College Basketball Roundup : Villanova Surprises Georgetown, 90-88, in Double Overtime

Harold Jensen’s 18-foot jumper with four seconds left in the second overtime gave Villanova a 90-88 upset victory over Georgetown in a nationally-televised Big East game Saturday at Philadelphia.

Villanova raised its record to 18-12 overall and 8-5 in the Big East. Georgetown fell to 19-5 and 9-4.

In the second overtime, Harold Pressley, who scored 34 points on 14-for-17 shooting, scored on a three-point play and a layup to help the Wildcats build an 86-83 lead with 1:46 left.

Mark Plansky drove for a Villanova layup to boost the lead to 88-85 with 52 seconds left after a short jumper by Georgetown’s Ralph Dalton.

Perry McDonald converted one of two free throws to bring Georgetown to within 88-86 and scored on a driving layup to tie it at 88-88 with 33 seconds remaining.

Then came Jensen’s game-winning jumper for the Wildcats, who lost earlier this season, 76-72, to Georgetown at Landover, Md. That was their first meeting since Villanova upset the Hoyas in last year’s NCAA championship game.

Pressley, a 6-8 center, also had 11 rebounds, 8 blocked shots and 3 assists. Jensen finished with 16 points.

“I was pumped up for this one,” said Pressley. “We desperately needed to win this game. It’s probably the best game I’ve ever played.”

Villanova trailed, 68-59, at 3:45 to play in regulation and rallied to tie the score at 71-71 with 12 seconds remaining on a layup by Dwight Wilbur.

Syracuse 76, Providence 75--Dwayne Washington scored 27 points, including 4 free throws in the final minute, as the Orangemen (20-3 and 11-1) edged the Friars (11-12 and 3-9) at Providence, R.I. Syracuse held on after building a 69-59 lead with five minutes left.

St. John’s 74, Connecticut 54--Walter Berry had 18 points and eight rebounds and Willie Glass had 15 points as the Redmen (24-4 and 11-1) breezed to victory at New York. Connecticut (12-10 and 3-8) was playing without leading scorer Earl Kelley who was declared academically ineligible Saturday.

Duke 72, North Carolina State 70--Johnny Dawkins scored 24 points, including two free throws with two seconds left at Raleigh, N.C. as the Blue Devils raised their record to 24-2 overall and 10-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Wolfpack (17-8 and 6-5) was led by freshman forward Charles Shackleford with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Chris Washburn (NCS) 16; David Henderson (D) 16.

Georgia Tech 62, Virginia 55--Mark Price scored 22 points, boosting his career total to more than 2,000 points, as the Yellow Jackets (19-4 and 7-3) came back from a 34-30 halftime deficit at Atlanta. Virginia (16-7 and 5-5) was led by Mel Kennedy with 16 points and nine rebounds.

Clemson 70, Maryland 60--Maryland, leading 24-23 at halftime, went eight minutes with only one field goal as the Tigers took command at Clemson, S.C. Maryland was playing without Len Bias, the ACC’s leading scorer, who was suspended for breaking curfew after Thursday night’s win over North Carolina State. Clemson improved to 16-10 and 3-8, while Maryland dropped to 13-11 and 3-7. Tom Jones (M) 19; Michael Best (C) 16.

Kentucky 88, Mississippi State 62--Winston Bennett scored 21 points and Kenny Walker added 20 at Lexington, Ky. as the Wildcats improved to 21-3 overall and 13-1 in the Southeastern Conference. It’s Kentucky’s best start since 1978-79 when the Wildcats won the NCAA title. Mississippi State fell to 4-19 and 1-13. Kentucky shot 72%, setting a Rupp Arena record. Chauncey Robinson (MS) 15.

Auburn 71, Alabama 69--Freshman Michael Jones scored 14 points, including four free throws in the last 80 seconds at Auburn, Ala., as the Tigers (15-9 and 9-5) kept alive their hopes for an NCAA tournament bid. Jim Farmer scored 25 points and Buck Johnson added 19 for Alabama (17-6 and 10-4). Auburn’s Chuck Person, averaging 20.8 points per game, got into foul trouble and was held to seven points.

Mississippi 58, LSU 57--Joe Ayers hit a 20-footer from the top of the key with four seconds left at Oxford, Miss. as the Rebels (11-12 and 4-10) held off the Tigers (19-8 and 7-7). LSU was leading, 45-33, with 13:14 left but gradually succumbed to Mississippi’s pressing defense. John Williams (LSU) 21; Curtis Ritchwood (M) 18; Derrick Taylor (LSU) 16.

South Alabama 46, Alabama Birmingham 44--Freshman guard Jeff Hodge sank two free throws with six seconds left at Mobile, Ala. as the Jaguars improved to 15-13 overall and 4-8 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Blazers shot a season-low 30% as they dropped to 21-8 and 8-5. Steve Mitchell (UAB) 15.

Michigan 82, Iowa 66--Guards Gary Grant and Antoine Joubert sparked a 13-0 surge midway in the second half that gave the Wolverines a 56-44 lead at Ann Arbor, Mich. Michigan improved to 22-3 overall and 10-3 in the Big Ten, while Iowa dropped to 16-9 and 6-6. Joubert had 19 points, Grant 18. Gerry Wright (I) 16.

Michigan State 76, Minnesota 66--Scott Skiles had 23 points and 12 assists and Darryl Johnson had 22 points (11 of 12 shots) at East Lansing, Mich. as the Spartans overcame a three-point halftime deficit with 16-4 spurt at the start of the second half. The Spartans are 17-6 and 8-5, Minnesota 15-10 and 5-7. Marc Wilson (M) 18.

Illinois 82, Wisconsin 74--Ken Norman scored 19 points as the Illini (17-7 and 8-5) took early command and led by as many as 20 points over the Badgers (10-13 and 2-11) at Madison, Wis. Rick Olson (W) 31; Anthony Welch (I) 15.

Kansas 79, Nebraska 61--Ron Kellogg ignited a 12-4 run with two straight baskets in the second half as the Jayhawks took at 67-50 lead at Lawrence, Kan. Kansas is 24-3 and 9-1 in the Big Eight; Nebraska 15-8 and 5-5. Bernard Day (N) 22; Brian Carr (N) 17; Cedric Hunter (K) 17; Kellogg 15; Calvin Thompson (K) 15.

Texas 58, Texas A&M; 47--John Brownlee scored 19 points, including two slam dunks in the final two minutes, as the Longhorns turned back the Aggies at Austin, Tex. Texas is 16-8 overall and is tied with TCU for the Southwest Conference lead at 11-2. A&M; dropped to 14-10 and 8-4. Don Marbury (A&M;) 15.

Bradley 61, Southern Illinois 60--Hersey Hawkins, who already had won two games for Bradley this season with last-second shots, scored a layup with 10 seconds left to lift the Braves to victory at Carbondale, Ill. Bradley is 26-1 overall and 13-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Southern Illinois is 8-16 and 4-8. Bradley scored the final eight points after Southern Illinois had gone ahead 60-53. Steve Middleton (SI) 24; Jim Les (B) 16.

Louisville 72, DePaul 53--Herbert Crook scored a career-high 28 points and combined with Jeff Hall to ignite a 10-0 blitz at the outset of the second half as Louisville overcame a 31-26 at halftime deficit. The loss was the worst ever for DePaul at the Rosemont Horizon. Louisville is 18-7, DePaul 13-9. Dallas Comegys (DP) 20.

BYU 72, Texas El Paso 69--Bobby Capener scored 21 points, including 6 straight free throws in the final 55 seconds, as the Cougars won their 12th straight game and took a 1 1/2-game lead in the Western Athletic Conference at Provo, Utah. BYU is 15-9 and 10-2; UTEP 21-5 and 9-4. Jeff Chatman (BYU) 19.