COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL ROUNDUP : Tar Heels Beat Connecticut, Save Face for ACC

Rick Fox and Pete Chilcutt led a second-half surge that carried 10th-ranked North Carolina past No. 14 Connecticut, 79-64, Thursday night at Chapel Hill, N.C.

The Tar Heels (4-1) won the final game of the challenge series between the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big East, which won six of the eight games.

Chilcutt’s basket on a pass from Fox broke a 52-52 tie with seven minutes left and started a run of eight consecutive points.

Connecticut (3-1) of the Big East surged to a 13-1 lead and led, 40-33, at halftime, but could have put North Carolina in a deeper hole. The Huskies made only four of 12 free throws in the first half and nine of 23 in the game.

Conversely, the Tar Heels put the game away by making 15 of 17 free throws in the second half and 25 of 30 for the game.

Fox scored 18 points, and Chris Smith had 21 for Connecticut.

Villanova 91, Wake Forest 82--In the first game at Chapel Hill, Aaron Bain scored 22 points and Lance Miller added 21 as the Wildcats rallied past the Demon Deacons of the ACC.

Wake Forest trailed by 11 points in the first half but went on a 16-4 run early in the second half to take a 61-53 lead. Villanova regained control with a 16-3 run and held the Deacons to three field goals in the last seven minutes.

Chris King scored 26 points for Wake Forest (3-2).

Tennessee Tech 84, No. 15 Southern Mississippi 78--Van Usher scored 17 points and Tech upset the Golden Eagles at Cookeville, Tenn.

Tech (3-2) lost a 21-10 lead in the first half but rebuilt it to 73-63 with 4:12 left when Southern Mississippi (2-1) couldn’t make a basket for more than four minutes.

Russell Johnson scored 19 points for Southern Mississippi.

No. 11 Pitt 105, Marshall 75--Brian Shorter scored 20 points as the Panthers trounced the Thundering Herd at Pittsburgh.

Sean Miller hit five three-point baskets and had 18 points, and Darelle Porter had 17 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for Pitt (5-1).

John Taft scored 27 points for Marshall (3-3).

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

EAST

Keith Hughes had 31 points and 15 rebounds to lead Rutgers (4-0, 2-0) to a 75-69 overtime victory over St. Joseph’s (1-4, 0-3) in an Atlantic 10 game at Philadelphia.

MIDWEST

Nebraska (5-1) limited Creighton to 10 points in the first 10 minutes and routed the Bluejays, 97-63, at Lincoln, Neb. Bob Harstad had 17 points for Creighton (2-2). . . . David Scott scored 29 points as Miami of Ohio (3-2) beat Dayton, 101-77, at Oxford, Ohio. Chip Jones scored 19 for the Flyers (3-1).

SOUTH

Marlon Maxey and Johnny Melvin scored 18 points each and Texas El Paso (3-2) rolled to a 101-64 victory over Maryland Eastern Shore (1-5) at El Paso. . . . Bobby Phills scored 45 points and Southern University (2-0) overwhelmed Texas College, 159-65, at Baton Rouge, La., outscoring the Bulls, 96-27, in the second half.

WEST

Walter Watts scored 18 points and Josh Grant added 15 as Utah (5-1) turned back Oregon, 95-81, at Salt Lake City. Terrell Brandon had 31 points for the Ducks (1-3).