9-12 and 1-5, was led by Dirk Williams who scored 32 points. Bimbo Coles, the Hoakies leading scorer, managed only two points playing with the flu. At Los Angeles, Freshman Harold Miner scored 27 points, including the game-winning free throw with 30 seconds left, to lift the Trojans. The victory snapped the Trojans' seven-game losing streak to the Bruins dating to 1986. Ronnie Coleman added 19 points and 9 rebounds for USC, which improved to 7-10 overall and 2-8 in the Pacific-10. UCLA, which had won three straight, dropped to 14-4 and 8-2 in the league, one game behind first-place Oregon State.Freshman Tracy Murray and Trevor Wilson led the Bruins with 19 points apiece. At East Lansing, Mich., Kevin Lynch blocked Kirk Manns' 3-point attempt and raced the length of the floor for a layup with 14 seconds to play and the Golden Gophers got a hard earned Big Ten victory. Walter Bond scored 15 points and Melvin Newbern 14 to lead six Gophers in double figures. Minnesota, which improved to 15-4 overall, moved into sole possession of second place in the Big Ten with a 6-3 mark. Michigan State, 16-5 and 5-3, was led by Manns' 21 points.
clarinews@clarinet.com (TOM WITHERS, UPI Sports Writer) (02/04/90)
This was not the break that St. John's was looking for. The No. 19 Redmen, who had suffered consecutive losses to Big East front-runners Connecticut and Syracuse, needed a victory over No. 6 Georgetown Saturday to keep pace in the conference. Any ideas that the Redmen had of an upset quickly ended less than four minutes into the game when Jayson Williams -- their top scorer and best inside threat -- limped off the court and into the dressing room with an injury. Williams, who had missed 10 games earlier in the season with a non-displaced fracture of his right foot, suffered another fracture in the same area of the foot and was replaced with 16:29 to play in the first half. Without Williams the Redmen had to take on the Big East's version of the Twin Towers -- Georgetown's frontline of Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo. The Redmen put up a valiant effort without Williams, who was recovering from an early nine-point deficit to lead 37-32 at the half. But in the second half, Mourning and Mutombo took full advantage of Williams' absence, fouling out starting center Robert Werdann and reserve Sean Muto. The Hoyas' guards also benefitted, easily driving the lanes and picking up fouls. ``You can't lose a player like Jayson Williams and not let it have a negative effect on you,'' said Georgetown Coach John Thompson. Mark Tillmon scored 20 points and the Hoyas made 23 foul shots in the second half to improve to 17-2 overall and 7-2 in the conference. Mourning finished with 15 points and Dwayne Bryant added 10. Malik Sealy led the Redmen, 17-6 and 6-4 with 19 points. Boo Harvey added 13 points and Billy Singleton had 13 point and 12 rebounds. Despite absorbing their third straight tough loss, St. John's Coach Lou Carnesecca was proud of team's effort. ``We are not shooting the ball well, but we're playing hard. The ball was simply not falling for us. We have to regroup, because of this injury to Jayson. Everyone has to pull together to get through these tough times.'' The Hoyas opened the second half with a 16-8 run, completing the burst on hook shot by Mourning that put Georgetown ahead 48-45. Georgetown dominated from there and the Redmen were unable to draw closer than six the rest of the way. Williams, who never fully recovered from the first injury, twisted his foot on a drive and knew it was bad. ``I tried to costume it, but that would have been hurting the team,'' said a somber Williams after the game. ``I hope that the team can deal with the loss. But right now I have to take care of myself, because Jayson Williams hopes to have a future after St. John's.'' Williams, who was expected to be a high NBA draft pick, will likely miss the remainder of the season. ``It's not the end of the world,'' added Carnesecca. ``We're not lost, we'll be back. Elsewhere in the Top Twenty; No. 2 Kansas pounded Oklahoma 85-74; No. 4 Michigan rocked Wisconsin 77-63; No. 7 Syracuse flattened Florida State 90-69; No. 9 Purdue was upended by Michigan State 64-53; No. 10 Nevada Las Vegas edged North Carolina State 88-82; No. 13 Louisiana State outscored 148-141; No. 14 Connecticut routed Providence 92-77; co-No. 15 La Salle downed Iona 89-73; co-No. 15 Georgia Tech topped Maryland 90-84; and No. 17 UCLA defeated DePaul 87-77. _x_ _x_ _x_ _D_e_P_a_u_l_ _8_7_-_7_7_. At Lawrence, Kan., Rick Calloway scored 20 points and Kevin Pritchard added 14 to lift the Jayhawks over the Sooners. Kansas, 22-1 and 5-1 in the Big Eight conference, got the victory despite shooting just 38 percent form the floor. Jackie Jones had 18 points for Oklahoma, 15-3 and 4-2. At Madison, Wis., Terry Mills scored 18 points and Rumeal Robinson and Loy Vaught each added 15 for the Wolverines, who played without forward Sean Higgins, who is out 3 to 4 weeks with a stress fracture. Michigan improved 16-4 overall and 6-3 in the Big Ten. Danny Jones had 25 points for Wisconsin, 2-8 and 11-11. At Tallahassee, Fla., Billy Owens scored 25 points to lead the Orangemen to their fourth straight win to improve to 16-3. Owens scored 12 of his points during a 24-11 first-half run. Florida State fell to 13-10. At West Lafayette, Ind., Steve Smith converted seven free throws in the final two minutes as the Spartans handed the Boilermakers their first Big Ten loss. Smith, led Michigan State, 17-5 and 6-3 in the Big Ten, with 22 points. Ken Redfield scored all 13 of his points in the second half. Steve Scheffler led the Boilermakers with 22 points. Purdue is 16-3 overall and 8-1 in the conference. At Las Vegas, Nev., Larry Johnson scored 24 points and made four free throws in the final 37 seconds for the Runnin' Rebels, who improved to 16-4. North Carolina State, 15-6, got 31 points Rodney Monroe. At Baton Rouge, La., Shaquille O'Neal had 20 points, 24 rebounds and a school-record 12 blocked shots to help the Tigers win an overtime shootout.Loyola Marymount's Hank Gathers led all scorers with 48 points. Chris Jackson led LSU with 34 points in the highest scoring game at the LSU Assembly Center.Bo Kimble, the nation's leading scorer, finished with 32 points. At Providence, R.I., Chris Smith scored 21 points to lead five players in double figures as the Huskies blasted the Friars. The Huskies, 7-2 in conference play, share first place with Georgetown, and are 19-3 overall. The Friars drop to 12-7 on the season and 5-5 in conference games. John Gwynn scored 15 points to pace the Huskies. At New Rochelle, N.Y., Lionel Simmons scored 26 points to power the Explorers to a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference victorye. The Explorers, 16-1 overall and 7-0 in the MAAC, scored 24 of the final 32 points. Doug Overton finished with 20 points while Sean Green and Joey Johnson each scored 23 points for Iona, 8-12, 3-6. At Los Angeles, Tracy Murray and Trevor Wilson scored 18 points apiece to lead the Bruins, who improved to 15-4. Kevin Walker added 14 points off the bench for UCLA. Depaul's Stephen Howard led all scorers with 28 points and David Booth added 23 for the Blue Demons, who slipped to 12-10. UCLA honored former All-Americas Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul Jabbar by retiring their jerseys prior to the game. At College Park, Md., Dennis Scott scored 17 of his 26 points in the second half to lead the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech twice rallied from 11-point deficits to improve to 14-4 overall and 4-4 in the ACC. Kenny Anderson had 24 points and Brian Oliver added 21 for Georgia Tech. Tony Massenburg scored a career-high 34 points for Maryland, 13-8 and 3-4.