Missouri Center as Surprised as Kansas

Missouri’s much-maligned center, Simeon Haley, isn’t accustomed to making big plays in pressure situations.

But, that’s what Haley did Saturday in Missouri’s 77-73 Big Eight Conference victory over No. 3 Kansas at Columbia, Mo.

Haley, often criticized for not being able to hold on to the basketball, latched on to an errant pass as the Jayhawks tried to work for a high-percentage game-tying shot with five seconds left.

Haley was then fouled, setting up a second surprise--he made two free throws with 2.9 seconds to finish off Kansas, which is 19-2 overall and 7-1 in the Big Eight. Haley is a 59% free-throw shooter.

“It felt like they weren’t looking where they were throwing it,” said Haley, who himself had six turnovers. “The ball just came to me and I thought, ‘Wow, look what I’ve got.’ ”

Missouri (15-8, 5-4 and a home winning streak of 14 games) made 26 of 48 shots to become the second team to shoot better than 50% against Kansas in its last 52 games. The Jayhawks, who brought a 12-game winning streak into the game, shot 40% and hurt themselves by missing 8 of 12 free throws after taking a six-point lead midway in the second half.

No. 6 Villanova 76, Rutgers 64--The Wildcats (20-3, 11-2), with their usually reliable perimeter shooters misfiring, used the inside play of center Jason Lawson to turn back the Scarlet Knights (6-14, 3-9) in the Big East Conference game at Piscataway, N.J.

Lawson made nine of 11 shots and scored 11 of his 22 points in the final 3:22 after Rutgers had cut Villanova’s lead to 63-59. Lawson, a 6-foot-11 junior, also passed the 1,000-point mark.

Villanova missed 14 of 19 three-point shots but made 60% of their two-point attempts.

At halftime, Rutgers honored its 1976 team, which had reached the Final Four unbeaten (31-0).

No. 7 Utah 78, Colorado State 73--The Utes (19-3, 11-1) got going midway in the second half of a Western Athletic Conference game at Fort Collins, Colo., with Keith Van Horn scoring nine of his 22 points in a decisive 15-4 run.

Senior guard Bobby Sellers scored a career-high 27 points for Colorado State (14-8, 8-5), which shot 55% to Utah’s 57%.

No. 18 Syracuse 85, No. 8 Georgetown 64--The Orangemen (18-6, 8-5), who had lost by 19 points in their previous game against the Hoyas (19-5, 9-4), turned the tables in the Big East game at Syracuse, N.Y.

Forward John Wallace had 25 points and 13 rebounds to lead Syracuse, but it was the Orangemen’s pressure defense and foul trouble for Georgetown’s leading scorer Allen Iverson that proved decisive.

Georgetown, which had been averaging 86 points, had 12 turnovers in the first 12 minutes and missed 16 of its first 28 shots in falling behind, 40-30, at halftime.

Iverson, who sat out a large portion of the second half with four fouls, had 14 points--10 below his season average.

No. 10 Penn State 54, Michigan State 50--Glenn Sekunda’s two free throws with 16 seconds left sealed the victory at State College, Pa., for the Nittany Lions (18-2, 9-2), who remain tied for first place in the Big Ten with No. 14 Purdue.

Penn State’s two lowest scoring games of the season have come against Michigan State (13-10, 7-4), which won the first meeting at East Lansing, Mich., 61-58.

No. 11 Virginia Tech 78, Xavier (Ohio) 73--The Hokies (18-2, 10-1) made their last nine free throws to hold off the Musketeers (9-11, 5-5) in an Atlantic 10 Conference game at Cincinnati.

Virginia Tech was led by guard Damon Watlington (23 points) and forward Ace Custis (16 points and nine rebounds).

Georgia Tech 92, No. 12 North Carolina 83--The Yellowjackets (15-10, 8-3) made a school-record 16 three-point baskets in 37 attempts in an overtime game at Chapel Hill, N.C., to move into a tie with Wake Forest (15-3, 7-2) for the Atlantic Coast Conference lead.

North Carolina (16-7, 7-4) has lost three straight conference games for the first time since 1992 and the last two losses have come at home.

Guard Drew Barry scored a career-high 30 points for Georgia Tech, making nine of 17 three-point shots. Barry had averaged 11 points in his previous eight games against the Tar Heels, who have lost twice to the Yellowjackets.

North Carolina guard Jeff McInnis missed a 12-foot jumper with 2.3 seconds that could have broke an 80-80 tie.

No. 13 Texas Tech 66, Texas A&M; 63--The Red Raiders (20-1, 9-0) escaped with the Southwest Conference victory at College Station, Texas as the Aggies (11-10, 3-6) missed three shots in the final minute that could have tied the game.

Forward Jason Sasser again led Texas Tech with 19 points, but it was the shooting of reserve guard Cory Carr (15 points, three of three on three-point attempts) that gave the Red Raiders their second-half cushion.

No. 20 Louisville 81, Alabama Birmingham 66--The Cardinals (17-7, 8-2) had a 19-point lead dwindle to two in the second half before regaining their composure in a Conference USA game at Louisville, Ky.

Alabama Birmingham (14-9, 4-5) made its first 10 shots of the second half and trailed, 60-58, with less than seven minutes left when forward Brian Kiser was called for goaltending. Kiser came back with a three-point basket and two free throws on Louisville’s next two possessions to put the Cardinals back in control.

No. 21 Iowa St. 74, Nebraska 59--The Cyclones (17-5, 6-2) missed their first 11 shots of the Big Eight Conference game at Ames, Iowa, but the Cornhuskers (15-9, 3-6) couldn’t take advantage.

Iowa State guard Dedric Willoughby had a career-high 29 points, making seven of 12 three-point shots.

No. 22 Boston College 62, Miami 58--Forward Steve Edwards became the Big East career leader in three-point baskets (168) but in doing so virtually shot the Hurricanes (11-9, 5-7) out of the Big East game at Miami.

Edwards, who needed one three-point basket to pass Terry Dehere as the conference career leader, missed his first nine long-range attempts and didn’t make one until 5:32 remained in the game. He finished two for 13.

Boston College (15-5, 8-4) won in spite of an off-game by forward Danya Abrams, who fouled out with five minutes remaining with four points--16 below his average.

No. 24 Eastern Michigan 91, Central Michigan 79--The Eagles (18-2, 11-1) had five players score in double figures in the Mid-American Conference game at Ypsilanti, Mich.

Forward Charles Macon, a transfer from Ohio State, had 27 points and 11 rebounds for Central Michigan (5-15, 2-10).

OTHER GAMES

Five players scored in double figures for Florida State (11-9, 3-7), which also had 65 points in the second half of a 100-78 Atlantic Coast Conference victory over Maryland (12-8, 5-5) at Tallahassee, Fla. The Seminoles had not topped 80 points in their previous 22 ACC games. . . . Clemson (14-6, 4-6) missed 18 of 22 shots in scoring just 14 points in the first half of a 62-51 ACC loss to Virginia (11-10, 5-6) at Charlottesville, Va. Clemson had held Wofford to seven first-half points in its previous game. . . . Guard Kwame Evans had 36 points but George Washington (15-4, 8-1) needed to make 22 consecutive free throws to seal a 92-83 home-court Atlantic 10 victory over La Salle (5-17, 2-8).

Alabama center Roy Rogers had a Southeastern Conference-record 14 blocked shots but Georgia (14-7, 5-6) still managed a 68-55 victory at Athens, Ga. Rogers, who broke Shaquille O’Neal’s SEC record of 12, also had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Crimson Tide (12-8, 5-5). . . . Guard Larry Davis scored a career-high 35 points to lead South Carolina (13-7, 6-5) to its most-lopsided SEC victory ever--a 106-68 decision over Louisiana State (11-11, 3-7) at Columbia, S.C. LSU guard Ronnie Henderson, averaging 27 points in SEC play, had only eight points and left in the first half with a sore right knee which may need surgery. . . . Guard Darryl Wilson scored a season-high 32 points as Mississippi State (16-5) won its fifth consecutive game, a 76-71 nonconference decision over Oklahoma (13-9) at Norman, Okla. Sooner forward Ernie Abercrombie had 25 points and a career-high 22 rebounds.

Five players were ejected in the second half of Brigham Young’s 81-71 Western Athletic Conference victory over Wyoming at Laramie. After BYU’s Nathan Cooper fouled Wyoming’s LaDrell Whitehead hard on a layup with 9:08 left, a brawl ensued resulting in the ejection of Cooper and four Wyoming players--starter Sly Johnson and three reserves who came off the bench to join in the fighting. BYU is 13-9 and 7-6, Wyoming 11-11 and 5-7. . . . Visiting Air Force (5-17, 1-12) got a strong performance from forward Charlie Nelson (26 points, 12-of-13 shooting) but still lost, 81-72, to San Diego State (13-8, 7-5). . . . Santa Clara (16-6, 7-3) took sole possession of first place in the West Coast Conference with a 65-41 home-court victory over San Francisco (13-9, 6-4).