College basketball

Top 25 men: Illini remain perfect after Brown nails 3s

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Dee Brown sat on the bench more than he had all season. But he was on the court when it counted, and he hit two long 3-pointers to seal unbeaten and top-ranked Illinois' 70-59 win over No. 20 Wisconsin on Saturday.

"Those were daggers," said teammate Deron Williams, who hit two key 3-pointers to ignite a 10-0 run early in the second half that erased a one-point Wisconsin lead and put the Illini in control.

"These guys got me the ball in good position," Brown said, looking at Williams and Luther Head, who led the Illini with 26 points. "I just set my feet and took a couple of shots."

The Illini tied the school record with their 25th consecutive win. That streak was set over three seasons from February 1914 to February 1916. It was Illinois' 19th straight win at home and was played before a record Assembly Hall crowd of 16,865.

Head's 26 points tied his season high.

MISSOURI 68, NO. 16 OKLAHOMA 65: Thomas Gardner scored 11 of his 18 in the final two minutes of regulation and the overtime, helping the host Tigers end a five-game losing streak.

Kevin Young's layup with 1:17 left was the go-ahead basket for the Tigers, who twice rallied from double-digit deficits in the second half. Missouri trailed by as many as 14 before storming back and won despite hitting only one of six free throws in overtime, the one by Linas Kleiza for a three-point lead with 16 seconds to go.

But Gardner hit four of his last five shots, including three 3-pointers, down the stretch.

NO. 3 KANSAS 89, COLORADO 60: Wayne Simien had 25 points and 12 rebounds and sparked a key surge in the second half that carried the Jayhawks in one of the more lopsided series in college basketball. Simien was 11-for-11 from the free-throw line, all in the first half as he tied his school record for most in a half. It was the 31st victory for the Jayhawks in their past 32 games against Colorado. It was the 16th straight season Kansas reached 20 wins.

NO. 8 SYRACUSE 90, NO. 22 VILLANOVA 75: Hakim Warrick scored a career-high 32 and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Gerry McNamara had 18 points as the visiting Orange handed the Wildcats their worst loss of the season. Syracuse looked nothing like the team that hit a skid with two losses in its past three games, both to Top 25 teams. The Wildcats simply didn't have the size to stop Warrick, who dominated in his best game of the season. He beat them on easy feeds inside and had his way on the boards with seven offensive rebounds.

NO. 10 OKLAHOMA ST. 66, TEXAS A&M 59: John Lucas scored 18, Joey Graham added 17 and the Cowboys recovered from poor first-half shooting. After the Aggies pulled to 62-59, Ivan McFarlin scored three in the final minute to ensure visiting Oklahoma State's fifth straight win. Oklahoma State led by as many as 15 in the second half before Texas A&M went on a 9-2 run that ended with two free throws by Bobby Leach with 1:25 remaining. McFarlin made a layup with 51 seconds left to extend Oklahoma State's lead and quiet the raucous crowd. He also hit the first of a one-and-one after a missed 3-point attempt by Texas A&M, putting it out of reach.

NO. 12 ARIZONA 83, UCLA 73: Salim Stoudamire and Ivan Radenovic each scored six in a decisive 19-0 run early in the second half for the Wildcats. Josh Shipp's basket with 17:33 remaining gave UCLA a five-point lead before Channing Frye's three-point play 19 seconds later triggered a spurt.

NO. 13 MICHIGAN ST. 64, MICHIGAN 49: Alan Anderson scored 16 and Shannon Brown had eight of his 14 in the opening minutes as the host Spartans won the 14th of their past 16 games. They have lost only one of the previous 13 matchups against the Wolverines.

NO. 14 GONZAGA 61, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 58: Ronny Turiaf had 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Bulldogs dodged the upset. J.P. Batista scored three points in the final 9.1 seconds, first hitting a layup and then a free throw to give Gonzaga a four-point lead. Loyola Marymount's Damian Miller missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

NO. 15 UTAH 64, COLORADO ST. 50: Andrew Bogut scored a career-high 33 and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead the Utes to their 16th straight victory. Bogut, who also blocked five shots, missed his first two free throws and then made 17 in a row for the Utes, whose winning streak is the second-longest in the nation behind Illinois.

NO. 18 PITT 68, NOTRE DAME 66: Carl Krauser's runner from the lane with 11 seconds remaining put the Panthers ahead to stay after two comebacks from the Fighting Irish. Pittsburgh trailed by as many as five before going on a 14-1 run without starters Krauser and Chris Taft to take a 58-50 lead on Chevon Troutman's two free throws. Krauser's basket restored host Pitt's lead at 67-65, and freshman backup Ronald Ramon made a free throw with 4.3 seconds remaining.

NO. 23 TEXAS 75, KANSAS ST. 72 (OT): Daniel Gibson scored 14 in overtime as the Longhorns snapped a three-game losing streak with a win desperately needed to turn around their sinking season. Gibson, who finished with 23 points, scored host Texas' first eight in the overtime and finished by hitting six straight free throws in the final minute.

IOWA ST. 81, NO. 25 TEXAS TECH 68: Jared Homan broke out of a slump with 23 points and freshman Tasheed Carr added 17 as the host Cyclones rallied from a 14-point deficit to go up by 12 midway through the second half.

UCONN: A right leg infection will prevent leading scorer Rashad Anderson out of the 19th-ranked Huskies' game against No. 2 North Carolina today.

[Last modified February 13, 2005, 01:09:06]