This Call Goes Arizona’s Way

Arizona got away with a 68-67 victory over Saint Louis Saturday at St. Louis after Reggie Bryant’s potential game-tying shot from the top of the key with 3.1 seconds left was ruled a two-point basket.

Instead, Salim Stoudamire’s two free throws with 12 seconds left turned out to be the difference for the seventh-ranked Wildcats.

“I saw his foot on the line,” said Andre Iguodala, who led Arizona (2-1) with 16 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. “It was a two. We just wanted to get the ball inbounds and hold it.”

Saint Louis (3-2) wasn’t arguing the call, which was confirmed after a quick replay review. But it was a strange ending with several Billikens apparently believing the basket was a three-pointer and not fouling after the ensuing inbounds pass.

After the game, Bryant said he knew he was on the line. He had been closely guarded by Mustafa Shakur and stepped forward to create some space.

“I didn’t have time to step back,” Bryant said. “I just tried to get up in the air and draw a foul.”

Arizona (2-1) was frustrated throughout by Saint Louis’ man-to-man defense and trailed by 12 points in the first half and as many as nine in the second half. The Wildcats took their first lead at 49-48 on two free throws by Hassan Adams with 11:24 left, part of a 21-4 run.

No. 2 Florida 74, Stetson 61 -- At Gainesville, the Gators (5-0) posted their third victory over an in-state opponent in five days, and Coach Billy Donovan was pleased.

After he criticized the defense in a 102-78 win over Florida A&M; and the offense in a 59-39 win over Central Florida, he was pretty happy with this win.

“Our biggest problem today was our guys did what I asked them to do -- make the extra pass,” he said. “At times they over-passed too much. They got the right idea as far as what they’re trying to do.”

No. 3 Connecticut 74, Army 46 -- Emeka Okafor had a triple-double -- 18 points, 15 rebounds and a career-high 10 blocked shots -- at Storrs, Conn. The 6-foot-10 junior center tied the school record for blocks in a game.

Freshman Charlie Villanueva, who sat out the first six games and both exhibition games while the NCAA determined his eligibility, made his debut for the Huskies (6-1), finishing with 16 points, five rebounds and three blocks.

No. 4 Missouri 63, Indiana 58 -- The Tigers held the Hoosiers scoreless for the final 4:29, as they rallied from a 14-point deficit with seven minutes left at Bloomington, Ind.

The Tigers (3-0) closed the game on a 21-2 run. The Hoosiers (2-3) lost their sixth in a row against a ranked opponent.

No. 6 Duke 79, St. John’s 58 -- The Blue Devils (5-1) didn’t bring their best game after a 22-point win at No. 5 Michigan State on Wednesday night, but they didn’t really need it at Durham, N.C., as they contributed to the Red Storm’s worst start in 81 seasons. St. John’s (1-4), which lost to Hofstra by 17 points earlier in the week, last started 1-4 in the 1922-23 season.

No. 11 Illinois 81, Arkansas 61 -- The Illini (4-1) bounced back from their first loss of the season -- 88-81 to No. 10 North Carolina on Tuesday -- with an easy victory at Chicago.

Deron Williams, who had a career-high 22 points against the Tar Heels, had 17 points and 10 assists. He left the game with five minutes left and Illinois leading by 27 points.

Illinois committed only 13 turnovers and forced Arkansas (4-1) into 21 turnovers that led to 25 points.

No. 12 St. Joseph’s 67, Pennsylvania 59 -- Jameer Nelson and Delonte West, considered one of the top backcourts in the nation, scored 16 of 18 points in one stretch late in the second half for the Hawks (5-0), displaying an athleticism that the Quakers couldn’t match at Philadelphia.

Penn (2-3) stayed close on the strength of its three-point shooting. The Quakers made 13 of 24 three-point attempts. Jeff Schiffner, who led the nation in three-point percentage last season, made seven of 11 and finished with 23 points.

No. 13 Georgia Tech 94, Tennessee State 43 -- The Yellow Jackets started slow but used a 15-0 run midway through the first half to take control and rout the Tigers (1-4) at Atlanta. It was Georgia Tech’s largest margin of victory since it beat Florida A&M;, 112-56, on Nov. 26, 1994. The Yellow Jackets (7-0) are off to their best start since 1989.

No. 15 Wisconsin 68, Detroit 42 -- The Badgers (4-1) opened the second half at Madison, Wis., with a 21-7 run that put the game out of reach as they won their 16th consecutive home game. Detroit (2-2) was held without a basket for over seven minutes of the first half.

No. 17 Gonzaga 82, Maryland 68 -- Guard Blake Stepp made seven of 11 three-point shots and scored 27 points to lead the Bulldogs (5-1) in the BB&T; Classic at Washington. The Terrapins (4-1) shot only 36% from the field -- including four for 20 from three-point range -- and missed 13 of 27 free throws.

No. 18 Wake Forest 81, Richmond 66 -- Eric Williams, Taron Downey and Chris Paul each scored 17 points to lead the Demon Deacons (5-0), who shot 55% in the second half to pull away from the Spiders (4-3) for their 20th straight home win.

No. 20 Purdue 75, Chicago State 57 -- Off to their best start in 10 years, the host Boilermakers (6-0) missed their first eight shots and trailed, 10-4, before Melvin Buckley came off the bench and sparked a 15-point run with a three-point basket seven minutes into the game.

The Cougars (1-5), on their way to their 37th straight road loss and 25th straight loss to a Division I opponent, were then held scoreless for about four minutes.

No. 22 Pittsburgh 64, Penn State 37 -- The Panthers, who improved to 6-0 under first-year Coach Jamie Dixon, have won 26 in a row at home, one short of the school record, and are 36-1 in Pittsburgh over the last three seasons. The Nittany Lions (3-2) didn’t get into double figures until 2:42 was left in a first half during which they shot only 15.4% (four of 26). They trailed, 39-11, at halftime.

Central Michigan 69, No. 23 Notre Dame 68 -- Joe Carr, a 5-6 guard, made only his second shot of the game, a three-pointer from the top of the key just before the buzzer, to give the Chippewas (2-4) the victory at South Bend, Ind.

The Irish (2-2) could have clinched the win at the free-throw line, but Chris Quinn missed one of two with 18.7 seconds left. Jordan Cornette made one of two with 3.8 seconds left that gave them a 68-66 lead.

Brigham Young 66, No. 25 Oklahoma State 71 -- The Cowboys couldn’t stop Rafael Araujo at Salt Lake City. He scored a career-high 32 points, including six free throws in the final 1:01 to lead the Cougars (4-1). The 6-11, 280-pound center from Brazil was 10 of 15 from the field and had 17 rebounds.

OTHER GAMES

Boston College 76, Massachusetts 75 -- Craig Smith made two free throws with 14.6 seconds left in overtime to give the Eagles (6-0) the win over the Minutemen (2-3) in the Commonwealth Classic at Boston. The attendance was 2,133 despite a major snowstorm in the Boston area.

Utah 82, San Diego 39 -- Nick Jacobson outscored the Toreros by himself in the first half at Salt Lake City with all 21 of his points. The Utes (5-2) led by as many as 45 points. The Toreros (1-6) shot only 30% from the field, making as many free throws as baskets -- 12.