COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Peeler’s Play Helps Missouri Keep Its Position

Top-ranked Missouri is playing very well, and so is Anthony Peeler.

The sophomore guard scored 17 points, including six in a decisive second-half run, as the Tigers routed Colorado, 93-69, Sunday in a Big Eight game at Columbia, Mo.

Peeler has scored 106 points in the four games since Missouri became No. 1.

“His play has been, for the most part, just outstanding,” Coach Norm Stewart said.

Peeler, 20 for 20 from the free-throw line Wednesday at Iowa State, made all three of free throws against Colorado and also made seven of 10 shots as the Tigers won their 28th consecutive home game, one short of the school record.

All five Missouri starters scored in double figures.

“They’re so tough to key on,” Colorado Coach Tom Miller said. “That’s why they’re so good.”

Peeler agreed with Miller.

“We don’t need that kind of individual effort every night because we have so many good players on the team,” he said. “I’ve been really working hard in practice and I’ve been concentrating on practicing my one-on-one moves. When I do it during a game, it opens up the inside more.”

Missouri improved to 21-1 overall and 7-0 in the Big Eight. Colorado is 9-11 overall and 1-6 in the conference.

Colorado, which has lost 48 consecutive regular-season road games in the Big Eight, trailed by 11 points at halftime and never got closer than seven points in the second half.

The Buffaloes closed to 46-39 early in the second half, but Nathan Buntin responded with a three-point play that started a 13-2 run. Peeler capped that run with a one-handed dunk.

No. 3 Arkansas 103, Texas 96--Lee Mayberry made a game-tying three-point basket with four seconds left in regulation, then led an overtime run that carried the Razorbacks to the Southwest Conference win at Austin, Tex.

Arkansas (19-2, 10-0) extended its winning streak to 11 games. Texas fell to 14-6 and 7-3.

With 14 seconds left in regulation, Arkansas Coach Nolan Richardson stormed off the court in protest after Lance Blanks of Texas made two free throws and the Longhorns also got the ball after an intentional foul by Mayberry.

The free throws gave the Longhorns an 86-83 lead. After Travis Mays of Texas missed a free throw two seconds later, Arkansas tied it on Mayberry’s three-point shot.

Mayberry, the nation’s leading three-point shooter, gave Arkansas a 95-93 lead in overtime on a running one-hander. He later made two free throws to clinch the victory.

Mayberry and Lenzie Howell each scored 23 for Arkansas. Joey Wright had 24 points for Texas. Mays had 23 and Blanks 22.

No. 5 Duke 88, Notre Dame 76--Alaa Abdelnaby scored 22 points to lead five players in double figured as the Blue Devils easily won the nationally televised game at Durham, N.C.

There were three technical fouls--one on Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski for excessive arguing, another on Abdelnaby and a third at the end when Notre Dame called one more timeout than its allotment of four for a televised game.

Duke (18-3) took a 63-43 lead on Abdelnaby’s reverse layup with 13:23 left. Joe Fredrick made a basket while falling to the floor with 17 seconds left to get the Irish (11-7) to within 84-76, as close as they got in the second half.

Ohio State 91, No. 10 Louisville 88--Freshman guard Jim Jackson scored 21 points, including a tip-in of an air ball with 15 seconds left in overtime, as the Buckeyes rallied from 17 points behind to win at Columbus, Ohio.

Ohio State (10-9), which trailed, 57-40, early in the second half, took an 89-87 lead on Perry Carter’s bank shot with 1:31 left in overtime.

LaBradford Smith had a chance to give Louisville (16-4) the lead with five seconds left in regulation, but he missed the front end of a one-and-one. The Cardinals missed 10 of 26 free throws, including seven of their last 10.

No. 11 Illinois 70, No. 22 Indiana 65--Kendall Gill, who scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half, made two free throws with 13 seconds left to give the Fighting Illini a Big Ten win at Champaign, Ill.

A jump shot by Gill triggered a 10-0 run that put the Illini (16-4, 6-4) ahead, 45-36, in the second half. Later, a basket by Gill gave Illinois a 62-50 lead, but Indiana (14-5, 4-5) rallied to pull to within three points on a three-point basket by Calbert Cheaney with 14 seconds left. Gill then made the free throws to clinch the win.

Rutgers 77, West Virginia 72--Freshman forward Donnell Lumpkin made a tie-breaking three-point shot late in the second half of the Atlantic 10 Conference game at Piscataway, N.J., to help the Scarlet Knights beat the Mountaineers for the first time since 1984.

Rutgers (11-10, 7-3) lost 12 straight games to West Virginia (12-8, 7-4). The win moved the Scarlet Knights into a second place tie with Rhode Island and Penn State in the conference, a game behind Temple.