College Basketball Roundup : Skiles Scores 40 Points to Lead Spartans’ Upset of Wolverines

Senior guard Scott Skiles scored 40 points Saturday night to lead Michigan State to a 91-79 upset win over No. 6-ranked Michigan in a Big Ten game at East Lansing, Mich.

Skiles was deadly from the floor, hitting 15 of 19 shots, many from 20 feet or beyond.

Michigan State improved to 3-4 in the Big Ten and 12-5 overall. Michigan fell to 5-2 and 17-2.

The Spartans began taking control when Michigan center Roy Tarpley committed his third personal foul with 11:37 left in the first half.

Skiles pumped in a pair of long jumpers to put Michigan State ahead, 16-4, and the Wolverines never led after that. Skiles’ bombs started the Spartans on a 14-4 tear that gave them a 26-18 lead. Michigan went without a point for 3:23.

Behind Skiles’ long-range shooting, Michigan State gradually pulled away, gaining an 11-point edge, and then took its largest lead of the half, 44-29, with 30 seconds remaining on jumpers by Darryl Johnson and Skiles. The Spartans led, 44-31, at the half.

Michigan chipped the deficit to eight points, 53-45, in the second half, but Tarpley fouled out with 11:49 remaining and cut that rally short.

Michigan was led by senior forward Richard Rellford with 20 points.

“There’s no question that was an All-America performance by Scott Skiles,” Michigan Coach Bill Frieder said.

Of the Wolverines, Frieder said: “We’re not a very good basketball team without Roy Tarpley playing well. We’ve got different type forwards--power--not finesse and not shooters.”

Indiana 71, Illinois 69--Daryl Thomas scored 30 points, including two clutch free throws with 57 seconds left, as the Hoosiers (13-4 and 5-2) moved into a tie for the Big Ten lead with Michigan at Bloomington, Ind. Indiana scored the last 12 points of the first half to take a 34-33 lead. Ken Norman had 24 points for the Illini (13-6 and 4-4). Steve Alford (Ind) 16; Anthony Welch (Ill) 16.

Ohio State 73, Purdue 66--Brad Sellers scored 18 of his 26 points in the second half as the Buckeyes (10-7 and 4-3) led all the way against the Boilermakers (16-5 and 5-3) at Columbus, Ohio. Toy Lewis (P) 17; Melvin McCants (P) 17.

Wisconsin 69, Iowa 63--J.J. Weber scored 17 points, and Mike Heineman and Rick Olson added 16 each as the Badgers (10-7 and 2-5) snapped a five-game losing streak in surprising the Hawkeyes (14-6 and 4-3) at Madison, Wis.

North Carolina State 55, Virginia 53--The Wolfpack, trailing by five points with 7 1/2 minutes left, held the Cavaliers to only four points over the final six minutes at Raleigh, N.C. Chris Washburn had 15 points for N.C. State (13-5 and 5-2). Olden Polynice had 22 points for Virginia (13-5 and 3-3).

Duke 80, Maryland 68--Johnny Dawkins scored 24 points at Durham, N.C. as the Blue Devils (17-2 and 5-2) got back into the win column after losses on the road to North Carolina and Georgia Tech. Len Bias had a career-high 41 points for the Terrapins (10-8 and 0-6), off to their worst conference start in Lefty Driesell’s 17 years at the school.

Syracuse 80, Connecticut 67--Rafael Addison scored 21 points before 29,917 fans at the Carrier Dome as the Orangemen ran their record to 15-2 overall and 6-1 in th Big East. Connecticut (10-6 and 2-5) never got closer than 10 points in the second half. Wendell Alexis (S) 16; Dwayne Washington (S) 16.

Georgetown 73, Boston College 66--Ralph Dalton, Michael Jackson and Horace Broadnax each scored 14 points as the Hoyas (15-3 and 6-2) took control with a 17-5 run midway in the second half at Boston. Roger McCready had 20 points and Dominic Pressley 18 for the Eagles (11-7 and 2-5).

Villanova 80, Providence 68--Harold Jensen scored 20 points, and Harold Pressley added 18 as the Wildcats (13-8 and 5-2) breezed after taking a 41-34 halftime lead at Philadelphia. Ernie Lewis had 16 points for the Friars (9-9 and 1-6).

St. John’s 68, Pittsburgh 67--Walter Berry scored 22 of his 34 points in the second half, and Ron Rowan hit a 15-footer with a minute left as the Redmen (19-2 and 6-1) overcame a 40-28 halftime deficit to hand the Panthers (13-6 and 4-4) their first home loss in nine games. Charles Smith (P) 22; Demetreus Gore (P) 18; Ron Rowan (SJ) 17.

Kentucky 74, Tennessee 57--Winston Bennett scored 26 points, including all the points in a 6-0 spurt that gave the Wildcats a 36-28 lead with 16:55 left at Lexington, Ky. The Wildcats are 16-2 and 7-1 in the Southeastern Conference; the Vols are 10-7 and 3-5. Tony White, the SEC’s leading scorer, had 28 points for the Vols.

Alabama 67, Florida 64--Terry Coner hit a six-footer with 18 seconds left and made two free throws as the Crimson Tide (13-4 and 6-2) held off the Gators (9-7 and 4-4) at Tuscaloosa, Ala. Andrew Moton (F) 26; Coner 16.

Western Kentucky 81, Alabama Birmingham 75--Billy Gordon scored 20 points, and Tellis Frank sank four free throws in the last 48 seconds at Bowling Green, Ky. as the Hilltoppers (15-3 and 4-1) scored their second Sun Belt Conference win over the Blazers (18-5 and 6-2). Steve Mitchell (UAB) 27.

Kansas 71, Louisville 69--Greg Dreiling scored all 18 of his points in the second half, including two free throws with 1:38 left, as the Jayhawks (19-2) overcame a 13-point second-half deficit to turn back the Cardinals (12-5) at Lawrence, Kan. It was the third game in five days for the Jayhawks, who won their sixth straight and extended their home winning streak to 28 games. Milt Wagner (L) 23; Ron Kellogg (k) 19.

Oklahoma 83, Kansas State 80--David Johnson scored 21 points, and Tim McCalister added 19, including two free throws with 38 seconds left, at Manhattan, Kan. as the Sooners improved to 18-1 overall and 3-1 in the Big Eight. Joe Wright had 26 points for the Wildcats (13-6 and 1-3).