COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Memphis State Gets Gilled by Illinois

Kendall Gill scored 22 points and had 10 rebounds Saturday as fourth-ranked Illinois defeated No. 15 Memphis State, 83-71, in the championship of the Old Style tournament at Rosemont, Ill.

But it was Gill’s defense that kept Illinois (10-0) undefeated.

Gill, a 6-foot-6 senior, was instrumental in holding Memphis State’s Elliot Perry to 17 points in a matchup of two of the country’s best guards. Perry had scored 33 in Memphis State’s overtime victory over Ball State Friday.

“I don’t think Perry hurt us that much,” Illinois Coach Lou Henson said. “We did as good a job on Perry as you can do.”

Gill said he wanted to keep Perry on the perimeter.

“I tried to not let him drive too much,” said Gill, who was voted the tournament MVP. “He’s a good ballplayer. . . . I think he hurt himself a little.”

Memphis State Coach Larry Finch said Perry was fatigued after playing 43 minutes in the first-round game late Friday night. Perry, a junior, had to leave the game with a leg cramp for 2 1/2 minutes in the second half as the Tigers were trying to rally.

“We were a little tired . . . but that is no excuse for not playing up to our ability,” Perry said. “No matter how tired you are, you still have to go out and play hard.”

Marcus Liberty scored 25 points and Illinois held a 44-33 rebounding edge as 6-foot-7 center-forward Ervin Small had 17 rebounds.

Gill scored 16 points in the first half and Liberty added 12 as Illinois took control early.

Memphis State’s only lead came at the start on Todd Mundt’s two free throws. Illinois scored the next nine points before Memphis State closed to 18-13. The Illini then went on a 14-5 run over the next six minutes.

OTHER TOP 25 TEAMS

No. 2 Kansas 83, Stanford 61--Jeff Gueldner sparked a 22-7 run as the Jayhawks ended the Cardinal’s nine-game winning streak by winning the BMA Holiday tournament title at Kansas City, Mo.

Five minutes into the second half, Kansas (13-0) was ahead, 54-35.

No. 5 Michigan 107, E. Michigan 83--Loy Vaught scored 20 of his 23 points in the second half as the Wolverines got their 1,000th victory in a nonconference game at Ann Arbor, Mich.

Demetrius Calip scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half as Michigan (10-1) gained a 52-36 halftime lead. Michigan, the 65th team to win 1,000 games, has won 10 in a row since a season-opening loss to Arizona.

No. 6 Oklahoma 99, Tulsa 78--The Sooners were held to fewer than 130 points for only the second time this season, but Tony Martin scored 27 points and sparked big runs in each half in helping his team win the All-College Tournament at Oklahoma City.

No. 7 Missouri 119, Kearney State 88--Anthony Peeler (24 points) and Travis Ford (20) ended shooting slumps to lead the Tigers at Columbia, Mo.

Peeler came off the bench to make 10 of 20 shots and get eight assists, and Ford, starting his first game, made seven of 10 from the field, including four of six three-pointers.

Nathan Buntin had 15 points and 13 rebounds for Missouri (11-1). Jamal Coleman scored 14, Brad Sutton added 12 and John McIntyre had 10 for the Tigers, who have lost only to Illinois.

No. 8 Louisville 86, Kentucky 79--Cornelius Holden and Keith Williams each scored two baskets in an 11-2 spurt midway in the second half that carried the Cardinals to victory at Lexington, Ky.

Kentucky (5-5) had rallied from a 42-35 halftime deficit to take a 60-59 lead when Sean Woods drove the length of the floor for a layup with 10:54 remaining.

No. 9 Louisiana State 100, Hardin-Simmons 66--All-American guard Chris Jackson broke a two-game slump with 27 points at Baton Rouge, La.

No. 18 Iowa 55, Monmouth, N.J. 46--The Hawkeyes made eight of 10 free throws in the final four minutes and rallied in the second half at Iowa City, Iowa.

Michael Ingram’s basket with 3:53 to play gave Iowa (8-1) a 45-40 lead, but Alex Blackwell’s basket pulled Monmouth (3-6) within three before the Hawkeyes made the free throws to put the game away.

No. 21 Arizona 85, Purdue 66--The Wildcats won the Fiesta Bowl tournament for the fifth time as Jud Buechler scored 23 points and Sean Rooks added 19.

Arizona (5-2) led, 38-35, at halftime but outscored Purdue, 23-8, to take a 61-43 with 10:56 remaining. The Boilermakers (7-2) closed to 64-55, but Arizona pulled away with a 10-0 run.

Penn State (7-2) defeated Wake Forest (6-3), 67-63, in the tournament’s third-place game.

No. 22 Alabama 64, Santa Clara 48--Melvin Cheatum scored 20 points and Keith Askins made four three-point baskets in a second-half runaway as Crimson Tide won the Cable Car championship at Santa Clara, Calif.

Cheatum scored 18 first-half points as Alabama (9-2) built a 24-20 lead. Then Askins scored 15 of his 17 points in an eight-minute stretch of the second half, including back-to-back three-point shots that turned a nine-point edge into a 36-24 lead.

No. 24 North Carolina 106, Colorado 101--Rick Fox scored 26 points and Hubert Davis 24 as the Tar Heels finished third in the Mile High tournament at Denver.

With Colorado leading, 73-72, Fox scored to start an 8-0 run that gave the Tar Heels (7-5) a seven-point lead with 7:50 left. The Buffaloes (7-4) closed to 84-79 before Fox started a 9-0 run that stretched the lead to 14 points.

No. 25 Minnesota 97, Youngstown State 75--The Gophers, who have eight consecutive victories since an opening loss at Cincinnati, pulled away early with a 30-9 spurt at Minneapolis.

OTHER GAMES / MIDWEST

Notre Dame 97, Butler 65--LaPhonso Ellis scored 18 points in his first game back from academic suspension as five Irish players scored in double figures at South Bend, Ind.

Ellis, a 6-foot-9 sophomore forward, was ineligible for Notre Dame’s first seven games because of poor grades. He started Saturday and had two baskets, including a dunk after a steal, as the Irish built a 12-2 lead in the first four minutes.

Michigan State 51, Princeton 49--Matt Steigenga made two free throws with nine seconds left, and the Spartans held on to win the Spartan tournament at East Lansing, Mich.

Parish Hickman, who tied Steigenga for scoring honors with 14 points, had a game-high nine rebounds and gave the Spartans the lead for good when he followed up his own miss with 4:13 left.

SOUTH

Maryland 110, Alcorn State 91--Jerrod Mustaf scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half, and the Terrapins finished with seven scorers in double figures at College Park, Md.

Tony Massenberg matched his season high with 20 points, scoring 10 in each half to lead Maryland (8-3), which has four consecutive victories.

Tennessee 83, Washington St. 82--Allan Houston had 22 points to lead the Volunteers in the Volunteer tournament at Knoxville, Tenn.

Vanderbilt 81, Northwestern 80--Derrick Wilcox scored 20 points, including two free throws in the final minutes, to lift the Commodores to the Music City Invitational title at Nashville, Tenn.

Alabama Birmingham 118, Alabama State 85--Andy Kennedy scored 26 points and Alan Ogg had 24 in the UAB tournament at Birmingham, Ala. In the consolation game, Rice defeated New Hampshire, 57-52.

WEST

Fresno State 69, Hofstra 48--Tod Bernard and Wil Hooker each scored 17 points as the Bulldogs won at Fresno.

San Diego State 70, Central Connecticut State 60--Vern Thompson scored 14 points and Marty Dow and Michael Best each scored 12 for the Aztecs (8-5) at San Diego.

Colorado State 77, Massachusetts 51--Mike Mitchell scored 23 points and Andy Anderson scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half to help the Rams (9-2) win the Mile High tournament at Denver.

San Diego 85, Columbia 58--Gylan Dottin scored 13 points and Pat Holbert had 12, and Craig Cottrell, Wayman Strickland and Anthony Thomas each added 10 for the Toreros.

North Carolina Charlotte 88, Boston College 83 (2OT)--Henry Williams scored 26 points for the 49ers to a third-place finish in the Far West tournament at Portland, Ore.