College Basketball Roundup : Georgetown Sets Back Providence

Georgetown basketball Coach John Thompson says you have to be careful with the defense on the road, and the Hoyas were extra careful as they defeated Providence College, 69-54, in a Big East Conference game at Providence, R.I., Monday night.

In one 12-minute stretch at the end of the first half and into the second, Georgetown’s zone defense limited the Friars to two field goals. It held Providence to 36% shooting from the floor for the night, 10 points below the Friars’ season average.

“On the road, you have to be careful about how much man-to-man defense you play,” Thompson said. “You have to be concerned about fouls. When we go with the big lineup, we tend to go zone. There was more emphasis on clogging the floor and stopping their penetration.”

Georgetown took the lead in the first two minutes and was never headed. The Hoyas took only 19 shots in the first half but made 13 of them for 68%.

The win boosted Georgetown’s record to 16-3 overall and 7-2 in the conference. Providence is 9-10, 1-7.

Memphis State 83, Virginia Tech 61--Senior forward Baskerville Holmes scored 19 points as undefeated and third-ranked Memphis State rebounded from an 8-0 deficit to win a Metro Conference game at Memphis, Tenn.

The victory extends Memphis State record to 20-0 overall and 5-0 in the conference. Holmes, who had only two points in the first half, also chipped in with nine rebounds for the Tigers while senior center William Bedford added 12 points and 11 rebounds.

The loss dropped the Hokies to 16-4 and 3-2.

San Diego State 88, Wyoming 82--San Diego State scored seven points in the final minute of play and came from behind to shock Western Athletic Conference leader Wyoming at San Diego.

Anthony Watson scored 30 points for the winning Aztecs, and teammate Steffond Johnson scored 22. Eric Lechner led the Cowboys’ attack with 28 points, while Les Bolden had 18.

The win improves San Diego State’s record to 5-3 in the conference and 6-12 overall. Wyoming, which committed three turnovers in the final two minutes, fell to 4-2 in the WAC and 10-7 overall.

Arkansas 81, Baylor 76--The Razorbacks hit all 10 of their free throws in overtime to pull away from the Bears in a Southwest Conference game at Fayetteville, Ark.

It was Arkansas’ first victory at Barnhill Arena since a Dec. 5 win over Samford and the first SWC win at home for a Razorback team under first-year Coach Nolan Richardson. The victory lifted Arkansas’ record to 10-8, 2-5 while Baylor fell to 9-10, 1-7.

Alabama Birmingham 71, South Florida 56--Senior guard Steve Mitchell scored 21 points, 19 in the first half, to the lead 18th-ranked Blazers to a Sun Belt Conference win at Birmingham, Ala.

Led by Mitchell, UAB shot 65% in the first half and led by 21 points at one point. The Blazers took a 40-25 lead into the intermission.

Jerome Mincy had 12 points and 9 rebounds for the Blazers (19-5, 7-2). South Florida (9-8 and 2-4) was led by Vince Sanford’s 14 points. Duke 89, Harvard 52--After a sluggish start in which No. 2 Duke scored only five points in six minutes, the Blue Devils cruised to a 40-19 halftime lead and went on to rout their Ivy League visitors in a game at Durham, N.C. The Crimson hit only 21% from the field.

Duke is 18-2; Harvard fell to 4-11.

Florida 75, Miami 53--Vernon Maxwell scored 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds lead the Gators (10-7) to a victory at Gainesville, Fla. The Hurricanes (10-8) started five freshmen for the first time this season and committed 19 turnovers against Florida’s fullcourt press.

Villanova 68, Pennsylvania 64--Dwight Wilbur scored 20 points as the Wildcats won at Philadelphia. Wilbur scored seven straight points during a 9-0 run, helping the Wildcats overcome a 56-52 deficit and take a 61-56 lead. The Quakers came no closer than two points down the stretch.

Harold Pressley added 17 points for Villanova (14-8) while Penn (8-6) received 14 pointsfrom Phil Pitts, 13 from Bruce Lefkowitz and 12 from Chris Elzey.

Fresno State 52, UC Santa Barbara 50--Jos Kuipers sank a three-point basket with seven seconds remaining to lift the Bulldogs to victory over the Gauchos in a Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. game at Goleta.

UCSB had taken a 50-46 lead with 2 1/2 minutes remaining, but, after Fresno State cut the difference to 50-49 on free throws, Kuipers made a 21-footer from the left corner.