Wait Pays Off for Cincinnati

Marquette showed up a day late and seemed to have left its game buried in the snow back home.

Third-ranked Cincinnati led the whole way Monday night at Cincinnati as it matched the second-best start in school history with a 75-56 victory in a game played a day late because of a snowstorm.

Cincinnati, 13-0 overall and 2-0 in Conference USA, remained one of only three unbeaten teams in Division I, along with Connecticut and Auburn, as it extended its best start in 39 years.

The Bearcats’ 1959-60 team also opened 13-0. The only better start came from the 1962-63 team that won its first 19 games. Both of those teams made the Final Four.

“I’m not sure this is the best team we’ve had here,” Coach Bob Huggins said. “We’ve been fortunate. We’ve won three close games that we could have just as easily lost.”

Marquette (8-6, 0-2) has alternated wins and losses in its last eight games, struggling because of an offense that is the lowest-scoring and worst-shooting in the conference.

The game was played a day later than scheduled because Marquette got snowed in over the weekend.

No. 4 Stanford 77, Oregon 59--Tim Young broke out of a scoring slump with a season-high 23 points for the Cardinal at Palo Alto.

Young came in averaging eight points and had only two in his last two games while battling back soreness.

But the Cardinal (12-2, 2-0 in the Pacific 10) got the ball to him, Young went to the basket, and opposing centers Mike Carson and Chris Christoffersen couldn’t stop his short turnaround jumpers and hook shots. Young also had 12 rebounds.

Mark Madsen added 17 points, Arthur Lee 15 and Peter Sauer and Kris Weems had 11 each as Stanford’s five starters produced all of the points against Oregon (9-2, 1-1).

It was the Ducks’ 11th straight loss to Stanford at Maples Pavilion.

No. 10 St. John’s 115, Niagara 70--The Red Storm celebrated its return to the top 10 by making a school-record 10 three-point shots at New York and winning its ninth straight game.

St. John’s (12-2) moved up two spots to No. 10 in the poll earlier Monday, its first ranking that high since it was 10th on Dec. 16, 1991. The winning streak is the longest since St. John’s won the first nine games of the 1990-91 season.

The loss was the 23rd in the last 26 meetings with St. John’s for the Purple Eagles (6-6).

St. John’s had a 33-13 lead in the game’s opening 10 minutes as it made five of its first six shots beyond the three-point line. The Red Storm finished the first half with a 61-32 lead.

No. 25 California 54, Oregon State 52--Michael Gill made a layup with 3.5 seconds left to lead the Golden Bears at Oakland.

Oregon State’s Deaundra Tanner made a short jumper with 30 seconds left to tie the score at 52. But Gill, who missed two free throws with 50 seconds left that would have given Cal a four-point lead, redeemed himself with the winning basket in the closing seconds.

Gill and Sean Lampley led Cal (10-2, 1-1 in the Pac-10) with 11 points each.

Jason Heide led Oregon State (6-5, 0-2) with 15 points.