NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT : Southern Illinois Is Upset Victim, 73-60

The most embarrassing thing that can happen to a team that feels it should have made the NCAA tournament is to play in the National Invitation tournament and lose in the first round.

It happened to Southern Illinois Thursday night when Tony Bennett scored 26 points to lead Wisconsin Green Bay to a 73-60 victory over the Salukis in the opening round at Carbondale, Ill.

Green Bay, an Assn. of Mid-Continent Universities member making its first postseason appearance as an NCAA Division I school, improved its record to 24-7.

The Salukis, the regular-season champions of the Missouri Valley Conference, finished 26-8.

Oklahoma State 83, Tulsa 74--Royce Jeffries scored 26 points to lead the Cowboys (17-14) at Stillwater, Okla.

Reggie Shields and Lamont Randolph each scored 16 points for Tulsa, which trailed by 10 at the half and got within two during the second half.

Tulsa (17-14) shot 37% from the field and was called for 32 fouls. Three of its five starters fouled out.

Fordham 106, Southern University 80--Damon Lopez scored 24 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and blocked nine shots in leading the Rams at New York.

Fordham (20-12) also received outstanding performances from Andre McClendon with 23 points and Fred Herzog with a career-high 21.

Joe Faulkner led Southern University (25-6) with 27 points.

Maryland 91, Massachusetts 81--Jerrod Mustaf scored eight points during a 10-0 run in the second half to lead the Terrapins at College Park, Md.

Mustaf led Maryland (19-13) with 23 points. Jim McCoy scored 22 for Massachusetts (17-14).

Hawaii 69, Stanford 57--Chris Gaines scored 21 of his 24 points in the second half to lead the Rainbows at Honolulu.

Gaines scored seven points during a decisive 11-2 run over a span of 4:06 that gave the Rainbows (24-9) a 65-53 lead with 4:33 to play. Sophomore Adam Keefe led Stanford (18-12) with 31 points.

Vanberbilt 98, Lousiana Tech 90--Scott Draud hit nine of his 22 points in overtime to lead the Commodores (17-14) at Nashville.

The Commodores rallied from a 17-point deficit in the second half, and a 12-foot jump shot by Draud tied the game, 80-80, with 11 seconds left in regulation.

Mississippi State 84, Baylor 75--Cameron Burns scored 28 points and Tony Watts added 23 from to carry the Bulldogs at Starkville, Miss.

Making its first postseason appearance in 11 seasons, Mississippi State (16-13) made a 10-2 run in the final three minutes of the first half to take a 39-30 lead.