COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Jackson Listens, Scores 29 for Ohio State

Before Sunday’s game against American University, Ohio State Coach Randy Ayers had a complaint about junior guard Jim Jackson. He didn’t shoot enough.

Jackson took care of that, making 12 of his 15 field-goal attempts, including four of five from three-point range, to score 29 points and lead the seventh-ranked Buckeyes to 96-70 victory.

The game was the Buckeyes’ first since their only loss, 79-77 in overtime Dec. 21 against USC.

“Jimmy didn’t use to shoot enough. Now he does,” Ayers said after Ohio State improved to a 7-1 record. “He has worked on his perimeter shot, and when he has his outside shot going, he and the team will play well.”

Jackson made all eight of his field-goal attempts--including four three-point baskets--in the first half as the Buckeyes rolled to a 52-26 lead.

Jackson said the loss to USC meant a long week for the team.

“I couldn’t wait to play. We wanted to get back in action and focus on the Big Ten race, which is coming up,” Jackson said. “We learned from our play in California that we need to take lots of shots and make the defense chase us.”

American (1-8) was led by Craig Sedmak, who had 22 points.

No. 24 Georgetown 98, Bethune Cookman 54--Alonzo Mourning scored 20 points and blocked four shots while playing only 16 minutes to lead the Hoyas (7-1) over the Wildcats (0-8) in the second game of a doubleheader in the Florida Suncoast Dome at St. Petersburg, Fla. Georgetown used mostly underclassmen in the second half.

Georgetown has played only one major college this season--Virginia, which beat the Hoyas by 10 points.

Georgetown Coach John Thompson defended scheduling schools such as Bethune Cookman, a black college in Daytona Beach, Fla.

“Schools like that can’t get anywhere without teams like us paying attention to them and giving them opportunities like this,” he said. “We can’t talk about supporting small black colleges and then not let them on our schedule. At one time, I’m sure people wondered why a major school would ever play a small school like Georgetown.”

In the first game in the Suncoast Dome, Luther Wright, a 7-foot-2, 290-pound sophomore center, scored 18 points to lead the No. 12 Seton Hall to a 100-59 victory over Florida A&M; (3-7). Florida A&M; made only nine of 30 shots in the first half and went scoreless for more than six minutes in the second.

OTHER GAMES

Tod Bernard scored 21 points, including eight in a row midway through the second half, to lead Fresno State (8-3) to a 74-53 victory over Bradley in the consolation bracket of the Rainbow Classic at Honolulu. Bradley is 3-6. . . . Steve Alford, former Indiana star, got his first coaching victory as Manchester College (1-10) defeated Denison, 82-63, at Atlanta. Alford took over three games ago after Ron DeCarli resigned. Alford was cut by the Sacramento Kings last month.

Richmond made 11 of 14 free throws in the final four minutes to fend off Virginia rally and defeat the Cavaliers, 80-74, in the championship game of the Times-Dispatch Invitational tournament at Richmond, Va. Curtis Blair scored 20 points to lead the Spiders (7-3). . . . Melvin Simon of New Orleans converted a three-point play with 28 seconds left in overtime, and Jermaine Morgan missed a 16-foot jumper with three seconds left to give the Privateers (7-3) a 78-77 victory over Pittsburgh (7-4) in the Sugar Bowl tournament final. . . . Dirkk Surles scored 29 points to lead George Washington (7-2) to a 78-64 victory over Miami (5-5) in the title game of the Palm Beach Classic at West Palm Beach, Fla. In the third-place game, DeRon Hayes scored 23 points to lead Penn State (8-2) to a 78-64 victory over Marshall (3-6). . . . Tennessee Chattanooga (8-4) won its own tournament with an 87-75 victory over Auburn (6-4).