COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL ROUNDUP : Villanova Continues Mastery of Syracuse

Villanova players will not admit to having a hex over Syracuse during the regular season, but the Orangemen are inclined to believe it.

The Wildcats knocked No. 3 Syracuse from the unbeaten ranks Saturday night, using a near impenetrable zone to frustrate the Orangemen for a 76-66 Big East Conference victory at Syracuse, N.Y.

It was Villanova’s third consecutive regular-season victory over the Orangemen.

The Wildcats defeated Syracuse last season, 93-74, the Orangemen’s worst conference loss in the Carrier Dome.

“I can’t really tell you what it is,” said Syracuse forward Dave Johnson, who scored 26 points. “They just must have our number. They’re the only team in the Big East I’ve got a losing record against.”

Villanova Coach Rollie Massimino called it a “gigantic win” for his young team, which had lost four of its last five games.

“This year they’re third-ranked. Last year, they were the No. 1 team in the country. That’s not too bad,” Massimino said. “That was our best game. We had poise and direction.”

Syracuse’s loss leaves only Nevada Las Vegas and Ohio State unbeaten among the nation’s Top 25.

“Everybody in college basketball is going to lose,” Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim said.

Villanova, 7-5 overall and 1-2 in the Big East, had to withstand a final charge by Syracuse, which whittled a 16-point deficit to 66-64 before faltering.

Lance Miller scored 22 points for Villanova, which led, 51-35, with 12:25 left after the Orangemen (13-1, 1-1) scored the first seven points of the second half.

Miller and Chris Walker, who scored 21 points, each made a three-point basket after a Villanova timeout to start the 17-4 run that left Syracuse with an insurmountable deficit.

LeRon Ellis scored 16 points and had a career-high 18 rebounds for Syracuse. Billy Owens sat out the final 10 minutes of the first half with foul trouble and finished with 14 points.

Villanova’s matchup zone dumbfounded the Orangemen in the first half as Syracuse made only nine of 33 shots.

The Orangemen also committed 14 turnovers and recorded only three assists.

Syracuse’s one strong point was its offensive rebounding--but only because the Orangemen could not make a shot outside the Wildcats’ zone.

Seventeen of Syracuse’s 31 rebounds in the first half were offensive and resulted in five of the Orangemen’s nine baskets.

No. 5 Indiana 99, Northwestern 58--The Hoosiers’ Big Ten Conference victory was their 19th consecutive win over the Wildcats at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind.

Damon Bailey had 17 points for the Hoosiers (14-1, 2-0), who are 33-3 against the Wildcats in Bob Knight’s tenure as coach.

Northwestern (5-6, 0-2) was led by Lucis Reese, who scored 15 points.

No. 6 Ohio State 67, Michigan 57--Jim Jackson scored 10 of his 16 points during the final eight minutes as the Buckeyes beat the Wolverines at Ann Arbor, Mich., ending a six-game Big Ten Conference losing streak in Crisler Arena.

Perry Carter had 12 points and 11 rebounds and Treg Lee added nine points and 10 rebounds for the Buckeyes (12-0, 2-0), who hadn’t won at Ann Arbor since 1984 and are shooting for their first conference title in 20 years.

Michigan (7-5, 0-2), which played the Buckeyes to a 27-27 halftime tie, was led by Kirk Taylor, who scored 15 points.

No. 7 North Carolina 82, Notre Dame 47--The Tar Heels held the Fighting Irish scoreless during an eight-minute stretch in the first half at East Rutherford, N.J., and cruised to their ninth consecutive victory.

Rick Fox scored 22 points for the Tar Heels (11-1), who had a 17-5 run at the start of the second half.

LaPhonso Ellis and Daimon Sweet each scored 14 points for the Fighting Irish (4-8).

No. 18 Virginia 81, No. 8 Duke 64--The Cavaliers’ victory in an Atlantic Coast Conference opener at Charlottesville, Va., was only their second win in 18 games against the Blue Devils since 1983.

Anthony Oliver scored 21 points and had six steals and four assists for the Cavaliers (9-2), who have won seven consecutive games this season.

Christian Laettner scored 27 points for Duke (10-3), which shot 37.5% and committed 24 turnovers.

No. 9 St. John’s 75, Boston College 68--The Redmen rebounded from their only loss and celebrated Coach Lou Carnesseca’s 60th birthday with a Big East victory over the Eagles at New York.

Malik Sealy scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half for the Redmen (10-1, 1-1), who lost to Syracuse last Wednesday.

Doug Able had 13 points for the Eagles (8-5, 1-2).

No. 12 Connecticut 81, No. 11 Pittsburgh 76--Scott Burrell made a go-ahead three-point shot with 58 seconds left to lead the Huskies over the Panthers in a Big East game at Hartford, Conn.

The Huskies (10-1, 2-0), who have won seven consecutive games and 21 in a row at home, were led by Chris Smith, who scored 21 points.

Former St. Monica High standout Jason Matthews scored 17 points for Pitt (12-3, 1-1).

No. 13 Oklahoma 64, James Madison 61--Jeff Webster scored 22 of his 24 points in the second half, including a tip-in with 11 seconds left, as the Sooners survived a cold-shooting first half to beat the Dukes in a nonconference game at Landover, Md.

Webster’s rebound and basket of a miss by Terrence Mullins helped the Sooners (11-3) to their third consecutive road victory despite their lowest scoring total of the season.

Steve Hood scored 20 points for the Dukes (5-6), who concluded a 21-day, seven-game trip that included Wednesday’s 89-65 loss to top-ranked Nevada Las Vegas.

No. 16 Kentucky 93, No. 14 Louisiana State 80--Deron Feldhaus equaled a career high with 27 points to lead the Wildcats to a Southeastern Conference victory over the Tigers at Lexington, Ky.

The Wildcats (10-2, 2-0) overcame a strong performance by Shaquille O’Neal, who scored 28 points.

The Wildcats, who led by as many 18 points, made 17 of 37 shots from three-point range.

LSU (8-3, 1-1) made only 21 of 37 free throws.

No. 15 Georgetown 73, Seton Hall 65--Dikembe Mutombo scored 16 points and teamed with Joey Brown during an 18-0 run in the second half to carry the Hoyas over the Pirates in a Big East opener at Landover, Md.

The Hoyas (9-2) increased their lead from 42-33 to 51-42 during the pivotal run that lasted 4 minutes 50 seconds.

Terry Dehere scored 21 points for the Pirates (9-2, 2-1), who lost for the first time in eight games.

No. 17 East Tennessee State 89, Appalachian State 70--The Buccaneers led, 44-25, at halftime and increased the lead to as many as 25 points in the second half of a Southern Conference opener at Johnson City, Tenn.

Keith Jennings had 22 points and 12 assists for the Buccaneers (10-1).

Steve Spurlock scored 25 points for the Mountaineers (7-5).

No. 19 Nebraska 74, Kansas State 69--The Cornhuskers, off to their best start in 78 years, opened Big Eight Conference play by defeating the Wildcats at Manhattan, Kan.

Jose Ramos made three free throws in the final 12 seconds for the Cornhuskers, who overcame a seven-point halftime deficit to win their 12th consecutive game.

Rich King scored 16 points for Nebraska, which is 14-1 for the first time since the 1912-13 season.

Jeff Wires had 21 points for the Wildcats (7-4).

No. 21 Southern Mississippi 84, Florida State 72--The Golden Eagles made 34 of 45 free throws, including eight of 10 in the last 2 1/2 minutes, to win a Metro Conference game at Hattiesburg, Miss.

Darrin Chancellor and Daron Jenkins each scored 20 points for Southern Mississippi (6-1, 1-0), which had only five field goals in the final 13 minutes.

The Seminoles (5-5, 0-2) got 24 points from Doug Edwards, eight during a run that cut the Golden Eagle lead to 72-66 with 2:59 left.

No. 22 Iowa 79, No. 25 Michigan State 66--Former Serra High standout James Moses scored 19 points to lead the Hawkeyes in a Big Ten victory over the Spartans at Iowa City, Iowa.

Iowa (12-2, 1-1) used a 15-4 run to take a 49-43 lead with 9:12 left and made 16 of 22 free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

Steve Smith scored 26 points for the Spartans (8-4, 1-1)

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

EAST

Mark Macon scored 26 points and Vic Carstarphen added 19 as Temple held off a late rally by La Salle for a 91-86 victory at Philadelphia. Temple (7-3) has won nine of the last 11 games with city rival La Salle (7-2) and leads in the series, 47-34. Randy Woods had 27 points for the Explorers.

MIDWEST

Freshman Melvin Booker made a layup with 21 seconds left in overtime to lift Missouri to an 80-79 victory over Oklahoma State in the Big Eight Conference opener for both teams at Columbia, Mo. Doug Smith led the Tigers (7-4) with 40 points. Byron Houston scored 30 points for the Cowboys (10-3). . . . Terry Brown scored a career-high 42 points and tied a Big Eight record with 11 three-point baskets as Kansas (8-2) beat North Carolina State, 105-94, in a nonconference game at Lawrence, Kan. Brown was 14 of 20 from the field, including 11 of 17 from three-point range, tying the mark set earlier this season by Brent Price of Oklahoma. The Wolfpack (6-3) lost its sixth consecutive game to the Jayhawks.

Deon Thomas tipped in a miss by Rennie Clemons with four seconds left to give Illinois a 63-61 come-from-behind victory over Purdue in a Big Ten game at Champaign, Ill. Purdue (9-3, 1-1) called time out, but lost its chance for the victory when Chuckie White missed a three-point shot. Andy Kaufmann scored 32 points for Illinois (11-4, 1-1). . . . In Wisconsin’s final tuneup before beginning Big Ten play, the Badgers defeated Portland, 74-50, at Madison, Wis. Willie Simms scored 22 points for the Badgers (6-4). Ron Deaton had 13 points for Portland (1-11).

Eddie Bird scored 19 points and made two key free throws in the final 30 seconds at Terre Haute, Ind., to lead Indiana State to a 75-70 Missouri Valley Conference victory over Illinois State. Indiana State is 5-8 and 1-2. Illinois State is 0-10 and 0-2. . . . Dayton forced Marquette into committing 27 turnovers and the Flyers cruised to a 103-81 victory over the Warriors in a Midwestern Collegiate Conference opener at Dayton, Ohio. Chip Jones scored 23 points for the Flyers (6-5, 1-0). Mark Anglavar scored 18 points for Marquette (4-6, 0-1).

Toledo became the 70th NCAA Division I-A basketball program to reach the 1,000 victories with a 71-65 Mid-American Conference win over Ball State at Toledo, Ohio. The Rockets (8-6, 1-1) are 1,000-655 in 74 years of intercollegiate competition. The two-time defending MAC champion Cardinals are 9-4 and 0-2 this season.

SOUTH

At Athens, Ga., Litterial Green scored 27 points and Marshall Wilson had 22 as Georgia surged to a 22-point lead midway through the second half and coasted to a 107-86 Southeastern Conference victory over Tennessee. Georgia (8-4, 1-2) ended a two-game losing streak. Lang Wiseman had 23 points for the Volunteers (6-7, 0-2), who lost for the third consecutive time. . . . Stacey Poole made a jump shot from the free-throw line with two seconds left to give Florida an 84-82 Southeastern Conference victory over Auburn at Gainesville, Fla. Poole had 21 points for the Gators (6-5, 2-0). Ronnie Battle scored 23 points for the Tigers (7-4, 0-2).

Vanderbilt held Alabama to 23 points in the second half and beat the Crimson Tide, 66-55, in a Southeastern Conference game at Nashville, Tenn. Scott Draud scored 15 of his 22 points for the Commodores (8-5, 2-1) on three-point shots. Alabama is 7-4 and 1-1. . . . Walt Williams scored 29 points, including seven in a pivotal 13-2 second-half run, as Maryland remained undefeated at home with an 81-65 Atlantic Coast Conference victory over Clemson at College Park, Md. The Terrapins (7-4, 1-1) are 5-0 at home. Clemson (8-4, 0-2) has won only two games at Maryland since 1976.

ROCKIES

Wyoming ended New Mexico’s 17-game home winning streak with a 92-79 Western Athletic Conference victory at Albuquerque, N.M. Tim Breaux scored a career-high 27 points for the Cowboys (10-2, 1-0). Luc Longley scored 25 points for the Lobos (11-3, 1-1). . . . Stevie Wise scored 22 points to lead Colorado to a 105-81 victory over Iowa State in a Big Eight opener at Boulder, Colo. The Buffaloes (9-3) broke the game open with a 26-6 run over eight minutes to take a 39-20 lead against the Cyclones (4-11).

SOUTHWEST

Reserve forward Locksley Collie scored 22 of his career-high 27 points in the second half to lead Texas to a 94-77 Southwest Conference victory over Baylor at Austin, Tex. Joey Wright and Teyon McCoy each scored 20 points for the Longhorns (7-4, 2-0). Baylor is 7-4 and 0-2. . . . Texas Christian made 10 of 12 free throws in the final 2:08 to secure a 63-59 victory over Southern Methodist in their Southwest Conference opener at Ft Worth. The Horned Frogs are 9-2. SMU is 3-8 and 0-2.

WEST

Tim Owens scored 17 of his game-high 26 points in the second half to lead USF to an 87-82 victory over St. Mary’s in a West Coast Conference opener at San Francisco. The Gaels (4-10) were leading, 66-49, but the Dons (8-6) used a pressing defense to tie the score, 75-75, before building a lead they would not relinquish. . . . Rhea Taylor scored 27 points to lead Santa Clara to a 68-61 victory over the University of San Diego in a West Coast Conference opener at Santa Clara. Taylor scored 15 of his points in the first half to give the Broncos (10-5) a 32-29 halftime lead. San Diego is 7-6.

Josh Grant scored 13 points and Utah withstood a comeback by San Diego State for a 68-62 Western Athletic Conference victory at San Diego. The Utes (13-1, 2-0) have won 10 consecutive games. Marty Dow scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half to lead a resurgence for the Aztecs (5-7, 0-2).