COLLEGE BASKETBALL: NATIONAL ROUNDUP : Georgetown Falls to Connecticut, 61-55

Connecticut collapsed on Georgetown’s inside tandem of Dikembe Mutombo and Alonzo Mourning and felled the 18th-ranked Hoyas.

Mutombo had three field goals and Mourning none as the Huskies’ shut down the Hoyas in a 61-55 Big East Conference victory Monday night at Hartford, Conn.

“As the game wore on we got more confident because we knew they weren’t going to hit it from the outside,” Connecticut center Rod Sellers said. “Some of them weren’t even looking to shoot it. That made us collapse even more.”

Chris Smith, who had 27 points, made a layup with 41 seconds left after a missed dunk by Mutombo, giving the Huskies a 57-49 lead.

Connecticut (15-7 overall, 6-6 Big East) won its third consecutive game after a six-game tailspin.

The loss for Georgetown (15-7, 7-4) left Syracuse alone at the top.

No. 2 Ohio State 81, Michigan 65--Jim Jackson scored 21 points as the Buckeyes overpowered the Wolverines in a Big Ten Conference game at Columbus, Ohio.

Ohio State (20-1, 10-1), which won the first meeting between the teams, 67-57, in Ann Arbor, Mich., won for the 15th consecutive time at home, including 12 this season.

The Wolverines (11-10, 4-7) pulled to within 44-39 on a basket by Sam Mitchell with 16:23 left, but reserve Chris Jent, who finished with 14 points, scored the next five points and Ohio State pulled away.

Michael Talley scored 21 points for Michigan.

No. 9 Southern Mississippi 81, McNeese State 62--Clarence Weatherspoon had 23 points and 15 rebounds as the Golden Eagles wore down the Cowboys at Lake Charles, La.

Daron Jenkins added 20 points and Darrin Chancellor had 16 for Southern Mississippi (18-2). Derek Haywood had 15 points and 12 rebounds for McNeese State (6-16).

Furman 104, No. 10 East Tennessee State 93--Hal Henderson scored 29 points and the Paladins knocked off the Buccaneers at Greenville, S.C., to tie for the Southern Conference lead.

East Tennessee State (21-3, 9-2), which moved into the Top 10 earlier in the day, had its seven-game winning streak snapped.

Furman (17-6, 9-2) won for the 10th time in 11 games and has a 13-game home winning streak.

The Paladins took the lead for good, 63-61, on a dunk by Bruce Evans with 12:34 left. The dunk ignited a 16-5 run that gave Furman a 77-66 lead after a basket and free throw by Derek Waugh with 7:48 remaining.

Keith Jennings, who made 11 of 13 shots including six of 10 three-pointers, scored 33 pointsfor the Buccaneers. REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS SOUTH

Andy Kennedy scored 27 points, including the game-winning basket with 1:36 left as Alabama Birmingham (16-9, 7-3) rallied from a 15-point deficit to beat Old Dominion, 79-77, in a Sun Belt Conference game at Birmingham, Ala. Chris Gatling had 30 points for the Monarchs (10-15, 3-8). . . . Popeye Jones had 30 points and 22 rebounds as Murray State (19-8, 7-2) moved into the Ohio Valley Conference lead with an 81-73 victory over Morehead State (13-10, 2-7) at Murray, Tenn.