College basketball

Illinois holds off Tar Heels in sort-of rematch

By wire services
Published November 30, 2005

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Revenge? Dee Brown and his Illinois teammates found all the incentive they needed in getting an early victory on the road.

The dazzling guard scored 14 and Brian Randle grabbed a key rebound in the waning seconds, helping the 12th-ranked Illini hold off North Carolina 68-64 Tuesday night in a rematch of last season's NCAA Championship Game.

James Augustine added 13 points and 13 rebounds for Illinois (6-0), 3-4 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Illini also snapped the Tar Heels' 21-game home winning streak despite scoring only four in the final 61/2 minutes.

"That's cool, you should protect your house," Brown said when told about ending the run. "It just feels good to get a road win."

Tyler Hansbrough led North Carolina (3-1) with 17 points, and fellow freshman Marcus Ginyard had 14.

No one expected a true rematch of the final because only seven players on the teams even played in that game, won 75-70 by the Tar Heels. But this one had the drama of a March matchup thanks to a furious rally led by a quartet of North Carolina freshmen.

Hansbrough, Ginyard, Bobby Frasor and Danny Green scored 29 in the second half, including six clutch free throws from Hansbrough and 3-pointers by Frasor and Ginyard down the stretch.

"They're North Carolina," Augustine said. "You know they're going to have some good recruits."

Those points came during a 12-0 run to make it 64-62, and after the teams traded baskets, Illinois freshman Jamar Smith missed a 1-and-1 with 17 seconds left. But Randle beat everyone to the rebound and quickly got the ball to Brown, who made two free throws to seal the victory.

NO.22 WAKE 91, WISCONSIN 88: Justin Gray scored a career-high 37, including six free throws in the final 28 seconds, to lead the Demon Deacons. Kyle Visser added all of his 13 points and five assists after halftime for Wake Forest (6-1), which led by 10 in the second half but had to hold on for its 21st straight home win.

MICHIGAN 74, MIAMI 53: Dion Harris had 16 points to lead five players in double figures for the host Wolverines (4-0), who pulled away with an 18-3 run midway through the second half. Guillermo Diaz had 21 points and Gary Hamilton nine points and seven rebounds for the Hurricanes.

CLEMSON 96, PENN ST. 88: Vernon Hamilton had 16 points and six assists as the visiting Tigers (5-0) built a big early lead behind their 3-point shooting and transition game before holding off a late rally.

Big East

NO.3 UCONN 68, ARMY 54: Rudy Gay had 17 points, 10 rebounds and five steals, and the Huskies shook off a sluggish start. Connecticut (5-0) was coming off victories over Arizona and Gonzaga to win the Maui Invitational, but it struggled for long periods against the scrappy Black Knights.

DAYTON 75, UC 66: Brian Roberts darted through the Bearcats' man-to-man defense for layups, scoring 24 to steady the Flyers. Dayton (3-2) ended a 15-game losing streak on Cincinnati's court with its second victory in the past 15 games of their series.

PITT 79, ST. FRANCIS (N.Y.) 58: Aaron Gray had a career-high 22 points and 11 rebounds and Carl Krauser added 18 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Panthers, who never trailed and are 4-0 for the eighth consecutive season.

HOFSTRA 64, ST. JOHN'S 51: Loren Stokes scored 19 and the Pride (2-1) held the Red Storm scoreless over the final eight minutes for its third straight win over St. John's.

SEC

NO.10 KENTUCKY 75, HIGH POINT 55: Point guard Rajon Rondo had 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists to lead the host Wildcats. Ramel Bradley scored 14 and Patrick Sparks 13 for Kentucky (5-1), which won its third straight while preparing for a showdown Saturday at Rupp Arena against North Carolina.

NO.21 ALABAMA 73, LA. TECH 63: Jermareo Davidson had 15 points and 16 rebounds, sparking the decisive run to lead the host Crimson Tide. The 6-foot-10 center went outside to hit two jump shots and spark a 15-4 run after Alabama (3-1) briefly fell behind six minutes into the second half.

HOUSTON 84, NO.25 LSU 83: Oliver Lafayette scored 27 of his 32 in the second half as the visiting Cougars rallied. Houston (2-1) trailed by 12 at halftime but outscored the Tigers 18-3 in the first 41/2 minutes of the second half to take a 49-46 lead.

UGA 95, FAMU 74: Levi Stukes scored 20 despite an ailing back, Mike Mercer keyed a 19-2 run at the end of the first half and the Bulldogs coasted in their home opener. Georgia (4-1) is halfway to its win total from last season.

OLE MISS 59, LA.-MONROE 43: Bam Doyne scored a career-high 16 and Dwayne Curtis had 10 points and 12 rebounds as the host Rebels (4-1) won their third straight.

Top 25

NO.2 TEXAS 82, TEXAS-PAN AM 54: LaMarcus Aldridge had a career-high 23 points and 11 rebounds, and the host Longhorns shook off poor first-half shooting. Texas (6-0) is off to its best start since winning its first 14 in the 1981-82 season.

NO.16 UCLA 73, ALBANY (N.Y.) 65: Arron Afflalo scored 22 and the host Bruins rallied after falling behind by one early in second half. Cedric Bozeman added 16 points and a steadying presence at point guard for UCLA (5-1).

State

UCF 61, B-CC 48: Jermaine Taylor scored 15 and Adam Gill added 12, and the host Golden Knights (4-0) held the Wildcats to seven points in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

TAMPA 102, FLORIDA COLLEGE 39: Mark Borders had 27 points and 12 assists as the host Spartans (3-1) posted their largest victory of the season.

SAINT LEO 91, PALM BEACH ATLANTIC 79: Scott Seifert scored a career-high 30 and added eight rebounds for the host Lions (4-3).

Nation

IOWA ST. 68, N. IOWA 61: Curtis Stinson scored 19, Anthony Davis had a career-high 15 and the host Cyclones (4-1) went ahead to stay with a 12-0 run midway through the first half.

MISSOURI 60, UMKC 42: Thomas Gardner had 17 points and 11 rebounds as the host Tigers (2-1) fought through the rust of a nine-day layoff in the first meeting between the schools.

COLORADO 78, PENN 60: Richard Roby had 22 points and Chris Copeland 20 to lead the visiting Buffaloes (3-1).

[Last modified November 30, 2005, 02:15:38]