COLLEGE BASKETBALL REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS : Georgia Tech Outlasts Kentucky

Jon Barry scored 24 points, including two free throws with five seconds left, to help No. 13 Georgia Tech hold off No. 8 Kentucky, 81-80, Saturday night at Atlanta.

Barry’s free throws negated a three-point basket at the buzzer by Jamal Mashburn--the closest Kentucky came after Georgia Tech had taken a 61-41 lead with 13:27 left.

Dale Brown scored 13 of his 21 points during a nine-minute span that saw Kentucky (6-2) cut the lead to 73-67 on Brown’s three-point basket with 3:26 left.

Kentucky’s Gimel Martinez made a layup that cut the lead to 79-77 with 14 seconds left. But Barry was fouled after Georgia Tech got the ball across the midcourt and he made the two free throws that sealed the victory.

EAST

Bashkim Mustafaj scored 26 points as Iona (4-3) upset North Carolina State, 102-86, at White Plains, N.Y. Kevin Thompson had 27 points for North Carolina State. . . . Senior Dave Johnson scored 20 points to lead Syracuse (8-0) to an 87-58 victory over Lafayette (1-5) at Syracuse, N.Y. The Orangemen put the game away with a 26-10 run late in the first half to take a 43-27 lead.

Freshman center Rick Hielscher scored on a layup with two seconds left in overtime to give Princeton (7-3) a 47-46 victory over La Salle (2-3) at Philadelphia. La Salle made only 18 of 48 shots (24%). . . . Craig Amos scored 32 points, including 20 in the second half, as St. Joseph’s (5-2) beat Fordham, 87-75, at New York. Fred Herzog led Fordham (2-4) with 23 points.

MIDWEST

J.R. Rider and Elmore Spencer each scored 15 points to help Nevada Las Vegas (5-2) overcome a poor first half in a 79-59 victory over Eastern Michigan (3-6) at Auburn Hills, Mich. . . . Jeff VanderWiere scored 26 points as Kalamazoo beat Manchester, 79-69, at Kalamazoo, Mich., and spoiled Steve Alford’s college coaching debut. Alford, 27, led Indiana to the 1987 NCAA championship and was named the head coach a week ago after Ron DeCarli resigned.

Woody Austin scored 19 points as Purdue (6-2) rallied from a nine-point deficit in the second half to defeat in-state rival Butler, 76-70, at Indianapolis.

SOUTH

Litterial Green scored 28 points and Georgia (6-2) never trailed in defeating previously unbeaten Penn State, 70-54, at Atlanta. Penn State (7-1) is off to its best start in 66 years. . . . Walt Williams scored 29 points, and Maryland (6-1) needed a late 6-0 run to shake off Towson State (2-5) at College Park, Md.

WEST

Houston (8-1), leading by 27 points with about 19 minutes left, survived a rally by California (3-4) to emerge with an 81-75 victory at Berkeley. . . . Freshman Mario Bennett scored 16 points in his first start and Arizona State (5-3) beat Appalachian State, 88-57, at Tempe.

Carl Ray Harris scored 21 points and Wil Hooker added 17 to lead Fresno State (7-1) to an 83-72 victory over Oregon State (5-4) at Fresno.

San Jose State’s Terry Cannon, a former standout at Crenshaw High, scored 23 points to lead San Jose State (1-5) to a 61-60 victory over Santa Clara (2-6) at Santa Clara.