COLLEGE BASKETBALL / NATIONAL ROUNDUP : Syracuse Beats Florida State, 88-79

Dave Johnson scored 26 points for No. 5 Syracuse, which turned loose an attacking defense over the final 11 minutes of the first half on the way to beating Florida State, 88-79, Monday night at Syracuse, N.Y.

Syracuse (23-3) trailed, 21-14, before it began forcing the action with defense and going on a 26-6 run. The Orangemen had six blocked shots and eight steals, several leading to dunks by Johnson and Conrad McRae, during the span. Forward Billy Owens had two blocks and three steals as Syracuse built a 40-27 lead with 2:30 left in the half.

Florida State (13-10), which shot only 34% and committed 11 turnovers in the first half, got back to 56-50 five minutes into the second half. But the Orangemen went back to the press.

Douglas Edwards scored 31 points and Michael Polite 15 for the Seminoles.

Owens had 16 and LeRon Ellis 15 for Syracuse.

No. 6 North Carolina 118, Citadel 50--The Tar Heels recorded the school’s 35th 20-victory season with this victory at Chapel Hill, N.C.

The top scorers for North Carolina (20-4) were reserves Hubert Davis and Clifford Rozier, with 15 points apiece.

The Tar Heels also extended their streak of 20-win seasons to an NCAA-record 21. Coach Dean Smith’s teams haven’t had any fewer than 20 victories since an 18-9 mark in the 1970-71 season.

No. 11 Southern Mississippi 88, Texas Pan American 77--Darrin Chancellor scored 24 points as the Golden Eagles (20-3) won at Edinburg, Tex. Clarence Weatherspoon had 12 points and 13 rebounds.

No. 13 East Tennessee State 102, Western Carolina 78--Rodney English scored 25 points and Calvin Talford 24 as the Buccaneers (24-3, 10-2) beat the Catamounts (11-14, 3-9) in a Southern Conference game at Johnson City, Tenn.

No. 14 Nebraska 82, North Illinois 73--Rich King, a 7-2 senior, tied a school record by scoring 40 points as the Cornhuskers (22-4) struggled back in the second half to beat the Huskies (20-4) at Lincoln, Neb.

King made 12 of 16 shots and 16 of 19 free throws in tying the record set by Jerry Fort against Missouri in 1975.

Northern Illinois led by as many as 10 points in the first half and 62-54 with 11:43 left. REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS EAST

Greg Woodard scored 25 points as Villanova defeated Boston College, 73-61, in a Big East game at Philadelphia. It was the fourth consecutive victory for Villanova (14-10, 7-6) over Boston College (11-15, 1-12). . . . Penn State beat George Washington, 69-65, in the final Atlantic 10 game at Recreation Hall in State College, Pa. The Nittany Lions are leaving the Atlantic 10 and will join the Big 10 in two years, or when league schedules can be worked out. Penn State (16-9, 9-7) is in fourth place in the Atlantic 10. MIDWEST

Matt Painter scored five of his 15 points in the second overtime as Purdue beat Michigan, 83-77, in a Big Ten game at Ann Arbor, Mich. Craig Riley scored a career-high 23 points to lead Purdue (13-10, 5-8). Demetruis Calip had a career-high 32 for Michigan (12-11, 5-8). . . . Chad Gallagher scored 32 points, making 15 of 18 shots, and Creighton (17-7) shot 64.3% in routing Notre Dame, 90-67, at South Bend, Ind. Daimon Sweet had 18 points for the Irish (10-16). . . . Indiana State made 31 of 31 free throws in beating Wichita State, 75-64, at Terre Haute, Ind. The best ever in NCAA competition is 34 out of 34 by UC Irvine against Pacific in 1981. WEST

Kevin Bradshaw, the nation’s leading scorer from U.S. International, scored 44 points, but the Gulls (2-23) lost to Missouri Kansas City, 95-83, at Kansas City. The Kangaroos are 13-13.