College basketball

Men: Illini shut down Hoyas

By wire services
Published December 9, 2005

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Dee Brown scored 16 points and Illinois' defense made up for a poor shooting night as the 11th-ranked Illini won their ninth straight to open the season, 58-48 over Georgetown on Thursday.

Brown made two layups midway through the second half that boosted Illinois' lead to 14 and stalled Georgetown's comeback attempt. The Hoyas (3-2), who trailed by 15 at halftime, got within 52-44 on Ashanti Cook's 3-pointer with 1:10 to go, but then Georgetown missed three straight shots, and the Illini converted six straight free throws.

NO. 3 UCONN 78, UMASS 60: Rudy Gay had 17 points and nine rebounds for the host Huskies (7-0). Josh Boone had 10 rebounds and scored all of his 13 in the second half for Connecticut. The Minutemen are 2-2.

SETON HALL 61, MONMOUTH 45: Kelly Whitney had 17 points and seven rebounds for the host Pirates (5-2), who weren't seriously threatened by Monmouth (1-6).

NO. 9 GONZAGA 67, WASH. ST. 53: Adam Morrison scored 25 for the Zags (5-2), who have won 28 straight at home, the second longest streak in the nation. Gonzaga was 18 points below its season average though J.P. Batista exploited WSU's inside defense, going 9-of-11 to score 23 and adding nine rebounds. The Cougars (4-2) have lost seven straight to Gonzaga and are 5-107 all time against Top 10 teams.

NO. 24 ARIZONA 75, NORTHERN ARIZONA 66: Hassan Adams had 21 points and eight rebounds for the host Wildcats (3-3) and freshman J.P. Prince had a season-high 10 assists, many at crucial points. The Lumberjacks (4-5) were within four late in the game.

NO. 12 IOWA: Point guard Jeff Horner will miss two to five weeks with a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

NO. 15 KENTUCKY: The NCAA restored the eligibility of sophomore center Randolph Morris, but said he must sit out the season as a condition of his reinstatement after his unsuccessful entry into the NBA draft.

Morris, who will have two years of eligibility remaining, also must repay expenses related to tryouts for NBA teams, the NCAA said.

Morris was seen as the answer to the Wildcats' need for scoring and physical play inside.

Athletic director Mitch Barnhart called the ruling unfair to Morris and said the university will appeal, though appeals are rarely successful.

NO. 19 GW 70, FIU 45: Pops Mensah-Bonsu had 15 points and eight rebounds for the host Colonials (6-0), off to their best start since the 1992-93 squad opened 7-0 on its way to the NCAA Tournament's round of 16. The Golden Panthers (3-3) had Sun Belt Conference player of the week Ivan Almonte held in check. Almonte, who averaged 19 points and 17 rebounds in wins over USF and Florida Tech, scored five in the first half and finished with 16.

COACH GETS NO. 800: Philadelphia University's Herb Magee got his 800th win when the host Division II Rams defeated Wilmington College 95-68. He is the eighth NCAA coach to reach the milestone. Magee, 64, is in his 39th season - all at Philadelphia. He is 800-310.

ARKANSAS STATE: Senior guard Jerry Nichols, who missed preseason practices because he didn't want to wear Adidas shoes that the school was contractually obligated to use, is out for the season because of an injured left knee. The company backed off its stance before Nichols was hurt.

[Last modified December 9, 2005, 01:20:12]