With Doleac Ailing, Miller Takes the Reins for Utah (14-0)

With Utah’s scoring-leader Michael Doleac slowed by flu and a tight Colorado State defense, Andre Miller knew it was up to him to spark the No. 4 Utes Thursday night at Salt Lake City.

“They really packed it in with their zone,” Miller said. “I knew I was going to have to make something happen from the outside.”

The junior point guard responded to the challenge with 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists to lead Utah past Colorado State, 65-51.

“Andre Miller was everywhere,” Doleac said. “I felt like my legs were dead in the second half, so I’m glad he stepped it up.”

Doleac finished with 13 points.

“Andre played a great all-around game but the best thing about him was his defense,” Utah Coach Rick Majerus said. Miller had five steals, a block and finished without a turnover.

Utah, 14-0 overall and 2-0 in the Western Athletic Conference, which hasn’t lost at home since Dec. 31, 1996, led, 43-37, midway through the second half before Drew Hansen’s three-point basket sparked a 10-0 run that gave the Utes breathing room.

Jameel Mahmud had 18 points to pace the Rams (12-3, 1-2), who have lost nine straight to Utah.

No. 15 New Mexico 79, Nevada Las Vegas 61--Clayton Shields made five consecutive three-point shots in the first half and Kenny Thomas scored New Mexico’s first 13 points of the second half at Albuquerque, N.M.

The Western Athletic Conference win extended New Mexico’s home-court winning streak to 37 games, second longest in the nation to Kansas’ 54 consecutive wins at Allen Field House.

The Lobos (13-2, 3-1) buried the Rebels with 13 three-point baskets.

Thomas, in foul trouble in the first half and held to five points, finished with 22 points and nine rebounds. He carried New Mexico’s offense through the first eight minutes of the second half, repeatedly scoring inside against UNLV’s imposing frontline of 6-foot-11 Keon Clark, 6-9 Kaspars Kambala and 6-6 Tyrone Nesby.

Edwin “Greedy” Daniels scored 13 points and Kambala added 12 for UNLV (8-6, 1-1).

However, the shorter but quicker New Mexico frontline of Thomas, Clayton Shields and Lamont Long held Clark, Nesby and Kambala to a combined 30 points.

The trio had been averaging just over 68 points a game.

No. 20 Rhode Island 85, Tulane 61--Cuttino Mobley scored 16 points and Rhode Island used its superior size and speed to overcome a slow start at Providence, R.I.

The Rams trailed, 9-0, and didn’t get their first basket until Joshua King scored with 6:51 gone in the game. But they led, 31-23, at halftime and by as many as 25 after that as they repeatedly raced away for uncontested layups.

Rhode Island (12-2) won its sixth consecutive game since a one-point loss at Stanford. Tulane (5-10) has lost nine of its last 11 games, only three of them by more than seven points.

Notre Dame 74, No. 21 West Virginia 72--Keith Friel made a 15-foot jumper with a second left as Notre Dame ended the Mountaineers’ nine-game home winning streak at Morgantown, W. Va.

Pat Garrity, last season’s Big East player of the year, led the Fighting Irish (9-5, 3-3) with 27 points. Derek Manner added 15 points for Notre Dame and Friel had 11.

West Virginia (14-3, 4-3) was coming off back-to-back wins over Georgetown and Miami. Damian Owens led the Mountaineers with 22 points.

Jarrod West’s three-point basket with 16:11 remaining in the second half sparked a 14-2 run for the Mountaineers. Owens’ slam dunk put West Virginia ahead, 51-44, with 13:40 left.

West Virginia’s Brian Lewin made two free throws with 1:08 remaining to tie the score, 70-70. Friel then drove the right side, dribbled behind his back and hit a leaning jumper from the foul line for the game winner.

Notre Dame shot 58.5% from the field and outrebounded West Virginia, 41-32, while holding the Mountaineers to just 39.5% shooting.

West Virginia had 12 steals to Notre Dame’s two.

OTHER GAMES

Danny Bower made four consecutive three-point baskets during a 22-4 run to spark Brigham Young (6-10, 1-1) to a 60-41 Western Athletic Conference victory over Wyoming (12-3, 2-1) at Provo, Utah. . . . Matt Harpring scored 22 points to lead Georgia Tech (12-4, 2-2) to an 83-65 Atlantic Coast Conference victory over Virginia (9-8, 1-3) at Charlottesville, Va. . . . Massachusetts scoring leader Monty Mack, held without a point for the first 31 minutes, got seven in overtime as the Minutemen (10-5) beat North Carolina Charlotte (7-6), 68-62, at Providence, R.I. . . . Matt Baniak matched his season high with 20 points as Saint Louis (11-5, 3-1) beat cold-shooting Houston (7-8, 0-3), 67-47, in a Conference USA game at St. Louis. . . . Terrance Roberson scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half to give Fresno State (8-7, 2-1) an 81-77 victory over Tulsa (9-8, 1-2) in a Western Athletic Conference game at Fresno. . . . Dionn Holton scored eight of his 12 points in the final two minutes as Portland (2-1, 9-6) pulled away for an 80-75 West Coast Conference victory over St. Mary’s (1-2, 6-9) at Portland. . . . Bakari Hendrix scored 17 points, including the winning jump shot with 15 seconds left, as Gonzaga (14-4, 3-0) beat San Diego (8-7, 0-3), 71-69, in a West Coast Conference game at Spokane, Wash. . . . Raymond Tutt scored 18 of his 29 points in the second half and also had 13 rebounds, five assists and five steals as UC Santa Barbara (3-9, 1-2) beat Nevada (6-6, 2-1), 99-78, in a Big West Conference game at Santa Barbara. . . . Michael Olowokandi scored 24 points and had 12 rebounds as Pacific (9-8, 1-2) downed North Texas (2-11, 1-2), 83-53, in a Big West Conference game at Stockton.