College Basketball Roundup : Purdue’s Best Effort Too Much for Iowa, 80-73

Coach Gene Keady said seventh-ranked Purdue couldn’t have picked a better time to play its best game of the season.

Everette Stephens scored 23 points Thursday night and the Boilermakers took over second place in the Big Ten Conference by knocking off No. 4 Iowa, 80-73, at Iowa City, Iowa.

“This was the biggest game we’ve ever had on the road,” Keady said of his Boilermakers. “Beating a team in the top five of the nation is a first for us. This was a win we had to have to stay in the race.

“I can say without hesitation that this is the best game we’ve played. We finally had all eight guys working together.”

Keady didn’t have too look very far to find someone to agree with him.

“That may have been the best game any team has played against us this season,” Iowa Coach Tom Davis said. “I thought we came back well late in the game and maybe even had them on the verge, but then they made their free throws and some good plays to put it away.”

The Boilermakers (19-3 overall, 10-2 in the Big Ten) reversed a 70-67 defeat to the Hawkeyes (21-3, 8-3) on Jan. 19 at Purdue.

“Last time we got beat, we got a lead and we got carried away shooting outside jumpers,” Keady said. “Our shot selection was one thing we changed. Our second priority was to be tough on the boards.”

The Boilermakers, who never trailed, took their biggest lead, 74-63, with 1:34 left. Iowa got to within 74-68, but Purdue made six straight free throws to put the Hawkeyes away.

Brad Lohaus and Jeff Moe scored 14 points each for Iowa.

Illinois 79, Minnesota 67--Ken Norman scored 26 points and the 11th-ranked Illini pulled away in the second half to beat the Gophers in a Big Ten game at Champaign, Ill.

The Illini (19-5, 9-3) had a 38-35 lead at halftime, but outscored Minnesota, 11-1, to start the second half and sent the Gophers (9-12, 2-9) to their ninth straight defeat.

Minnesota didn’t score a field goal in the second half until 6:45 had elapsed.

Jim Shikenjanski scored 14 points for Minnesota.

TCU 69, SMU 50--Carven Holcombe scored 17 points and Larry Richard added 16 to lead the 18th-ranked Horned Frogs past the Mustangs in a Southwest Conference game at Fort Worth, Tex.

TCU (20-4, 11-1) has won 23 consecutive games at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

The Mustangs (12-11, 3-8) led early behind the three-point shooting of Scott Johnson, whose 19 points included five three-pointers, but the Horned Frogs rallied for a 32-24 halftime lead.

TCU hit 8 of 11 shots to start the second half.

Ohio State 83, Wisconsin 69--Dennis Hopson scored 28 points and Curtis Wilson added 14 of his 22 in the final 13 minutes as the Buckeyes scored a Big Ten victory over the Badgers at Madison, Wis.

A dunk by J.J. Weber of Wisconsin (11-14, 1-11) cut Ohio State’s lead to 65-62 with 5:28 left, but the Buckeyes (16-8, 7-5) scored the next five points, two free throws and a jumper by Jay Burson and a free throw by Hopson--the nation’s second-leading scorer, who made 17 free throws in the game.

Wisconsin had a 21-13 lead, but Ohio State went ahead for good by scoring 12 straight points.

Weber had 17 points for the Badgers.

Bradley 113, Indiana State 84--Hersey Hawkins scored 43 points as the Braves routed the Sycamores in a Missouri Valley Conference game at Peoria, Ill.

The Braves (14-10, 7-2) built a 43-16 lead with 6:53 left in the first half.

Jeff Cooper scored 23 points for Indiana State (8-16, 3-7), which could get no closer than 70-55 in the second half.

Tulsa 71, Creighton 57--Tracy Moore scored 22 points and the Golden Hurricane downed the Bluejays in an MVC game at Omaha, Neb.

Tulsa (18-4, 8-1) led, 31-30, at halftime but pulled away in the second half.

Kenny Evans scored 21 points for Creighton (8-14, 3-6) before fouling out with 6:39 left.

Western Kentucky 75, Old Dominion 59--Brett McNary scored 20 points and the Hilltoppers trounced the Monarchs in a Sun Belt Conference game at Norfolk, Va.

The Hilltoppers (22-6, 10-1) ran out to a 36-23 halftime lead and then made 12 of 15 shots in the second half.

Garrick Davis scored 16 points for Old Dominion (6-18, 1-10).

Wyoming 72, Air Force 46--Fennis Dembo had 19 points and 8 rebounds, leading the Cowboys past the Falcons in a Western Athletic Conference game at Laramie, Wyo.

The Cowboys (17-6, 9-2) made a 16-0 run midway through the first half and took a 36-17 halftime lead. Air Force (12-9, 5-6) made just 22% of its shots in the first half.

U. San Diego 113, U.S. International 72--Nils Madden scored 20 points and the Toreros coasted past the Gulls at San Diego.

San Diego (19-4) scored the first nine points of the game and piled up a 45-8 lead with 4:01 left in the first half.

Charles Redding scored 12 points for USIU (8-15).