NATIONAL ROUNDUP : Sophomore Rooks Sparks Arizona Past Michigan

GAME OF THE DAY

Sixth-ranked Arizona surprised defending NCAA champion Michigan both at the start and at the finish in the 11th annual Hall of Fame Tip-Off game Saturday at Springfield, Mass.

The young Wildcats attacked fourth-ranked Michigan’s big players and the strategy worked in a season-opening 82-75 victory.

Sean Rooks, a 6-foot-11 sophomore from Fontana High, scored 20 points, including six consecutive free throws down the stretch, as the Wildcats outscored the Wolverines, 16-7, in the final 1:30.

Arizona had its largest lead, 54-45, early in the second half, but Michigan went ahead, 66-63, on a three-point shot by Rumeal Robinson and a free throw by Terry Mills with eight minutes left.

Matt Muehlbach then tied the score with a three-point basket. Michigan regained the lead briefly, 68-66, but Brian Williams, a sophomore transfer from Maryland, triggered the decisive charge by Arizona.

Williams, who had 12 points in limited action while recovering from a foot injury, tied the score, 68-68, with two free throws. Jud Buechler followed with a layup and Matt Othick had two more free throws for a 72-68 lead.

Rooks added his six free throws and Muehlbach had two as the Wildcats spoiled the regular-season debut of Michigan Coach Steve Fisher, who took over after Bill Frieder resigned just before the NCAA tournament last season.

Robinson led all scorers with 27 points. Mills had 16 before fouling out with 5:30 remaining.

OTHER TOP 25 TEAMS

7. North Carolina 78

Villanova 68

Rick Fox scored 23 points, including the three-pointer that gave North Carolina the lead for good, and the seventh-ranked Tar Heels won in the semifinals of the Maui tournament at Lahaina, Hawaii.

The Tar Heels needed a miraculous last-minute comeback to beat James Madison in the opening round as the Dukes missed three free throws down the stretch. In the same situation on Saturday, North Carolina (2-0) fared better at the foul line and went on to beat the Wildcats (1-1).

Fox’s three-pointer with 5:53 left gave North Carolina a 67-65 lead and when Villanova went cold from the field, the Tar Heels were just successful enough at the foul line, making five of eight, in the final 1:07, to get the win.

Hubert Davis finished with 16 points for the Tar Heels. Freshman Aaron Bain led Villanova with 17 points.

10. Duke 130

Harvard 54

Senior Robert Brickey and freshman Billy McCaffrey each scored 22 points to lead seven players in double figures at Durham, N.C.

The final score represented the biggest lead on a night when Coach Mike Krzyzewski had cleared his bench with four minutes left in the first half. When reserve Joe Cook scored with 6:16 left to play, he gave Duke a 113-46 lead and was the last of the 12 Blue Devil players to score. No one for Duke had less than four points in its official season opener.

Phil Henderson scored 12 points, with Christian Laettner, Alaa Abdelnaby and Thomas Hill scoring 11 each and Brian Davis getting 10 for the Blue Devils.

Ralph James scored 13 for Harvard and Tchad Robinson had 12.

11. Missouri 82

12. Louisville 79

The Tigers scored only three points in the final 8:03 but withstood a rally by the Cardinals in the semifinals of the Maui tournament.

The 11th-ranked Tigers led, 79-57, with 8:03 to play. But Louisville, led by Felton Spencer and Jerome Harmon, staged an amazing comeback, getting to within 80-79 with 51 seconds left.

Missouri then ran down the 45-second shot clock and Anthony Peeler scored the game’s final points with 23 seconds left when Spencer was called for goaltending on his driving layup.

Louisville worked for a final shot, but a three-point attempt by Everick Sullivan with five seconds left bounced off the rim and the Tigers had the rebound and the victory.

The Tigers (2-0) will meet No. 7 North Carolina, which beat Villanova, 78-68, in the other semifinal, in tonight’s championship game.

Peeler added 17 points for Missouri and Lee Coward had 15.

Spencer had 28 points and Harmon finished with 20.

14. Indiana 77

Miami (Ohio) 66

Calbert Cheaney, one of Indiana’s seven freshmen, had six of his 20 points in a decisive second-half streak as the 14th-ranked Hoosiers won their season opener at Bloomington, Ind.

Miami cut Indiana’s lead to 54-51 with 10:51 to play, but Cheaney’s basket with 10:31 remaining ignited a 12-2 run.

A dunk by freshman Lawrence Funderburke put Indiana ahead 58-51 with 9:17 remaining. After two free throws by Miami’s David Scott, the Hoosiers scored eight consecutive points on a 10-foot shot by freshman Greg Graham, two jump shots by Chaney and a basket by Eric Anderson.

Anderson finished with 19 points and Funderburke added 10 as Indiana beat Miami for the 20th time in 23 meetings.

20. Minnesota 64

Cincinnati 66

Steve Sanders took an inbound pass from Andre Tate and made a three-point shot with one second remaining to give the Bearcats the upset win.

Minnesota led, 64-63, when Cincinnati took the ball with 26 seconds remaining. Gophers guard Kevin Lynch stole the ball, and began dribbling out the remaining time, but then threw the ball away, giving the Bearcats one last chance.

Tate led all scorers with 18 points, while Lynch led the Gophers with 16.

24. Memphis State 91

Tennessee 72

Elliot Perry scored 23 points and came up with nine steals as the Tigers raced past the Volunteers in the Mid-South tournament at Memphis.

The Tigers shot only 32% from the floor in the first half and 41% for the game, but used a tough defense to stop Tennessee.

Memphis State caused 39 Tennessee turnovers and allowed the Volunteers to shoot only 40% from the floor.

Memphis State (2-0) beat Tennessee (1-1) for the first time in three games.

The Tigers lost a 35-31 halftime lead at the start of the second half when the Volunteers pulled even, 39-39, on an inside shot by Ian Lockhart.

Memphis State then went on a 10-0 run capped by back-to-back three-point plays by Perry and Ben Spiva that left the Tigers ahead, 49-39, with 14:57 remaining.

Tennessee pulled to within 51-44 with 13:14 left on a jump shot by Greg Bell, but consecutive steals and layups by Perry put the Tigers ahead, 55-44, with 12:17 left.

Cheyenne Gibson followed Perry for Memphis State with 15 points and Ernest Smith, who grabbed nine rebounds, added 11.

Lockhart led Tennessee with 24 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, and Greg Bell added 16 points.

OTHER TOURNAMENTS

ALASKA SHOOTOUT

AT ANCHORAGE

Kansas St. 79, Hawaii 76--Steve Henson scored 18 points in the second half to lead the Wildcats into the championship game against Michigan State.

Hawaii’s Chris Gaines scored 19 points in the first half as the Rainbows led by as many as 15.

But Kansas State, using several substitutes to take turns guarding Gaines, held him scoreless for nearly six minutes in the second half. The Wildcats rallied behind Henson, who scored eight straight points in one stretch and made a three-point basket to give the Wildcats a 62-61 lead with 8:36 left.

Kansas State stretched the lead to nine, but Hawaii cut it to 77-76 with 32 seconds left.

Gaines led the Rainbows (1-1) with 30 points. Henson finished with 26 points for the Wildcats (2-0).

Michigan St. 87, Texas A&M; 75--Matt Steigenga scored 19 points and the Spartans controlled the Aggies’ high-scoring backcourt to earn a berth in the championship game. Steigenga scored many of his points off pinpoint passes by Steve Smith as the Spartans took control late in the first half.

Florida State 75, Alaska-Anchorage 74--Aubry Boyd’s baseline jumper with one second left gave the Seminoles the win in the consolation round.

The victory puts the Seminoles in the third-place game today against Connecticut. Auburn will play Alaska-Anchorage for seventh.

Boyd grabbed the rebound when Tharon Mayes’ three-point attempt with four seconds remaining missed. Boyd was practically behind the backboard when he attempted the shot. It was his only basket in the second half.

Connecticut 95, Auburn 81--Rod Sellers scored 19 points and four other Huskies were in double figures to spark the Huskies in the consolation round.

The game was close for only the first three minutes. After Auburn took its only lead, 7-6 on a three-pointer by Ronnie Battle, Connecticut went on a 23-4 streak in the next seven minutes.

The Huskies, from the Big East, led by as many as 30 in the second half before some three-point shooting by Battle and Reggie Gallon drew the Tigers closer

Battle finished with 21 points, including six three-pointers, as the Tigers of the Southeastern Conference fell to 0-2.

MAUI

AT LAHAINA, HAWAII

James Madison 56, San Diego State 53--Steve Hood scored 27 points and the Dukes held off a rally by the Aztecs in the consolation round. San Diego State (0-2) almost did the same thing as the Dukes again failed to convert at the free-throw line.

James Madison led, 56-44, with 4:43 to play when Hood scored and was fouled, but he missed the free throw. Hood missed three more in the final 1:33.

SAN JUAN SHOOTOUT

AT SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

Alabama 64, Eastern Michigan 61--Robert Horry sank a three-pointer with two seconds to go to lift the Crimson Tide past the Hurons to advance to the championship game against Clemson.

Clemson earlier won a berth in Sunday’s finals with a 74-61 decision over Stetson.

Alabama trailed, 61-59, with 52 seconds to go when Eastern Michigan’s Keith Askins threw the ball out of bounds.

The Tide brought the ball downcourt and Eastern Michigan’s guard, Carl Thomas, fouled Gary Waites with six seconds left, sending Waites to the foul line. Waites sank both ends of a one-and-one to tie the game at 61.

Bradley 70, American College (P.R.) 62--Xanphus Houston’s dunk shot to open the second half started a nine-point run by the Braves.

The victory sent Bradley against Wisconsin for third place today after American College plays Western Kentucky for fifth place.

LOBO

AT ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.

New Mexico 69, Monmouth (N.J.) 63--Luc Longley scored 22 points, including a basket off a missed free throw with 1:12 left as the Lobos held on in the championship game.

Western Michigan defeated Hardin-Simmons, 64-54, in the consolation game.

Longley, voted the tournament’s most valuable player, led the Lobos from a six-point deficit in the final eight minutes. He scored nine of his points in the stretch.

CAVALIER TIPOFF

Virginia 83, Marshall 63--Bryant Stith led four players in double figures with 21 points as the Cavaliers won the tournament at Charlottesville, Va.

Army’s Derrick Canada scored 30 points and the Cadets held off a second-half rally by Northeastern to post a 66-65 victory for third place.

Virginia (2-0) provided Terry Holland with his 400th career victory as a head coach at the Division I level. Holland, in his 16th year at Virginia, coached for five years at Davidson.

FRESNO STATE

AT FRESNO

LaSalle 75, Fresno State 63--Lionel Simmons scored 24 points to lead the Explorers in the championship game.

Randy Woods added 20 points for LaSalle (2-0), including four three-point baskets. LaSalle made a school record 11 three-point shots in the game.

Fresno State (1-1) was led by sophomores Wilbert Hooker (17 points), Tod Bernard (16) and Pat Riddlesprigger (15).

LaSalle had a 45-34 halftime lead and led by as many as 17 points in the second half before the Bulldogs rallied to cut the margin to seven points with 5:59 left in the game.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

THE EAST

Robert Morris 67, West Virginia 64--Andre Boyd made a three-point shot with 19 seconds remaining and both ends of a one-and-one just before the buzzer to lead the Colonials at Morgantown, W. Va.

It was the second consecutive year that the Colonials upset the Mountaineers.

Scott Shepherd scored 12 points and Anthony Dickens added 11 for Robert Morris.

Other games: Junior center Kit Mueller scored eight of his 23 points during an 18-4 run at the start of the game as Princeton opened with a 64-47 victory over Franklin & Marshall. . .Kyle Anglin scored 22 points and Rob Lanier added 15 points and seven assists as St. Bonaventure beat Canisius, 90-79. . .Sean Green scored 28 points as Iona College beat Northern Illinois, 71-64.

THE MIDWEST

Iowa St. 87, Toledo 69--Victor Alexander scored 25 points, Terry Woods added 20 to lead the Cyclones at Ames, Iowa.

Three other players were in double figures for Iowa State, which overcame a nine-point deficit in the first half, then scored the final 13 points of the game after blunting a Toledo comeback. Junior college transfer Kirk Baker scored 18 points for the Cyclones, while Adrian Moore and freshman Justus Thigpen each had 10.

Other games: Derrick Gilliam made a baseline jumper with 11 seconds left in regulation and hit two free throws in overtime to spark Sam Houston State to a 72-69 win over Wyoming at Laramie, Wyo. . .Greg Sutton scored 32 points, including two free throws with 18 seconds left, to help lift Oral Roberts to an 87-85 upset of St. Louis.

THE SOUTH

Wake Forest 84, Davidson 65--Sophomore Chris King hit 10 of 12 shots for 21 points as the Demon Deacons gave new coach Dave Odom his first victory.

Wake Forest made five of its first eight shots for an early 11-2 lead, and built the advantage to 41-22 by halftime. Davidson got to within 35-22 on two free throws by Magic Gaines with 2:30 left, but the Demon Deacons score the last six points of the half.

Other game: Anthony Dade scored 22 points as Louisiana Tech beat Akron, 73-60.

THE WEST

Washington 89, Pacific, Ore. 52--Reserve guard Brent Merritt scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half as the Huskies made Coach Lynn Nance a winner in his debut.

Nance, who played at Washington in 1964 and 1965, replaced Andy Russo after coaching three seasons at St. Mary’s. Last season the Gaels won the West Coast Athletic Conference championship and an NCAA tournament berth.

Other games: Mike Mitchell scored 16 points and junior forward Tracy Jordan came off the bench to add 14 and grab six rebounds as Colorado State defeated Pan American of Texas, 77-53. . .Aaron Benson had 21 points and 18 rebounds to lead Air Force past Valparaiso, 79-65.