COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Kentucky Pressed Before Getting Past Ohio, 73-63

Kentucky Coach Rick Pitino had a feeling Kentucky’s defensive pressure would be the difference, but he didn’t think it would take so long to put the game away.

But Jamal Mashburn, who led the 17th-ranked Wildcats with 23 points, started a decisive second-half run that enabled Kentucky to turn back Ohio University, 73-63, at Cincinnati Monday night.

Kentucky (7-2) trailed Ohio (6-2) four when Mashburn made a layup and two free throws to start the 9-2 rally.

No. 5 Connecticut 89, Fairfield 59--Scott Burrell and Chris Smith each had 19 points and the Huskies (6-0) scored the first 15 points of the one-sided game at Connecticut.

The Stags (1-4) couldn’t handle the early defensive pressure as they missed their first five shots and turned the ball over six times in the opening five minutes.

No. 12 Seton Hall 72, Fairleigh Dickinson 46--Terry Dehere returned from a wrist injury to score seven of his 14 points in a game-breaking run late in the first half at South Orange, N.J., to lead the Pirates (6-1) to their fourth victory in a row.

No. 15 Arkansas 74, Tulsa 64--Robert Shepherd sparked a 15-4 run midway through the second half at Tulsa as the Razorbacks (8-2) rallied to beat the Golden Hurricane (1-4).

No. 16 Missouri 61, Illinois 44--The Tigers (8-0) got 16 points from Jevon Crudup to beat cold-shooting and error-prone Illinois (5-3) at St. Louis, ending an eight-game losing streak in the neutral-court series.

OTHER GAMES

Host Nevada Las Vegas overcame an early 10-point deficit and went on to beat Lamar, 100-75. After Lamar led, 23-13, seven minutes into the game, the Rebels scored 18 of the next 20 points. J.R. Rider had 28 points and six assists for UNLV. . . . Washington State (10-0) trailed by one at halftime before routing winless Cal State Sacramento, 97-63. . . . Thurman Watson had 14 points to lead St. Mary’s (5-5) to a 71-49 victory over North Carolina Greensboro (4-7) at Moraga, Calif. . . . Steve Smith sank a three-pointer with 4:53 to play and Dwayne Fontana completed a fast break with a slam dunk moments later as Arizona State broke a 50-50 tie to defeat Miami, 62-57, at Tempe, Ariz.