NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT : Missouri Can’t Guard Against Rhode Island Backcourt, 87-80 : East Regional

Rhode Island, long-hidden in the shadow cast over the Atlantic 10 Conference by No. 1 Temple, finally had its day in the sun.

Tom Garrick scored 25 of his 29 points in the second half, and backcourt mate Carlton Owens added 25 points as the Rams knocked off Missouri, 87-80, Thursday in an NCAA East Regional first-round game at Chapel Hill, N.C.

“There’s not a better backcourt tandem in the country,” Rhode Island Coach Tom Penders said. “I’m really proud of them. We feel we’ve been overlooked all year. They’re loose and they’re hungry, and that’s what I want.”

Rhode Island (27-6) lost three games to Temple.

Garrick, who scored 50 points in an Atlantic-10 quarterfinal against Rutgers, missed 9 of his first 10 shots before catching fire in the second half, hitting 9 of 13 shots.

Missouri (19-11) lost in the first round for the third straight year.

Syracuse 69, N. Carolina A&T; 55--Stevie Thompson scored 21 points, and the Orangemen pulled away from the Aggies in the final 6 1/2 minutes.

North Carolina A&T; (26-3) moved into a 50-50 tie on Thomas Griffis’ three-point basket with 6:49 left, and Syracuse (26-8) took command by scoring 15 straight points, 7 by Sherman Douglas.

A&T; missed eight straight shots and didn’t score again until Carlton Beckton’s three-pointer with 49 seconds left.

Rony Seikaly scored 20 points for Syracuse. Claude Williams scored 17 for A&T.;

SMU 83, Notre Dame 75--Kato Armstrong scored 19 of his 29 points in the second half, and the Mustangs eliminated the Irish.

After Notre Dame (20-9) pulled even, 62-62, with 6:22 left on a turnaround jumper by Gary Voce in the lane, Armstrong and Todd Alexander each scored two baskets, and the Mustangs (28-6) made it 70-64.

Terry Thomas capped Southern Methodist’s 10-2 run with a pair of free throws with 2:10 remaining.

David Rivers’ three-point play 13 seconds later got the Irish within 72-67, but SMU got dunks from Verdon Perdue and Carlton McKinney.

Voce scored 24 points for Notre Dame, but Rivers was held to 12.

Duke 85, Boston U. 69--Danny Ferry scored 21 points and Kevin Strickland contributed 17 as the fifth-ranked Blue Devils rolled past the Terriers.

The Blue Devils (25-6) had won only twice in Chapel Hill, home of arch-rival North Carolina, since 1966 but coasted to a 43-32 halftime lead and were not threatened.

Jeff Timberlake scored 18 points for Boston (23-8).