College Basketball Roundup : Bad News Gets Worse: Coach Has Surgery, Missouri Falls Again

Third-ranked Missouri is trying to figure out what else can go wrong.

After learning that Coach Norm Stewart had surgery for colon cancer and a diseased gall bladder Tuesday, the Tigers went down to an 82-75 defeat to Iowa State at Ames, Iowa, and fell out of the Big Eight Conference lead.

“We never found a way to play the way we wanted to,” said Missouri assistant coach Rich Daly, who has taken over for Stewart. “We didn’t want to walk the ball up the floor so much, but they seemed to break our press so we couldn’t run.

“We had two different chances to take the lead (late in the game), but the shots just didn’t seem to fall.”

Missouri (21-5 overall, 7-2 in the Big Eight) began its streak of tough luck last week when its top assistant coach, Bob Sundvold, was suspended indefinitely for alleged National Collegiate Athletic Assn. rules violations.

Then Stewart collapsed on the plane en route to a game at Oklahoma with what was diagnosed as a bleeding ulcer. That night, the Tigers blew a big early lead and lost to the Sooners.

Stewart underwent surgery in a Columbia, Mo., hospital Tuesday morning, and doctors removed a cancerous tumor from his colon and took out his gall bladder. He is listed in satisfactory condition.

“I don’t think we can use Norm being gone as an excuse to losing,” Missouri center Gary Leonard said. “It is up to us to get ready to play each game. They told us about the surgery at the pregame meal and I thought everyone had gotten over it.”

With the setback to Iowa State (12-9, 3-6), Missouri fell a half-game behind Oklahoma.

“It’s a terrific thrill to beat the No. 3 team in the country,” Iowa State Coach Johnny Orr said. “I still hold a lot of respect for Missouri, but we were better tonight. It was the night for us to win. This is one of the great victories in the history of Iowa State.”

Missouri scored the first seven points of the game, but an 8-0 run at the end of first half and a 5-0 spurt to start the second half gave Iowa State a 40-33 lead.

Lee Coward’s three-point play and his three-point basket from the right corner pulled Missouri into a 50-49 lead with 14:18 left, but Terry Woods nailed a three-pointer and Marc Urquhart hit a short jump shot to put Iowa State ahead, 54-50.

Missouri never caught up.

Iowa State led by as many as eight points before Missouri scored seven straight points to cut the lead to 66-65 on Doug Smith’s jumper with 5:34 left. But Alexander and Woods hit consecutive baskets and the Cyclones pulled ahead, 78-68.

Woods and Victor Alexander scored 19 points each for Iowa State. Doug Smith and Byron Irvin each had 16 for Missouri.

North Carolina 87, Old Dominion 77--Rick Fox scored 24 points and the eighth-ranked Tar Heels beat the Monarchs at Norfolk, Va., to reach the 20-victory mark for the 19th consecutive season.

Scott Williams, who suffered a slightly separated right shoulder Sunday against Virginia and was not expected to play, started and contributed 15 points and 11 rebounds for North Carolina (20-5). The Tar Heels also played without starting guard Jeff Lebo, who broke a bone in his left foot against Virginia.

Anthony Carver scored 21 points for Old Dominion (14-9).

Duke 98, Harvard 59--Greg Koubek scored six of his 19 points during a 15-1 surge in the first five minutes of the second half, and the 11th-ranked Blue Devils routed the Crimson at Boston.

Already leading, 46-35, Duke (18-4) built its lead to 61-36 with 15:45 to play by making seven of its first 11 shots in the second half. Harvard (8-12) missed 9 straight shots before Mike Gielen hit a three-pointer.

Danny Ferry added 16 points for Duke, which is 12-0 outside the ACC. Gielen had 14 for Harvard.

Boston College 83, Notre Dame 72--Dana Barros scored 30 points and Steven Benton added 29 as the Eagles ended an eight-game losing streak by downing the Irish at South Bend, Ind.

Notre Dame (14-5) fought back from a six-point halftime deficit to take a one-point lead on Joe Fredrick’s basket with 9:27 left. But Barros hit three three-pointers and Boston College (9-12) pulled away with a 15-4 surge.

Frederick scored 22 points and Jamere Jackson added 18 for the Irish.

Brigham Young 87, California 74--Andy Toolson scored 32 points and Michael Smith added 20 to lead the Cougars past the Bears at Provo, Utah.

California (17-8) took a 65-62 lead with 11:40 left when Bryant Walton hit a three-point basket, but Smith scored six points and Toolson added five as BYU (10-12) took over the game with a 17-3 burst.

Georgia Tech 67, Maryland 66--Tom Hammonds capped a 20-point performance with a short jumper with five seconds remaining to lift the Yellowjackets to an ACC victory over the Terrapins at College Park, Md.

Maryland (8-15, 1-9) had a 66-65 lead and the ball as the clock ran down to 10 seconds, but Maurice Brittian blocked a shot by Tony Massenburg, who had 30 points for Maryland. Georgia Tech (17-7, 6-3) regained possession and set up Hammonds for the final shot.

Massenburg missed a 22-footer at the buzzer.

Pittsburgh 87, St. John’s 77--Jason Matthews and Brian Shorter scored 22 points each as the Panthers turned back the Redmen in a Big East Conference game at Pittsburgh.

Matthews scored 17 points in the second half, including nine points during a 14-6 run that gave Pitt (13-10, 6-6) a 72-63 lead with 6:01 left.

Jayson Williams scored 30 points for St. John’s (13-9, 5-7), which lost for the fifth time in six games.

Villanova 86, Providence 83--Tom Greis scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and freshman Chris Walker hit a crucial jump shot with 42 seconds left in overtime as the Wildcats defeated the Friars in a Big East game at Villanova, Pa.

Two free throws by Gary Massey gave Villanova (14-11, 5-6) an 84-79 lead with 2:18 remaining in overtime. Providence (17-5, 6-5) scored five straight points, cutting the lead to 84-83 with 1:20 left before Walker hit his big basket.

Nebraska 79, Oklahoma State 77--Beau Reid scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half, and the Cornhuskers held off the Cowboys in a Big Eight game at Lincoln, Neb.

Oklahoma State (15-7, 6-3) trailed by 17 points in the first half, but rallied for a 50-50 tie with 11 minutes left. Reid hit a three-pointer to start a 16-6 surge and Nebraska (14-11, 2-7) regained command.

Darwyn Alexander scored 24 points for the Cowboys.