COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Syracuse Holds Off Duke’s Charge, 78-76

The calendar read Dec. 6, but Syracuse and Duke made it seem like March.

In a game with the intensity of an NCAA tournament game, top-ranked Syracuse used David Johnson’s two free throws with three seconds to play Wednesday night to beat No. 6 Duke, 78-76.

The victory by the Big East’s Orangemen (5-0) evened the ACC-Big East Challenge series 3-3 with two games to play tonight at East Rutherford, N.J., including the matchup of No. 3 Georgetown and 17th-ranked North Carolina.

“It was very intense out there,” Syracuse’s Billy Owens said. “This was the all-hyped-up Big East-ACC Challenge. I’ll be rooting for Georgetown--the last time I ever root for Georgetown.”

The game was tied, 73-73, after Christian Laettner made two free throws to bring Duke (3-1) even with 3:05 to play.

LeRon Ellis then made one free throw with 1:47 left and, after Laettner missed two free throws with 1:28 left, Derrick Coleman made both ends of a one-and-one opportunity to give Syracuse a lead of 76-73, the only margin greater than two points in the final 16 minutes.

Coleman missed a free throw with 39 seconds left, and Phil Henderson made one of two to get the Blue Devils within 76-74.

Henderson then scored on a drive with 14 seconds left to tie the game after Syracuse had turned the ball over while trying to run out the clock.

Syracuse called a timeout with 10 seconds left. As Owens was bringing the ball upcourt he stumbled and appeared to walk but no call was made.

He got the ball to Johnson, who was fouled by Laettner and made both free throws. Duke had a last chance, but a long jump shot by Billy McCaffrey fell short at the buzzer.

Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski was impressed by the physical play of the Syracuse front line.

“I hate to use the word pro,” he said. “It’s a mature team and they play a good style for that type of team.”

Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim was one of the few people upset by the intensity of the game.

“I want to play nine or 10 people and get them ready as much as I can in December for the conference,” he said. “I don’t want to get sky-high on Dec. 6.”

Krzyzewski had just the opposite reaction.

“To be put in that arena at this time is good for us, and it was good for them, too,” he said.

Stephen Thompson led Syracuse with 21 points, and Owens had 18. Robert Brickey led Duke with 21 points, and Laettner had 19.

Clemson 72, Providence 71--Dale Davis hit two free throws with 14 seconds remaining and the Tigers survived a last-second three-point attempt to win in the ACC-Big East Challenge.

After Davis’ free throws, Providence’s Carlton Screen worked the ball upcourt, and it wound up in the hands of forward Marty Conlon, whose three-point shot bounced off the rim.

Quinton Burton hit a three-point shot at 1:38, giving Providence (4-1) a 69-68 lead, but two free throws by Marion Cash returned the lead to Clemson (4-1) with 1:30 left.

Burton stepped out of bounds going for a rebound, but the Friars turned a miss by Clemson into another basket by Burton with 24 seconds left for Providence’s last lead.

OTHER GAMES

No. 2 Kansas 86, Southern Methodist 53--Terry Brown hit four three-point shots and scored 14 points to lead the Jayhawks over the Mustangs at Dallas.

Kansas (7-0) trailed only once and had six players in double figures. Mark Randall, Pekka Markkanen, and Kevin Pritchard had 12 points apiece, and Freeman West and Mike Maddox had 10.

No. 4 Missouri 106, Hawaii Loa 48--The Tigers shot a school-record 75% and Doug Smith scored 17 points to lead five players in double figures as the Tigers beat the NAIA’s Hawaii Loa at Columbia, Mo.

Missouri, winning its 20th consecutive home game, opened with a 23-4 burst, led by Nathan Buntin’s 13 points. The Tigers (5-0) led, 56-23, at halftime after shooting 83%. The 75% for the game broke the record of 73% against Iowa State in 1982.

No. 8 Michigan 100, Central Michigan 51--Terry Mills scored all of his 17 points in a first half that saw the Wolverines shoot 56% in beating the Chippewas at Ann Arbor.

Sean Higgins scored 18 points, Rumeal Robinson had 17 and Loy Vaught 12 for the Wolverines, who have won four in a row after losing their opening game.

No. 11 Louisville 101, Vanderbilt 75--Everick Sullivan scored nine points as the Cardinals (4-1) opened with a 14-0 run and were never threatened in beating the Commodores at Louisville.

Sullivan, who scored 13 of his 20 points in the first half, hit two jump shots, a three-point shot and a slam dunk during the opening spurt, which was capped by Tony Kimbro’s free throw at 14:17.

Louisville’s full-court pressure defense forced Vanderbilt to miss its first eight shots and commit three turnovers before Derrick Wilcox broke the drought with a jump shot from the top of the key with 13:55 left in the half.

Kentucky 111, Tennessee Tech 75--Derrick Miller scored 36 points, including seven of Kentucky’s near-record 18 three-point baskets, in a 111-75 victory at Lexington, Ky.

Kentucky’s three-point baskets was one shy of the record set when St. Francis, Pa., and Valparaiso each had 19 in games in February.

The Wildcats (3-1) also attempted 41 three-point shots, topping Loyola Marymount’s 39 tries against North Carolina on March 19, 1988.