Cincinnati Easily Passes Its No. 1 Test

Danny Fortson had to think for a second before deciding Cincinnati’s debut as a No. 1 team was a success. Western Carolina reached that conclusion much quicker.

Cincinnati used its depth and the inside-outside combination of Fortson and Darnell Burton to defeat Western Carolina, 99-72, in the opener for both teams at Cincinnati.

“Like boys playing against men out there, wasn’t it?” Western Carolina Coach Phil Hopkins said. “We played the No. 1 team in the country. They’ve got my vote. I’ve been around this game a long time. I’ve never seen a team as physically powerful as they are. Not just Danny Fortson--the guards and the whole bit.”

Fortson scored 29 points and had a game-high 15 rebounds while Burton added 19 points. Burton hit the baskets that turned Cincinnati around, scoring 11 points in an 18-2 spurt midway through the first half.

Asked if it amounted to a successful debut as No. 1, Fortson said, “I guess. Kentucky lost to Clemson. UCLA went out and lost. We realize we’re not as good as we think we are. If we play hard every night, we can live up to our ranking.”

No. 4 Utah 83, Azusa Pacific 50--Andre Miller had 16 points and seven assists to lead the Utes past the Cougars at Salt Lake City.

Keith Van Horn had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Utah, while Michael Doleac had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Mikah Sullivan had 13 points for the Cougars, ranked No. 8 in the preseason NAIA poll.

No. 12 Clemson 70, Coastal Carolina 47--Greg Buckner scored 21 points to lead the Tigers (2-0) past the Chanticleers at Clemson, S.C.

Even when the Tigers went cold for the game’s final seven minutes, scoring only two baskets, they did more than enough to hold off the Chanticleers.

Clemson’s Harold Jamison, who scored 20 points in a stunning 79-71 victory a week ago over Kentucky, scored 11.

No. 17 Texas 83, Nebraska 81--Dennis Jordan scored the final four points of overtime, including a free throw with 3.3 seconds to play, as the Longhorns held off the Cornhuskers at Austin, Texas.

The Longhorns led by as many as 16 points in the second half and held a 13-point lead with 6:35 to play. But Nebraska got hot and went on an 18-5 run at the end of regulation that sent the game into overtime tied at 73.

Reggie Freeman led Texas with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Kris Clack added 18 points, Brandy Perryman had 13 and Jordan had 10.

No. 18 New Mexico 69, E. Washington 53--Clayton Shields scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half, leading the Lobos (3-0) to the championship of the Lobo Classic at Albuquerque.

Shields, who scored 13 points in a first-round victory over Columbia Friday, added seven rebounds and was named tournament MVP.

The victory tied Lobos coach Dave Bliss with Bob King for most victories in school history. In his ninth season, Bliss has a 175-83 record with the Lobos, compared to King’s 175-89 mark from 1963-72.

No. 23 Minnesota 101, Stephen F. Austin 55--Bobby Jackson scored 23 points and was one of five players in double figures as the Gophers routed the Lumberjacks at Minneapolis.

Edwin Gray scored 16 points to lead Stephen F. Austin, while Wayne Allen had 13 and Jermaine Lyons 11 for the Lumberjacks.

No. 24 George Washington 73, Boston U. 68--Yegor Mescheriakov scored 24 points and Shawnta Rogers grabbed 11 rebounds to go with five assists as the Colonials (2-0) held off the Terriers (1-1) in the championship game of the Red Auerbach Colonial Classic at Washington.

OTHER GAMES

Richie Parker, a New York schoolboy star who pleaded guilty to a sexual felony and hadn’t played organized basketball since January 1994, scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds as Long Island defeated St. John’s, 76-73.

It was the Blackbirds’ first victory over the Red Storm in 60 years, and came in Fran Fraschilla’s debut as St. John’s coach.

But the focus of the day was Parker, booed by the sellout crowd of 6,008 at Alumni Hall during the introduction of the starting lineups. The 6-5 freshman guard heard chants of “jail bird” as he went to the foul line late in the game.

“It felt great to be back,” said Parker, who received five years probation and settled his part of an $11-million civil suit filed by the victim by pledging a percentage of earnings he may make playing professionally. “I didn’t know what to expect from the crowd, but I knew I would stay focused.”

Victor Page scored 23 points and Georgetown survived a 20-2 run by Cleveland State in the second half in a 77-67 victory at Cleveland. Page, the top returning scorer from a team that lost Allen Iverson to the NBA, had two dunks and sank two foul shots in the final minutes as the Hoyas spoiled the Cleveland State coaching debut of Rollie Massimino, who won the national championship at Villanova in 1985 by defeating Georgetown and Coach John Thompson. . . . South Florida rallied from a seven-point deficit in the second half to defeat Ohio State, 60-56, and present Coach Seth Greenberg with a debut victory. Greenberg, who was 105-70 in six seasons at Long Beach State, inherited a program that went 12-16 last season. . . . Mississippi State raised the banner from its first NCAA Final Four, then newcomer Horatio Webster scored 17 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 78-61 season-opening victory over Northwestern Louisiana at Starkville, Miss. Bart Hyche, one of only three returning lettermen, scored 14 points off the bench on five-of-nine shooting for the Bulldogs. . . . Sam Okey had a pair of layups and a free throw in the final 1:03 as Wisconsin defeated Memphis, 49-46, at Kanata, Canada. . . . Baylor (1-1) used 17-of-36 three-point shooting to rout North Carolina Wilmington, 74-54, in the second round of the Top of the World Classic at Fairbanks, Alaska. Roddrick Miller led Baylor with 21 points. In the same tournament, Montana (1-1) relied on its tight defense for a 65-54 victory over Alaska Fairbanks (4-2) and Alabama (2-0) routed Southern Illinois, 79-58, behind 23 points and 15 rebounds by Demetrius Alexander. . . . Isaac Fontaine made a three-point basket with 1:17 left to regain the lead for his team in Washington State’s 74-69 victory over Boise State at Pullman, Wash.