COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Georgetown Earns Share of Big East Lead

Alonzo Mourning had 20 points and 12 rebounds as seventh-ranked Georgetown defeated No. 4 Connecticut, 84-64, Wednesday night at Landover, Md., to move into a three-way tie for first place in the Big East Conference.

Connecticut (24-5, 11-4 in the Big East) fell into a tie with Georgetown (22-4, 11-4), and Syracuse (21-5, 11-4) with one game to play. Connecticut ends the regular season Saturday against Boston College; Georgetown finishes up at Syracuse on Sunday.

“We’re coming together,” Coach John Thompson said. “I’m not so concerned about the Big East as I am about playing well.”

Dwayne Bryant scored 20 for Georgetown, and Dikembe Mutombo had 15 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots.

“Now we’re in control of our own destiny,” Bryant said. “If we go out and beat Syracuse, we get no worse than a tie for the league title.”

Chris Smith scored 21 points for Connecticut, which won 14 of its previous 15 games, including a victory over Georgetown at Connecticut.

No. 3 Missouri 65, Kansas State 60--Doug Smith had 28 points and 17 rebounds as the Tigers beat the Wildcats at Columbia, Mo., and clinched their seventh Big Eight Conference basketball championship.

Missouri (26-3, 12-2) ends the regular season with a nonconference game at Notre Dame Saturday.

Steve Henson led Kansas State (16-13, 6-7) with 22 points.

No. 20 Clemson 97, No. 5 Duke 93--Kirkland Howling hit four free throws in the final 17 seconds as the Tigers clinched a share of their first Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title by beating the Blue Devils at Clemson, S.C.

The victory assured Clemson (23-5, 10-3) of a tie for the crown going into next week’s conference tournament. Duke is 23-6, 9-4.

Iowa 64, No. 9 Purdue 63--Matt Bullard scored 15 points and hit the winning shot as the Hawkeyes knocked the Boilermakers out of the Big Ten Conference lead in a game at Iowa City, Iowa.

Bullard’s short turnaround jumper on the left side came with eight seconds left. Purdue’s Tony Jones dribbled the length of the court with the inbounds pass but missed a jumper from the left side. Jimmy Oliver’s shot from deep in the right corner swished in, but officials ruled time had expired.

James Moses had 15 points for Iowa (12-4, 4-12), and Les Jepsen added 14.

Purdue (20-6, 12-4) defeated Iowa, 80-59, earlier this season. Michigan State leads the Big Ten at 11-3.

No. 10 Syracuse 71, Seton Hall 69--Derrick Coleman tipped in Billy Owens’ missed shot at the buzzer, and the Orangemen defeated the Pirates for the 20th consecutive time in a Big East game at East Rutherford, N.J.

The victory was the third in a row for Syracuse (21-5, 11-4). Seton Hall (11-15, 4-11) has dropped eight of its last nine.

Seton Hall rallied from a 69-63 deficit in the final 2:14 and tied the score when Oliver Taylor drove the lane for a layup with 9.2 seconds left.

After a Syracuse timeout, Owens took the inbounds pass, dribbled the length of the court and tossed up an off-balance shot driving the lane. The ball bounced off the rim, but Coleman grabbed it in midair and pushed it off the backboard and in.

North Carolina 81, No. 11 Georgia Tech 79--Rick Fox sank two free throws with four seconds left as the Tar Heels beat the Yellow Jackets to end a three-game losing streak in an ACC game at Chapel Hill, N.C.

Scott Williams scored 26 points for North Carolina (18-11, 7-6).

Dennis Scott had 33 points for Georgia Tech (20-6, 7-6).