COLLEGE BASKETBALL REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS : No. 9 Arkansas Tops No. 8 Kentucky

Lee Mayberry led a balanced attack with 23 points and combined with Oliver Miller on the deciding run as No. 9 Arkansas beat No. 8 Kentucky, 105-88, in Lexington, Ky., Saturday in a matchup of the Southeastern Conference’s division leaders.

“They’re one of the top teams in the country,” Kentucky Coach Rick Pitino said of the Razorbacks, who lead the West in the 12-team SEC.

Kentucky, the East leader, made a final charge in front of a record crowd of 24,324 at Rupp Arena, but Mayberry made six free throws in the final minute for the Razorbacks (17-3, 6-1).

Deron Feldhaus and John Pelphrey each scored 22 points for Kentucky (14-4, 4-2).

SOUTH

A 38-foot shot by Mississippi State’s Chuck Evans as time expired gave the Bulldogs (12-6, 3-4) a 60-57 SEC victory over South Carolina (10-6, 2-5) at Columbia, S.C., in a game marred by Gamecock forward Joe Rhett collapsing on the court early in the second half. Rhett, who has a heart pacemaker, was taken to Richland Memorial Hospital, where he was reported in good condition. . . . Shaquille O’Neal scored 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Louisiana State (11-4, 4-1) to an 83-73 SEC victory over Mississippi (8-8, 1-4) at Oxford, Miss. O’Neal was 13 for 21 from the field, including six dunks. . . . Carlus Groves scored 15 of his personal-best 29 points during the first half in helping Tennessee (11-6, 4-2) defeat Auburn, 82-74, in an SEC game at Knoxville. The Tigers are 9-7, 3-3.

MIDWEST

Dana Jackson made a free throw with no time on the clock to lift Minnesota (12-7, 4-2) to a 54-53 Big Ten victory over Illinois (8-8, 4-2) at Minneapolis. The game was disrupted by American Indian protesters, who came out on the floor during the game and scuffled with university police. Three officers sustained minor injuries and four protesters were arrested. American Indians held the protest because of the Illini nickname and their mascot, Chief Illiniwek. They also plan to protest at today’s Super Bowl. . . . Woody Austin tied the school record of seven three-pointers and scored 28 points as Purdue (11-6, 3-2) defeated Northwestern, 82-63, in a Big Ten game at West Lafayette, Ind. Northwestern (7-9, 0-6) lost its 28th consecutive road game.

EAST

Alonzo Mourning scored 26 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked seven shots as Georgetown (11-4, 4-2) overpowered Big East newcomer Miami, 60-40, at Landover, Md. Miami is 6-12, 1-7. . . . Paul Chambers made six free throws in the final 39 seconds to lift Penn (6-6) to an 87-86 overtime victory over Penn State (12-6) at Hershey, Pa. The Quakers left the court for more than eight minutes after regulation play, not realizing a foul as time expired had sent Penn State’s DeRon Hayes to the free-throw line to tie the score.

WEST

Jeff Brown scored 20 points and made a layup with one second remaining in overtime as Gonzaga (12-5, 2-2) rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half to defeat San Diego, 71-69, in a West Coast Conference game at San Diego. San Diego is 11-7, 3-2. . . . Forward Rhea Taylor, who suffered a broken nose late in the game, scored 23 points as Santa Clara (8-10, 4-1) extended its winning streak to four games by beating Portland, 94-85, in a WCC game at Santa Clara. . . . Willie Banks scored 18 points to lead New Mexico (11-7, 5-1) to a 71-61 victory over San Diego State (2-5, 0-5) in a Western Athletic Conference game at San Diego. . . . Elsewhere in the WAC, Nathan Call scored 23 points, including six free throws in overtime, to lead Brigham Young (13-3, 2-2) to a 79-74 victory over Colorado State (8-2, 2-2) at Fort Collins, Colo., and Barry Howard’s layup with three seconds to play gave Utah (13-5, 3-3) an 80-79 overtime victory over Wyoming (10-7, 2-3) at Laramie, Wyo.