Without Camby, Bright Lifts Massachusetts

With Marcus Camby still hospitalized following his collapse last Sunday, Donta Bright scored a career-high 32 points and made all 14 of his free throws as No. 1-ranked Massachusetts defeated Rhode Island, 77-71, Wednesday night at Amherst, Mass.

“It is a challenge because the best player in the country is not with us,” Massachusetts Coach John Calipari said.

Leading, 52-51, with 10:42 to play, Massachusetts, 15-0 overall and 4-0 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, scored 19 of its final 25 points from the foul line.

Camby, one of the nation’s top players, collapsed before Sunday’s 65-52 victory at St. Bonaventure. He was expected to be released from University of Massachusetts Medical Center today after extensive testing failed to find the cause but ruled out heart problems and a number of neurological problems.

Camby is expected to sit out Saturday’s game at Duquesne and a decision on when he might return could be made this weekend after results of tests already completed are received.

Rhode Island (9-5, 1-2) took advantage of the absence of the 6-foot-11 Camby by going inside and led most of the first half, which ended in a 36-36 tie. Its last lead was 38-37 before Massachusetts got the next five points.

No. 3 Cincinnati 99, Xavier 90--Danny Fortson scored a career-high 40 points in a nonconference game at Cincinnati.

Cincinnati (12-0) matched its best start in the last 36 years. The Bearcats also were 12-0 in 1976-77.

Xavier (6-7) is off to its worst start in 14 years.

No. 5 Connecticut 88, St. John’s 73--Kirk King made his 22nd consecutive basket--three short of the NCAA record--before a miss and Connecticut pulled away early in a Big East game at Hartford, Conn.

King made his first three shots, all dunks, for the Huskies before missing an eight-foot jumper with six minutes to play in the first half. The record of 25 in a row was set by Ray Voelkel of American University in 1978.

Travis Knight had a career-high 22 points for Connecticut (15-1, 7-0), which extended its winning streak to 14 games.

Zendon Hamilton scored 24 points to lead St. John’s (7-6, 1-4).

No. 6 Wake Forest 66, Georgia Tech 63--Tony Rutland scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Demon Deacons in an Atlantic Coast Conference game at Winston-Salem, N.C.

Tim Duncan added 22 points and 11 rebounds to help Wake Forest (12-1, 4-0) to its ninth consecutive victory. Georgia Tech fell to 10-8, 3-1.

Seton Hall 78, No. 7 Villanova 73--Adrian Griffin scored a career-high 31 points to lead the Pirates in a Big East game at East Rutherford, N.J.

The loss was the second in three games for the Wildcats (13-3, 5-2) and it was the biggest upset victory for Seton Hall (8-6, 4-3) since it beat No. 6 Ohio State on Jan. 26, 1992.

Eric Eberz led Villanova with 17 points. Kerry Kittles, who didn’t start because of a groin injury, added 15 points.

No. 10 North Carolina 67, Virginia 53--Freshman Antawn Jamison had 20 rebounds and 16 points to lead the Tar Heels in an ACC game at Charlottesville, Va.

North Carolina (13-3, 4-1) led, 39-28, at the half and coasted. Virginia (7-6, 2-3) was led by Curtis Staples with 17 points and Harold Deane with 10.

Florida State 75, No. 19 Clemson 62--James Collins made four three-point baskets in the second half and scored 23 points to lead the Seminoles (10-4, 2-2) in an ACC game at Tallahassee, Fla.

Clemson (11-2, 2-2) lost its second consecutive game after an 11-0 start.

No. 21 Mississippi State 53, Mississippi 47--Darryl Wilson scored five of his 17 points in the final 1:14 to lead the Bulldogs (11-3, 3-2) in a Southeastern Conference game at Starkville, Miss.

Mississippi fell to 5-8 and 0-4.

No. 22 Georgia 71, Florida 46--Katu Davis and Pertha Robinson scored five points each in a 21-0 spurt as Georgia (11-3, 2-2) ended a two-game losing streak with Southeastern Conference victory at Athens, Ga.

The Gators (6-8, 1-3) went scoreless for 8:10 after chopping a 12-point deficit to 50-44 on a three-point basket by Greg Williams with 8:56 to play.

No. 25 Texas Tech 75, Baylor 69--Jason Sasser scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Red Raiders in a Southwest Conference game at Waco, Texas.

Texas Tech improved to 13-1, 3-0. Brian Skinner and Damond Mannon scored 19 points each for Baylor (6-9, 1-2).

College Basketball Notes

St. John’s forward Chales Minlend, who has not played this season because of a torn hamstring, will redshirt the rest of his senior year, the team announced. . . . Seton Hall forward Roger Ingraham will be been sidelined indefinitely because of a stress fracture in his left leg.