COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL ROUNDUP : It Takes Arizona Two Overtimes to Beat Duke and Extend Streak

Arizona extended its nation-leading home winning streak to 61 games Sunday, but not without some anxious moments before winning, 103-96, in two overtimes at Tucson.

Duke had a two-point lead and the ball in the closing seconds of regulation. “It looked as though we were in big-time trouble,” Arizona Coach Lute Olson would say later.

But Arizona’s Matt Othick deflected a pass by Duke’s Christian Laettner, enabling Sean Rooks to hit a spinning layup with 3.8 seconds left to tie the score at 78 and force the first overtime.

Then Chris Mills made a 10-foot jumper with 13 seconds left in the first extra period to tie it at 88-88, then almost sank a 12-footer at the buzzer. That miss forced the second overtime.

Matt Muehlebach scored seven points in the second overtime as the No. 9 Wildcats (22-5) beat the No. 7 Blue Devils (23-6).

“I’d sure like to meet the ghost of McKale (Center),” said Brian Williams, who led Arizona with 24 points.

“He’s definitely got a jinx on somebody.”

Rooks, whose spinning layup was similar to one he made to beat UCLA at McKale Center earlier this season, said: “I wouldn’t say that I’m Mr. Clutch. It was a matter of position. I was just fortunate enough to get the ball and score in that situation.”

Mills’ shot, meanwhile, was a carbon copy of one he made earlier this season that led to an overtime victory at UCLA.

No. 4 Indiana 112, Michigan 79--Sophomore Calbert Cheaney scored 30 points, matching his season high, as the Hoosiers beat the Wolverines at Bloomington, Ind.

Indiana’s 112 points was an offensive high for the Hoosiers this season and also the most points given up by Michigan.

Indiana (23-4, 11-3) trails Big Ten leader Ohio State by 2 1/2 games.

Demitrius Calip scored 28 to lead Michigan (13-12, 6-8).

No. 5 Syracuse 89, No. 22 Pittsburgh 68--Syracuse took a 19-5 lead and went on to clinch at least a share of the Big East regular-season title by defeating the Panthers at Syracuse, N.Y.

Billy Owens scored 33 points to lead the Orangemen, 24-4 overall and 10-4 in the Big East.

Jason Matthews, from St. Monica High, led Pitt (19-9, 8-6) with 16 points.

No. 16 Oklahoma State 79, Colorado 67--Byron Houston, a 6-6, 235-pound junior who usually scores from close range, made two three-pointers in the second half and finished with 31 points to lead the Cowboys to a Big Eight victory over the Buffaloes at Stillwater, Okla.

The victory gave Oklahoma State (20-5, 9-3) its first 20-victory season since 1982-83 and only its second in the past 26 years. It also allowed the Cowboys to move into a first-place tie with Kansas.

With the victory, Eddie Sutton joined Bill Foster as the only coach to win 20 games with four schools. Sutton also did it at Creighton, Arkansas and Kentucky.

Colorado, under first-year coach Joe Harrington, fell to 15-10 and 5-7. Harrington came from Cal State Long Beach.

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

EAST

Earl Duncan, from St. Monica High, scored nine of his 22 points in overtime to help Rutgers beat Massachusetts, 103-96, in an Atlantic 10 game at Piscataway, N.J. Keith Hughes had 33 points and 16 rebounds for Rutgers (18-8, 13-4). The Scarlet Knights lead the Atlantic 10 by one game with one game left.

MIDWEST

Patrick Tompkins scored 18 points as Wisconsin (13-11, 7-7) rallied from a nine-point second-half deficit to hand Northwestern (5-19, 0-14) its 15th consecutive loss, 79-76, in a Big Ten game at Madison, Wis.

SOUTH

Kenny Anderson scored 28 points, including 15 in a row in one stretch in the final 6:56 of the first half, to lead Georgia Tech (16-9) to an 82-69 victory over Louisville (9-15) at Atlanta. . . . Freshman Rodney Rogers scored 23 points to help Wake Forest rout Clemson, 81-55, in an Atlantic Coast Conference game at Winston-Salem, N.C. Wake Forest (16-9, 7-6) is ensured of its best regular-season record since going 23-9 in 1984 and its first .500 season in the ACC since 1984. Clemson is 10-15, 1-11.