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College basketball
February 28, 2003
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- No. 10 Marquette took a huge step toward its first Conference USA title on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, No. 11 Louisville can't seem to stop its late-season slide.
Dwyane Wade scored 28 and Scott Merritt added 18 as the Golden Eagles came from 19 points down to beat the Cardinals 78-73.
Travis Diener added 16 points and four assists for Marquette (21-4, 12-2), which won for the 14th time in 15 games. The Golden Eagles have a 11/2-game lead over Memphis in the league standings with two home games left.
"We played with great heart, great resiliency," Marquette coach Tom Crean said. "This is a complete team effort."
Wade hit a free throw with 23.4 seconds left and Louisville's Reece Gaines missed a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left that could have tied it.
Diener hit two free throws with six seconds left to clinch the win.
"We never gave up. We always felt like we were going to win," Diener said.
Gaines scored 12 for the Cardinals (19-5, 9-4), who lost for the fourth time in five games after a 17-game winning streak.
NO. 1 ARIZONA 88, NO. 23 CAL 75: Salim Stoudamire hit six 3-pointers and scored 20 as the Wildcats (22-2, 14-1) took control of the Pac-10 race by beating the Golden Bears (19-6, 12-4) for their seventh straight victory. Luke Walton also scored 20 as the Wildcats snapped Cal's 17-game home winning streak.
NO. 19 STANFORD 88, ARIZ. ST. 77: Julius Barnes scored 29 points and the host Cardinal (22-6, 13-3 Pac-10) beat the Sun Devils (17-9, 9-6) to increase its season-best winning streak to six games. Arizona State freshman Ike Diogu had 26 points and nine rebounds before fouling out with 3:27 left.
SETON HALL 57, VILLANOVA 56: John Allen hit a jumper in the lane with two seconds left as the host Pirates (15-9, 9-4) beat the Wildcats (15-11, 8-5) for their eighth straight win.
TROY ST. 117, STETSON 70: Ben Fletcher scored 22 and Jacob Hazouri added 15 as the host Trojans (22-5, 13-2 Atlantic Sun) routed the Hatters (6-19, 4-11).
MERCER 73, JACKSONVILLE 63: Clarence Baker scored 14 as the host Bears (21-5, 13-2 Atlantic Sun) beat the Dolphins (13-14, 8-7).
ATLANTA -- Former Georgia player Tony Cole has accused assistant coach Jim Harrick Jr. of paying his expenses and committing academic fraud.
Cole was suspended after 16 games last season when he faced sexual assault charges, but even after the charges were dropped, he wasn't reinstated.
Cole told ESPN that Harrick paid $300 for a phone bill before Cole enrolled at Georgia and $1,700 in hotel bills while his enrollment was delayed.
Cole also said Harrick took two correspondence courses for him from Lincoln Trail College in Robinson, Ill., and gave him an A for a principles of coaching basketball class he never attended at Georgia.
COLORADO: Center David Harrison will return next season, saying he does not believe he is ready for the NBA.
KANSAS: Forward Wayne Simien, who averaged nearly 15 points and eight rebounds for the No. 7 Jayhawks, will miss the rest of the season because of a dislocated right shoulder. Coach Roy Williams said that Simien will have surgery.
NORTH CAROLINA: Freshman center Sean May will miss the rest of the season because of a broken bone in his foot.
SOUTH FLORIDA: Raphael Toren's eligibility appeal hearing has been moved back two days to Thursday to accommodate the appeals committee. Toren, 20, from Israel, was deemed a professional by the NCAA in January and ruled ineligible.
ST. BONAVENTURE: Center Jamil Terrell was declared ineligible for failing to meet NCAA junior college transfer guidelines.
-- Times staff writer Pete Young contributed to this report.