Iowa Is No Match for Stanford, 72-58

Casey Jacobsen, a 6-foot-6 freshman swingman from Glendora who is the second-leading scorer in California high school basketball history, took over the floor at Madison Square Garden Friday night in the second half to help No. 13 Stanford defeat Iowa, 72-58, in the championship game of the Coaches vs. Cancer Ikon Classic.

“This felt really good,” said Jacobsen, who scored eight consecutive points as the Cardinal pulled away. After each of his four three-pointers (out of five attempts), Jacobsen gave a smile bright enough to light Broadway. “I was just having so much fun,” he said.

In the consolation game, of all things, defending national champion and top-ranked Connecticut beat No. 10 Duke, 71-66, in a rematch of last season’s NCAA finalists.

The Cardinal (2-0) lost four starters from last season’s team that finished 26-7. The only returning starter, Mark Madsen, severely strained his right hamstring Thursday night in the final moments of Stanford’s 80-79 overtime upset of Duke and will be out four to six weeks.

So it was that a trio of Southern Californians stepped up.

Besides Jacobsen with 17 points, twins Jason and Jarron Collins, highly recruited big men from North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake, combined to score 35 points and take 22 rebounds.

Jason, 6 feet 11, who has missed most of his first two seasons because of knee and wrist injuries, played many of Madsen’s minutes against Iowa and scored a career-high 18 points and had 12 rebounds. Jarron, 6-10, added a career-high 17 points and had 10 rebounds.

In the eyes of many, Mike Montgomery has brought Stanford’s program to a level enjoyed by the Dukes and Connecticuts, where there always seems to be talent waiting. His players would certainly agree.

“We’ve got a lot of good players,” said Madsen, who was leaning on crutches. “People can’t overlook us, I don’t think.”

In the first game, Husky forward Albert Mouring, who is expected to pick up much of the scoring load of NBA lottery pick Richard Hamilton, had a career-high 22 points. Kevin Freeman added 15 points and 11 rebounds and earned the praise of Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski.

“Freeman was big tonight,” he said. “I have always liked him and how he plays and he had a presence tonight he didn’t have last night [in the loss to Iowa].”

The 0-2 start is Duke’s worst since the 1958-59 season. The young Blue Devils are struggling to overcome the loss of three starters (Elton Brand, William Avery and Corey Maggette) to the NBA draft before their college eligibility was finished.

OTHER GAMES

No. 17 Syracuse 60, Princeton 43--In the first round of the National Assn. of Basketball Coaches Classic in Syracuse, N.Y., Ryan Blackwell scored 18 points and keyed a first-half surge that put the Orangemen ahead by as many as 26 points.

The Orangemen gave Coach Jim Boeheim his 550th victory in resounding fashion, and without starting center Etan Thomas, who was being treated with antibiotics at a hospital for an abscess in his groin area.

Wisconsin 66, Missouri 55--Mark Vershaw scored 19 points and Jon Bryant added 15 for the Badgers, who will play Syracuse for the championship tonight. Missouri will play Princeton in the consolation game.

Trailing, 27-24, to start the second half, Missouri tied the score in the opening minute on a three-pointer by Brian Grawer. A tip-in by Andy Kowske and a turnaround baseline jumper by Vershaw started a 9-0 run and the Badgers were on their way.

Wisconsin held the Tigers to 34.7% shooting and won it with a sizzling second half, hitting 15 of 24 shots.

Keyon Dooling led Missouri with 16 points and Johnnie Parker had 11.