Austin Towers Over No. 13 Xavier

Mario Austin waited six games before he was allowed to play this season. It didn’t take him long to know he was back.

The 6-foot-9 junior forward had 28 points and nine rebounds in his season debut and No. 24 Mississippi State kept right on winning with his return, beating No. 13 Xavier, 71-61, Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

“After running up and down the court a few times I felt OK, but then I ran really hard on one break and got the pass, a reward for running hard, and I thought ‘I’m back,’ ” he said.

Austin was held out of the Bulldogs’ first six games while the NCAA cleared up some questions about his eligibility. He was given the OK to rejoin the team Tuesday, and the Bulldogs (6-1) won their sixth straight as Austin outplayed Xavier’s 6-9 forward David West in the matchup of two of the country’s talented big men.

“Obviously, Mario Austin is back,” Xavier Coach Thad Matta said. “What a show he put on today.”

Austin was 12 for 21 from the field, including making his only three-point attempt, and played 32 minutes.

“I didn’t come out with any numbers in mind,” Austin said. “I just wanted to fit in and help us win. It just so happened I took shots and they went in.”

Mississippi State, playing for the first time in Madison Square Garden, took control early and then held on over the final two minutes.

West, a two-time Atlantic 10 player of the year, had two points in the first half as the Musketeers (5-2) fell behind 33-15. He finished with 13 points, 6.7 below his average, and 17 rebounds.

No. 2 Alabama 72, Bowling Green 63 -- Kenny Walker scored a career-high 25 points and made three key free throws to help preserve the victory at Mobile, Ala., for the Crimson Tide (7-0).

Kevin Netter scored 26 points for Bowling Green (2-4), but after he made a hook shot to bring the Falcons to within 66-63 with 1:51 remaining, he fouled out 34 seconds later and Bowling Green didn’t score again.

No. 4 Pittsburgh 89, Southeastern Louisiana 55 -- Julius Page scored 17 points for Pittsburgh (6-0), which took a big early lead with a series of dunks and fast-break layups on the way to an easy win at Pittsburgh. Southeastern Louisiana is 1-5.

No. 6 Oklahoma 69, Coppin State 47 -- Hollis Price scored 22 points for Oklahoma, which took control with a 13-2 run over the final 6:39 of the first half to take a 15-point halftime lead at Norman, Okla.

Point guard Quannas White had 13 points and seven assists for the Sooners (5-1). Coppin State (1-6) shot 36% from the field.

No. 7 Indiana 66, Purdue 63 -- Jeff Newton scored all 16 of his points in the second half, including nine in the final three minutes, to help Indiana hold on to win a nonconference game at Indianapolis. Newton also had 12 rebounds to become the first Indiana player since Alan Henderson, in 1995, to record five consecutive double-doubles.

At 8-0, Indiana is off to its best start since 1989-90. Purdue (4-2) was led by Willie Deane with 21 points.

The Duel in the Dome was scheduled as a nonconference game after the Big Ten’s rotating schedule pitted the two rivals against each other only once this season.

No. 10 Notre Dame 102, DePaul 71 -- Matt Carroll had a career-high 33 points and the Fighting Irish missed only two shots from two-point range in the first half in their victory at South Bend, Ind. Chris Thomas had 22 points and 10 assists for Notre Dame (9-1), which shot 63% from the field in the first half to open a 48-36 lead over De Paul (4-1).

No. 11 Missouri 93, Memphis 78 -- Arthur Johnson had 23 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double in the first six games to help the Tigers (6-0) win at Columbia, Mo. Memphis (4-2) shot 37% from the field. Missouri’s first six opponents have shot less than 40%.

No. 21 Michigan State 71, No. 12 Kentucky 67 -- Chris Hill scored 16 points and made two free throws with 13.6 seconds left to seal the victory for the Spartans (5-2) at Lexington, Ky.

Keith Bogans scored 23 points for the Wildcats (5-2). Bogans was 11 of 17 from three-point range in Kentucky’s last three games, but he was three of eight Saturday and missed a three-point attempt with 21 seconds left and his team trailing 69-67.

No. 14 Florida 69, No. 18 Maryland 64 -- The Gators’ victory at College Park, Md., ended the nation’s longest nonconference home winning streak at 87. Maryland’s last nonconference home defeat was Dec. 12, 1989, against Coppin State.

Freshman Anthony Roberson scored 20 points, making four of seven three-point baskets, for Florida (7-2). The Terrapins (4-3) made only four of 11 free throws and have lost three of their last four.

No. 15 Illinois 70, Temple 54 -- Brian Cook had 25 points and 11 rebounds for Illinois (7-0), which broke it open after holding only a three-point lead at halftime at Chicago. Temple (1-6), playing without Coach John Chaney, who was at home while he recovers from pneumonia, shot only 29% from the field.

No. 16 Marquette 63, Wisconsin 54 -- Dwyane Wade scored 25 points and Marquette (6-1) snapped a four-game losing streak against Wisconsin (6-2), winning at Milwaukee. Kirk Penney, the Badgers’ leading scorer, finished with only seven points, 11 below his average.

No. 17 Tulsa 62, Southwest Missouri State 46 -- Kevin Johnson had 16 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots for Tulsa (5-1) in a win at Springfield, Mo.

No. 19 Stanford 76, St. Mary’s 58 -- Julius Barnes scored 17 points and Josh Childress had 16 for the Cardinal (5-1) at Stanford. St. Mary’s, playing Stanford for the first time in 14 years, pulled to within 45-42 with 13:37 left before Stanford countered with a 14-3 run to take control.

No. 20 Kansas 113, Emporia State 61 -- Kirk Hinrich made five three-point baskets, matching his career high, and scored 23 points and Wayne Simien also had 23 points to help Kansas (5-3) take a 34-10 lead 8 1/2 minutes into the game and win in a rout at Lawrence, Kan.

No. 23 Creighton 101, Tennessee Tech 72 -- Kyle Korver made six three-point baskets and had 20 points for Creighton (7-0) at Omaha. Creighton outscored the Golden Eagles (4-3), 17-0, over a 5:38 span of the first half to break open the game.

Eastern Washington 62, Washington 58 -- Alvin Snow scored 24 points at Seattle to help the Eagles (6-2) post their first victory over Washington. Nate Robinson scored 19 points for Washington (2-4).

Colorado State 90, Washington State 79 -- The Cougars (3-4) pulled to within 77-76 with 5:22 remaining before the Rams (8-2), who made 32 of 47 free throws, pulled away to win at Fort Collins, Colo. Marcus Moore had 20 points for Washington State (3-4).

Oregon State 62, Sacramento State 49 -- Phillip Ricci had 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Beavers (4-1) at Sacramento. Ricci scored all but three of his points in the second half to help Oregon State pull away after being tied, 20-20, at halftime.