COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Illini Turned Inside Out; Michigan Rolls

Michigan’s Rumeal Robinson scored 29 points from the outside after the Wolverines had taken control of Illinois on the inside.

Center Terry Mills scored 20 points and forward Loy Vaught added 16 points and 18 rebounds as the No. 7 Wolverines made a race of the Big Ten Conference with a 93-79 victory over the No. 12 Illini at Ann Arbor, Mich.

Michigan won its third consecutive game and moved to within one game of conference-leading Purdue, which lost to Minnesota.

“We could not do anything with their front line,” Illinois Coach Lou Henson said. “Their front line just dominated. For us to win, our front line has to put it together and play good ball.

“They did their best but they are not able to go up against players as strong as Mills and Vaught.”

Mills and Vaught helped clear the way for Robinson, who made nine of 15 shots and nine of 10 free throws. Robinson scored 15 points in the second half, including nine during a 13-1 run that turned a one-point Michigan lead into a 56-43 runaway.

Michigan (18-4, 8-3 in the Big Ten) was playing at home for the first time since a 91-73 loss to Purdue on Jan. 31.

“The guys came out ready to play today and get the job done,” Robinson said. “The guys remembered the thrashing last time on this court.”

Kendall Gill scored 29 points for Illinois (17-5, 7-5), moving into 12th place on the Illini’s all-time scoring list.

No. 17 Minnesota 73, No. 10 Purdue 72--Melvin Newbern’s 12-foot jumper with 32 seconds left lifted the Gophers to a victory over the Boilermakers at Minneapolis.

Newbern, who scored seven points, threw the ball away 21 seconds earlier, allowing Tony Jones to go all the way for a dunk that gave Purdue (17-4, 9-2) a 72-71 lead with 53 seconds left.

Willie Burton scored 18 points as Minnesota (16-5, 6-4) won for the 12th consecutive time at home.

Steve Scheffler scored 22 points for Purdue.

No. 13 Oklahoma 89, Seton Hall 84--Smokey McCovery scored 20 points and sparked a decisive run early in the second half and the Sooners held off the Pirates at East Rutherford, N.J.

Oklahoma (17-3) never trailed in sending the 1989 NCAA runner-up Pirates to their fourth straight loss, one that dropped Seton Hall (10-11) below the .500 mark for the first time since Jan. 30, 1986.

Freshman guard Terry Dehere scored 30 points for Seton Hall.