UNLV Upsets Fifth-Ranked Utah

Tyrone Nesby made a three-point basket with 1:24 left to give Nevada Las Vegas the lead, then sealed the win with a pair of free throws as the Runnin’ Rebels upset fifth-ranked Utah, 54-51, in the quarterfinals of the Western Athletic Conference tournament at Las Vegas.

Nesby, who had a game-high 22 points, rebounded a miss by Andre Miller of Utah (25-3), and then sank two free throws after being fouled with 6.4 seconds left.

Miller’s desperation three-point attempt at the buzzer bounced off the rim, as UNLV fans stormed their home court to celebrate the team’s biggest win in recent years.

The victory put UNLV (17-12) in the conference semifinals tonight against former coach Jerry Tarkanian and Fresno State (18-10), a 92-57 winner over San Diego State (13-15).

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Lee Nailon had 16 points and 13 rebounds as No. 13 Texas Christian (27-4) extended its winning streak to 16 games by beating Southern Methodist (18-10), 71-69. . . . Freshman Kevin Henry, playing because of an injury to Royce Olney, made a three-point shot with 21 seconds left to give No. 20 New Mexico (22-6) a 60-59 victory over Tulsa (19-12).

ATLANTIC COAST

No. 1 Duke 63, Virginia 41--Overcoming a first half in which they missed 16 of their last 19 field-goal attempts and shot 35%, the Blue Devils overpowered Virginia in the second half in a quarterfinal matchup at Greensboro, N.C.

Duke (28-2) forced turnovers on seven of Virginia’s first eight possessions in the second half, fueling an 11-0 run.

Virginia (11-19) became the first team in NCAA history to lose five games in one season to a No. 1 team. Virginia went 0-3 against Duke and lost both games to North Carolina when it was the nation’s top-ranked team.

Ishua Benjamin scored a season-high 25 points as North Carolina State (16-13) overcame a miserable start to the second half in a 65-63 victory over Florida State (17-13).

ATLANTIC 10

No. 24 Temple 76, St. Joseph’s 52--Lynn Greer had 17 points and Temple (21-7) turned in another defensive masterpiece in a quarterfinal game at Philadelphia.

Temple’s matchup zone, which has held opponents to an average of 52 points in its last nine conference games, limited St. Joseph’s (11-17) to 34% shooting.

Lenny Brown scored 16 points as Xavier (20-7) recovered from a dismal first half at Philadelphia for a 68-44 victory over St. Bonaventure (17-14). Darnell Williams, the Musketeers’ leading scorer at 17.4 points a game, served a one-game suspension for breaking team rules, but Xavier would not elaborate as to what rule he violated. . . . Shawnta Rogers had a career-high 28 points as George Washington (23-7) avenged a 31-point regular-season loss to Massachusetts (21-10) with an 88-83 victory. . . . Tyson Wheeler and Preston Murphy had 18 points apiece as Rhode Island (22-7) was an 83-70 winner over Dayton (20-11).

BIG EAST

No. 6 Connecticut 64, Providence 55--Tied with 5 1/2 minutes to play, the Huskies showed why they were the league’s best team this season over the final five minutes, outscoring the Friars, 13-4, for a quarterfinal victory at New York.

Connecticut (27-4) had to overcome one of its worst shooting performances of the season (19 for 51, 37.3%) to beat the Friars (12-16), who scored on only two of their last 10 possessions.

No. 22 Syracuse (23-7) didn’t have a field goal over the final 4:13 but made six free throws in the last 37 seconds for a 69-66 victory over Villanova (12-17). . . . Geoff Billet’s running jump shot at the buzzer lifted Rutgers (14-14) to a 61-60 victory over Georgetown (15-14). . . . Zendon Hamilton had 22 points and Felipe Lopez had 20 to lead St. John’s (22-8) to a 91-80 victory over Boston College (14-16).

BIG 12

Missouri 74, Iowa State 55--Kelly Thames scored 22 points as Missouri (17-13), struggling to keep its NCAA hopes alive, rolled past Iowa State in a first-round game at Kansas City, Mo.

The Tigers shot 67% to build a 15-point lead in the first half. Iowa State (12-18) shot 37% in the first half.

Patrick Hunter made two free throws with 26 seconds left and Baylor (14-13) hung on for a 66-63 victory over Texas A&M; (7-20) in a sloppy first-round game. . . . Ty Sims and Ayome May led an 8-0 run that stopped a Colorado (13-14) rally and enabled short-handed Kansas State (17-10) to win, 75-61. Manny Dies, Kansas State’s leading scorer, sat out a third consecutive game after being arrested near campus. . . . Chris Mihm put back a missed shot with about 12 seconds left as Texas (13-16) held off Texas Tech (13-14) for an 86-83 victory.

CONFERENCE USA

No. 14 Cincinnati 64, Louisville 50--Kenyon Martin intimidated Louisville (12-20) with above-the-rim blocks and blunted its second-half rallies with clutch baskets in a quarterfinal game at Cincinnati.

Martin had five blocks and nine points--six on dunks--as Cincinnati (24-5) raced ahead, 36-19, in the first half.

DeMarco Johnson scored 23 points, pulled North Carolina Charlotte (18-9) out of an early rut and was the steadying force in a 63-55 victory over Marquette (18-10). . . . Pedro Phillips and Jimmie Floyd scored 19 points each and led a decisive first-half run that carried Southern Mississippi (22-9) to an 85-57 victory over Memphis (16-11). . . . Damon Cobb made a three-point basket and a pair of free throws to put Alabama Birmingham (20-10) ahead, and the Blazers survived a wild final minute in a 76-74 victory over Saint Louis (21-10).

PATRIOT

Navy 93, Lafayette 85--Skip Victor’s steal and layup with 1:22 left gave Navy the lead and the Midshipmen held on to win the Patriot League championship at Annapolis, Md.

Navy (19-10) won its third conference title in five years.

The loss ended a 10-game winning streak for Lafayette (19-9).

SOUTHEASTERN

Alabama 72, Vanderbilt 62--Alabama extended the coaching career of David Hobbs, as Jeremy Hays grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds and scored 16 points to lead the Crimson Tide in the first round at Atlanta.

Alabama (15-15) has won five of six games. Vanderbilt (18-12) probably was eliminated from consideration for an NCAA bid.

Hobbs was fired by Alabama Feb. 2 but was allowed to remain until the end of the season. The Crimson Tide has since reeled off a 6-3 record for its lame-duck coach.

Tony Harris scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half and Tennessee (20-7) pulled away from LSU (9-18) for a 73-62 victory, giving the Volunteers their first 20-win season since 1985. . . . Georgia (16-13) made 29 of 30 free throws, including a pair by Michael Chadwick and Larry Brown in the final 28 seconds, to overcome an 11-point deficit in a 79-76 victory over Mississippi State (15-15). . . . Sophomore guard Kenyan Weaks scored a career-high 31 points to lead Florida (14-13) to a 68-64 victory over Auburn (15-13).

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They’re In

Schools that have received automatic bids to the NCAA tournament. All bids are by virtue of conference tournament championships with the exception of the Ivy League and Pacific 10, which do not conduct postseason tournaments:

* Arizona: Pacific 10

* Butler: Midwestern Collegiate

* Coll. of Charleston: Trans America Ath.

* Davidson: Southern

* Eastern Michigan: Mid-American

* Fairleigh Dickinson: Northeast

* Illinois State: Missouri Valley

* Iona: Metro Atlantic Athletic

* Murray State: Ohio Valley

* Navy: Patriot

* Princeton: Ivy

* Radford: Big South

* Richmond: Colonial Athletic Assn.

* San Francisco: West Coast

* South Alabama: Sun Belt

* Valparaiso: Mid-Continent