Garden Finally Feels Like Home for Lopez and St. John’s

For as much as Georgetown guard Allen Iverson seems to enjoy playing at Madison Square Garden, St. John’s guard Felipe Lopez seemed to dread it--until Saturday.

Lopez, who has yet to meet the lofty expectations of being one of New York City’s most-heralded high school players, had 25 points and nine rebounds to lead St. John’s to an 83-72 Big East victory over No. 6 Georgetown.

Iverson, who came into the Big East as a freshman two years ago with about as much fanfare as Lopez, had 39 points--one less than his career high.

“The Garden had been a jinx for me even with all the games we play here, but today I really came through,” said Lopez, who made seven of 12 shots and 10 of 12 free throws. “I was confident in myself. A lot of people tried to make it Lopez against Iverson but you can’t let it get to you.”

Iverson has averaged 31.3 points in his six games at Madison Square Garden. “You get pumped a lot to play here with the whole crowd against us,” said Iverson, who made 15 of 26 shots and seven of 12 free throws. “You just come here and play ball. That’s part of the game.”

St. John’s, 8-8 overall and 2-6 in the Big East, took control during a six-minute span of the second half in which Georgetown (17-3, 7-2) missed 12 of 13 shots. The Red Storm maintained double-digit leads the rest of the game by making 18 of 22 free throws.

The victory temporarily lifts some pressure off Lopez and St. John’s Coach Brian Mahoney, who has been under fire from fans and New York media for not getting the Red Storm to the NCAA tournament the last two seasons. Earlier this season, St. John’s also failed to win its Lapchick Tournament for the first time in 21 years, losing to UC Irvine.

“It’s a long year and sometimes you don’t get what you want right away,” Mahoney said. “In the Big East there are a lot of bumps along the way. I probably know better than anyone. We’re just trying to get these kids more confidence.”

No. 2 Kentucky 89, South Carolina 57--The Wildcats (17-1, 7-0) went on a 30-2 run after the Gamecocks (11-5, 5-3) pulled within a point in the second half of a Southeastern Conference game at Lexington, Ky.

It was the 16th consecutive victory for Kentucky and the 300th college victory for Coach Rick Pitino. Forward Walter McCarty had a season-high 20 points.

No. 7 Villanova 90, Miami 62--Guard Kerry Kittles had 25 points and the host Wildcats (16-3, 7-2) shot 55% in a Big East victory. The Hurricanes (10-7, 4-5) had been giving up 67 points a game.

Kittles, who made six of nine three-point shots, needs seven points to become the sixth 2,000-point scorer in Villanova history. Only Duke, with seven, would have more 2,000-point scorers.

No. 8 Virginia Tech 81, Fordham 57--The Hokies (13-2, 6-1) bounced back from Thursday’s dismal effort against George Washington, shooting 69% in the second half of an Atlantic 10 Conference game at Blacksburg, Va.

Virginia Tech, ranked in the Top 10 for the first time in school history, shot 35% in a 64-47 loss to George Washington. The Hokies shot 55% against Fordham (2-14, 0-7).

Guard Shawn Good, playing with a separated shoulder, had nine points, six rebounds and six assists.

No. 11 North Carolina 65, No. 9 Wake Forest 59--Two alert plays by guard Jeff McInnis late in the game helped the Tar Heels complete one of their biggest comebacks in an Atlantic Coast Conference game at Chapel Hill, N.C.

North Carolina (15-4, 6-1) trailed by 18 points with 17:23 left after shooting a season-low 27% in the first half. The Tar Heels went on a 26-10 run to get back into the game, and then used key plays by McInnis down the stretch to knock Wake Forest (13-3, 5-2) out a tie for first place in the ACC.

The Tar Heels’ biggest comeback ever was also against Wake Forest on Feb. 8, 1992, when they came from 20 points down with 14:49 left to win by two.

North Carolina missed two shots and lost possession while trailing 57-56 as the game’s final minute approached, but McInnis made a steal and shot in the lane that gave the Tar Heels the lead for good.

Wake Forest center Tim Duncan, a 71% free-throw shooter, missed the front end of a one-and-one with 41.5 seconds left, and McInnis got the rebound after a scramble along the baseline, getting fouled in the process. He made two free throws to complete his 20-point effort, and Shammond Williams made two more with 14.7 seconds left to clinch it.

Duncan had 22 points and 10 rebounds.

No. 10 Utah 82, New Mexico 64--Forward Keith Van Horn scored 25 points as the Utes (16-3, 8-1) ended the Lobos’ home-court win streak at 11 in a Western Athletic Conference game.

New Mexico (16-3, 6-3) could get no closer than 12 points after Utah went on a 24-8 run midway in the first half.

No. 12 Memphis 81, Southern Mississippi 68--Forward Cedric Henderson scored 26 points--15 above his season average--to lead the Tigers (14-3, 5-1) in a Conference USA game at Hattiesburg, Miss.

Henderson’s big game, which included nine-of-12 shooting, was needed because center Lorenzen Wright had 13 points and seven rebounds, which were below his averages of 19.3 and 10.5 the last eight games.

Southern Mississippi (8-8, 2-4) made eight three-point baskets to trail, 41-40, at halftime but had only two after that.

No. 14 Penn State 82, Indiana 68--Guard Pete Lisicky made his last six three-point shots and scored a game-high 23 points for the Big Ten-leading Nittany Lions (15-1, 6-1) at State College, Pa.

Penn State, which leads the nation in three-point shooting percentage, made 11 of 18 shots from that distance. Lisicky made a 30-footer at the buzzer to give the Nittany Lions a three-point halftime lead.

Forward Brian Evans led Indiana (11-8, 4-3) with 21 points.

No. 17 Syracuse 88, No. 20 Boston College 73--The Orangemen (14-5, 5-4), who had lost their previous three games, led by as many as 24 points in the first half of a Big East Conference game at Syracuse, N.Y.

Forward Todd Burgan had a career-high 23 points for Syracuse while senior point guard Lazarus Sims, the Big East assist leader and normally a reluctant shooter, scored 18 to double his previous best. Sims had 10 assists.

Boston College (12-4, 5-3) missed 21 of its first 28 shots and forward Danya Abrams, one of the Big East’s top scorers, didn’t find his shooting touch until the second half, when he scored 19 of his 26 points.

North Carolina State 64, No. 18 Clemson 61--Center Todd Fuller scored his team’s first 10 points and made six consecutive free throws in the final minutes for the visiting Wolfpack (12-8, 2-5) in the ACC game at Clemson, S.C. Fuller, one of the conference’s leading scorers, had 20 points.

Clemson (12-4, 3-4) missed five of its last six shots, including three-point attempts by forwards Tony Christie and Greg Buckner in the final 10 seconds. The Tigers are 1-4 in the ACC since point guard Merl Code was lost for the season because of a knee injury.

Clemson held a tribute before the game for former football coach Frank Howard, who died Friday at 86. His seat in Littlejohn Coliseum was roped off with a bouquet of flowers and a wreath tied to the chair. Howard coached 30 seasons at Clemson, winning six ACC titles.

No. 19 Purdue 70, Ohio State 53--The Boilermakers (15-4, 5-2) got back on track in the Big Ten by shooting 59% in the first half at West Lafayette, Ind.

Forward Roy Hairston made nine of 11 shots and had 20 points for Purdue, which was coming off back-to-back Big Ten losses for the first time in three years.

The Buckeyes are 8-8 and 1-6.

OTHER GAMES

Georgia Tech (13-8, 6-1) scored the game’s first 14 points and overcame 39% shooting in a 79-58 ACC victory over Florida State (10-7, 2-5) at Atlanta. The start is the Yellowjackets’ best in the ACC since 1986. . . . Mississippi (7-9, 2-5), which beat No. 21 Auburn Wednesday with only eight players in uniform because of suspensions, returned to a full roster and posted another Southeastern Conference surprise--a 70-63 victory over Alabama (10-6, 4-4) at Oxford, Miss. All four players suspended for breaking team rules before the Auburn game were reinstated. Forward Anthony Boone had 16 rebounds to help give the Rebels a 39-37 advantage over the Crimson Tide, which has the SEC’s top rebounding front line. . . . Mississippi State (12-5, 4-4) stopped its SEC skid with a 60-59 home-court victory over Tennessee (9-8, 2-5). In a matchup of two of the SEC’s top centers, Mississippi State’s Erick Dampier (19 points, nine rebounds) outplayed Tennessee’s Steve Hamer (11 points, five rebounds).

Louisiana State (10-8, 2-4) missed three shots in the final 18 seconds that could have tied the SEC game and lost, 73-70, to Florida (9-8, 4-3) at Gainesville, Fla. Florida wore fluorescent orange uniforms instead of its home whites for the first time in nearly 20 years. LSU guard Ronnie Henderson, the SEC’s top scorer, had 28 points. . . . Guard Drew Maddux made six free throws in the final 1:32 to lift Vanderbilt (13-7, 3-4) to a 66-62 victory over Georgia (11-6, 2-5) in an SEC game at Nashville.

Illinois (14-6, 3-5) beat Northwestern (6-10, 1-6) for the 30th time in 33 games since 1980--a 74-62 Big Ten victory at Evanston, Ill. It was the 210th conference victory for Illinois Coach Lou Henson, who moved into a third-place tie with Indiana’s Branch McCracken on the Big Ten list. . . . Forward Quinton Brooks, the Big Ten’s field-goal percentage leader, overcame a 0-for-4 shooting start to finish with 19 points for Michigan State (11-8, 5-2) in a 68-54 victory over Minnesota (10-9, 2-5) at Minneapolis.

Missouri (13-6, 3-2), playing without leading scorer and rebounder Kelly Thames, beat Kansas State (13-5, 4-2) for the 11th time in a row at Columbia, Mo., in an 86-80 Big Eight victory. Forward Derek Grimm had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Missouri, which was coming off its two lowest point totals of the season. . . . Oklahoma (10-8, 2-4) lost its fourth consecutive game, a 67-61 decision to Iowa State (15-4, 4-1) at Ames, Iowa. The start of the game was delayed two hours as a blizzard caused travel problems for Oklahoma. The Sooners’ chartered plane was diverted to Omaha, Neb., late Friday because the Des Moines airport was closed. They traveled the final 150 miles by bus.

Wyoming (10-9, 4-5) had five players score in double figures and led by as many as 33 points in a 96-81 victory over Fresno State (12-7, 6-3) in a Western Athletic Conference game at Laramie, Wyo. Guard Dominick Young was one of two double-figure scorers for Fresno State with 26 points. . . . Former UCLA player Marquis Burns scored a career high 16 points as New Mexico State (6-10, 3-5 in the Big West) beat Nevada Las Vegas (6-10, 3-5) for the eighth consecutive time, 68-66 at Las Cruces, N.M. . . . Forward Mark Flick scored 22 points for visiting Santa Barbara (9-8, 6-3) in an 80-77 Big West victory over San Jose (4-13, 3-6). . . . Guard Kweemada King made two free throws with one second left to give Portland (12-6, 3-3) a home-court 67-66 West Coast Conference victory over Gonzaga (13-5, 4-2), which dropped into a three-way for first place with Santa Clara and San Francisco. . . . Division III school Rutgers Camden of Wayne, N.J., extended a NCAA record with its 100th consecutive loss, 84-53 to William Paterson.