COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Inspired Friars Use Screen’s Play to Upset Hoyas

Providence figured to be handicapped against No. 3 Georgetown when Eric Murdock, the Friars’ leading scorer, complained of fatigue before Tuesday night’s Big East Conference game and was taken to the hospital.

Instead, the Friars used Murdock’s absence as a rallying point and upset the Hoyas, 94-90, at Providence, R.I.

Carlton Screen led Providence with 29 points as the Friars made a season-high 12 three-point shots.

“The team dedicated this game to him (Murdock),” Screen said. “When I found out about it, I was concerned.”

Providence (13-8, 6-6 in league play) established its biggest lead, 83-72, with 2:35 left. Georgetown (19-3, 8-3) pulled within four on Mark Tillmon’s three-point basket with 16 seconds left, but Screen made two free throws to thwart the rally.

Tillmon scored 39 points for the Hoyas and Alonzo Mourning added 14.

The setback dropped Georgetown into a first-place tie in the conference with No. 10 Connecticut.

No. 10 Connecticut 80, Pittsburgh 77--The Huskies’ Nadav Henefeld scored 27 points, including four free throws in the final 40 seconds, in a Big East game at Pittsburgh.

Henefeld, a 6-foot-7 freshman, scored 19 second-half points after Chris Smith scored 18 of his 22 points in the first half for the Huskies (21-4, 8-3), who won for the 11th time in 12 games.

Connecticut led, 60-51, in the second half, but Pitt (10-12, 4-7) missed several chances to take the lead in the final minute. Brian Shorter had 27 points for Pitt, which lost for the first time in eight on-campus games this season at Fitzgerald Field House.

No. 13 Georgia Tech 80, Maryland 78--Dennis Scott scored 36 points, including a tie-breaking, three-point basket, to lead the Yellow Jackets in an Atlantic Coast Conference game at Atlanta.

Georgia Tech’s Kenny Anderson opened the door for Maryland when he missed the front end of a one-and-one with 19 seconds left.

Maryland’s Tony Massenburg had a chance to tie the game when he was fouled with two seconds left. He missed the first shot and then attempted to miss the second, but failed to hit the rim, giving Georgia Tech (17-4, 6-4) possession of the ball. Maryland fell to 13-11 and 3-7.

Memphis State 81, Florida State 69--Elliot Perry scored 22 points to lead the Tigers to in a Metro Conference game at Memphis.

Perry scored 11 of his 22 points in the final four minutes.

Memphis State is 15-8 and 6-4. Florida State is 13-3 and 4-7.