COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : LSU Can’t Stay With Mayberry or Arkansas

Louisiana State Coach Dale Brown gushed about Lee Mayberry of Arkansas. So did Razorback Coach Nolan Richardson.

It’s no wonder. Mayberry made a school-record nine three-point shots and scored a personal-best 35 points as the seventh-ranked Razorbacks rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit to beat No. 23 Louisiana State, 106-92, in overtime Tuesday night at Fayetteville, Ark.

The 6-foot-2 Mayberry played a key role in shutting down the Tigers’ 7-1 Shaquille O’Neal.

“Lee Mayberry is the best player in the country,” Brown said.

Said Richardson: “The only way to stop O’Neal was to put Lee in the middle of our defense in front of him.” Otherwise, the Arkansas coach said, O’Neal is “impossible to stop man to man.”

Mayberry scored 23 in the second half, including a three-pointer that tied the score, 87-87, with 1:19 remaining, sending the game into overtime.

His two consecutive baskets in overtime got Arkansas off to a 93-87 lead. Todd Day, who beat LSU with 43 points in January, scored 27 Tuesday night, including 19 in the second half.

O’Neal, who had 11 points and seven rebounds in the first half, finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds. But he didn’t score in the final 16 1/2 minutes, including the five-minute overtime.

Arkansas (23-6) improved to 12-3 in the Southeastern Conference and is now atop the SEC’s Western Division. LSU (18-8) is 11-4 in the SEC. Each has one game remaining.

No. 5 Ohio State 77, No. 18 Michigan 66--Jim Jackson scored 25 points, including a key tip-in during a 10-0 second-half run that broke open a close Big Ten game at Columbus, Ohio.

Jackson added 13 rebounds and six assists for the Buckeyes (20-5, 12-3), who trail league-leading Indiana by a half game.

Mark Baker added 18 points for Ohio State, and Chris Jent had 15. Lawrence Funderburke had 10 rebounds and nine points for the Buckeyes.

Chris Webber led Michigan (17-8, 8-7) with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

OTHER GAMES

Notre Dame increased its record to 14-12 with an 87-86 victory over Xavier at South Bend, Ind. LaPhonso Ellis, who led the Irish with 27 points, scored the winning basket with 21 seconds to play. Daimon Sweet also scored 27 for Notre Dame. . . .James Bryson scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half as Villanova won its fifth game in a row, beating Providence, 75-65, at Villanova. . . . Sam Mack scored 16 points and Houston finally edged away from Texas Christian for a 50-44 victory at Houston. . . . Chris McNeal had career highs of 27 points and 20 rebounds and Darren Morningstar contributed 18 points as Pittsburgh rolled to a 90-66 Big East win over Boston College at Pittsburgh. . . . Senior Bryant Stith scored 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds in his final home game at Charlottesville, Va. as Virginia beat North Carolina State, 74-68.