Surging No. 20 Ohio State tops Minnesota
January 31, 2010
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)—Ohio State honored its 1960 national championship team,then the current Buckeyes showed they could play a little, too.
William Buford scored a career-high 26 points and Evan Turner and JonDiebler each had 19 points to lead the 20th-ranked Buckeyes past Minnesota 85-63Sunday for their fifth win in six games.
The Buckeyes (16-6, 6-3 Big Ten) shot 63 percent against Minnesota (13-8,4-5), which came in leading the conference by limiting opponents to just 38.6percent.
Rodney Williams had 13 points, Ralph Sampson III had 11, and Damian Johnsonand Blake Hoffarber each had 10 to lead the Golden Gophers.
The 1960 national championship squad led by Jerry Lucas and John Havlicekwas honored at halftime. That team beat California 75-55 for the school’s onlynational title in basketball.
Against Minnesota, this year’s Buckeyes shot 73 percent from the field inthe opening half to build a 49-35 lead and never looked back.
There was no clear, lopsided run which powered the Buckeyes to the big lead.They just slowly pulled away, playing patiently on offense and getting pointsoff their cloying, trapping defense.
With Ohio State ahead 32-24 late in the half, Buford, the freshman of theyear in the Big Ten last season, hit a runner in the lane, Lighty hit aspectacular driving layup while falling and Buford added two foul shots to pushthe lead to 38-24.
The Golden Gophers, just 1-5 on the road, never got closer than 12 pointsagain. The Buckeyes led by 28 points in the second half and coasted to thefinish.
Turner added eight assists and three rebounds. Buford had five rebounds andfive assists.
Minnesota had 17 turnovers that helped fuel the Buckeyes’ transition game,leading to 24 points.
At halftime, members of the 1960 team—which included Hall of Famers JerryLucas, John Havlicek, Bob Knight and the late coach, Fred Taylor, were honored.Knight spoke of Taylor, crediting him for bringing a disparate group of playerstogether for that one championship season.
A banner honoring Taylor was unfurled from the rafters.
Miami beats Va. Tech to snap 4-game skid
January 31, 2010
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP)—James Dews scored 21 points as Miami defeated VirginiaTech 82-75 Sunday afternoon to snap a four-game losing streak.
The Hokies rallied from a 19-point deficit with a 24-9 run midway throughthe second half. J.T. Thompson scored eight points during the run, and his freethrow with 7:32 remaining cut Miami’s lead to 65-60.
Virginia Tech (16-4, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) stayed within afive-point deficit and had a final chance to reduce a 75-70 lead with under aminute left. But Malcolm Delaney missed a running jumper with 34 secondsremaining and fouled Reggie Johnson on a put-back attempt.
Johnson converted both free throws, securing the victory.
Malcolm Grant and Duran Scott scored 13 and 12 points as Miami (16-5, 2-5)avenged an 81-66 loss at Virginia Tech on Jan. 13.
Dorenzo Hudson led Virginia Tech with 22 points. Jeff Allen finished with 19points.
Clemson ends 3-game skid, beats Maryland
January 31, 2010
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP)—Trevor Booker shook off missing his first 12 shots to scorenine of his 10 points down the stretch as Clemson broke a three-game losingstreak with a a 62-53 victory over Maryland on Sunday night.
Booker was the Atlantic Coast Conference’s field goal percentage leader lastseason, but could not find the basket for most of this one. He came through,though, when the Tigers (16-6, 4-4 ACC) needed it most.
Booker tied it at 48 on a short jumper, then put Clemson up for good, 52-50,with two foul shots.
He followed 2 minutes later with a 3—his first in nine games—that pushedClemson’s lead to 57-53 with 3:23 left.
Maryland (14-6, 4-2) did not score the rest of the way.
Jerai Grant had a career high 18 points along with 10 rebounds for theTigers. Booker had 16 boards.
Jordan Williams had 13 points to lead Maryland, which has lost threestraight to Clemson.
James has 23 of Cavs’ 46 in 1st quarter
January 31, 2010
CLEVELAND (AP)—The Cleveland Cavaliers tied a franchise record with a46-point first quarter Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers, making 113-pointers.
LeBron James(notes) tied a franchise record with five 3-pointers in a quarter. Hemade his first seven shots—including four 3s—to finish the quarter with 23points. He had deep 3-pointers from 30 and 28 feet.
Cleveland shot 16 of 21 for the quarter, including 11 of 13 on 3-pointers.The 11 3s are a new franchise mark for most in a period.
The Cavaliers made 3-pointers on seven consecutive possessions and led LosAngeles 46-20 after the quarter.
No. 10 Purdue wins fourth straight
January 31, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP)—Robbie Hummel scored 23 points to help No. 10 Purduebeat Penn State 66-46 Sunday for its fourth straight win.
Hummel made four 3-pointers and had six rebounds. JaJuan Johnson scored 13points and E’Twaun Moore added 12 for the Boilermakers (18-3, 6-3 Big Ten), whohave returned to early-season form after a three-game losing streak inmid-January.
Talor Battle scored 13 points, David Jackson scored 11 and Bill Edwards had10 points and 13 rebounds for Penn State (8-13, 0-9).
It was the ninth straight loss for the Nittany Lions.
Purdue, which has allowed under 60 points in three straight games, held theNittany Lions to 31 percent shooting and surrendered its second-lowest pointtotal of the season. The Boilermakers shot 46 percent and committed just sixturnovers.
The score was close throughout the early part of the first half, but Purdueheld Penn State without a field goal for 7 minutes to take a 25-17 lead beforethe Nittany Lions made it 28-26 at halftime.
Hummel opened the second half with a 3-pointer, then made another three, wasfouled and converted a four-point play to give the Boilermakers a 35-26 lead twominutes into the half. Those buckets were part of a 13-0 run that gave Purdue a41-26 lead.
The Boilermakers held Penn State scoreless for more than three minutes tostart the second half, and kept them without a basket for nearly four minutesafter the break. Penn State cut the deficit to 11, but Moore scored eight pointsin the next two minutes to push Purdue’s lead to 59-40.
Hayward helps Butler win 10th straight
January 31, 2010
MILWAUKEE (AP)—Gordon Hayward scored 25 points to lead Butler to its 10th winin a row, a 73-66 victory over Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Sunday.
Ronald Nored and Shelvin Mack added 13 points apiece for the Bulldogs (18-4,11-0), who are aiming for their fourth consecutive Horizon League championship.
Anthony Hill scored a career-high 21 points for Wisconsin-Milwaukee (13-10,5-6).
Willie Veasley’s basket ended an 8-0 Butler run, putting the Bulldogs up58-55 midway through the second half. The Panthers came within 65-64 on a3-pointer by James Eayrs, but Butler pulled away at the end.
Hill scored 12 points in the first half as the Panthers led 35-34 at thebreak.
Hopson gets No. 14 Vols by Florida 61-60
January 31, 2010
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP)—Scotty Hopson came out of a timeout and quickly hit along jump shot with 21 seconds left to give No. 14 Tennessee a 61-60 win overFlorida on Sunday.
The basket gave the Volunteers (16-4, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) theirsixth straight win over their East Division rival and fifth straight victory inKnoxville. It also kept Tennessee from dropping a third game in a row.
Alex Tyus, who led the Gators with 18 points, had a chance to grab the leadback for Florida (15-6, 4-3) but missed a jumper in the middle of a crowd underthe basket with 5 seconds left.
After playing poorly in the first half, Wayne Chism led the Vols with 16points and 11 rebounds and hit two key free throws with 42 seconds left. Hopsonscored 10 points, and J.P. Prince had 12.
In his short career, Hopson has been at his best against the Gators. Helogged 20 points as a freshman last season against them in Knoxville and came upwith a big block on a potential game-tying 3 by Erving Walker with 37 secondsleft in Tennessee’s win in Gainesville.
Tennessee overcame a slow, sloppy first half to dominate Florida in thesecond half. The Vols were scrappier on defense and put a strong effort on theboards, outrebounding the Gators 27 to 12 after halftime.
Before the break, it was all Florida.
The Gators used a pressing defense reminiscent of one Tennessee has usedagainst them in the past. They limited the Vols to 36.4 shooting andoutrebounded them 20-14 before halftime while taking control of the paint onboth ends.
Dan Werner hit a 3-point shot from the corner of the floor and the Gatorshit two more in the paint to grab a 15-7 lead with 12:55 to go.
Florida led by 10 points in the first half thanks to 57.7 percent shooting,but the Gators cooled off considerably in the second half, hitting just 36.4percent from the field.
Bruce Pearl is now 8-1 against Florida and Billy Donovan, who joined theTennessee coach for a $1,000-per-couple social on Saturday night to raise moneyfor cancer screening as part of Tennessee’s Outlive initiative.
Anthony misses fourth straight game
January 31, 2010
SAN ANTONIO (AP)—Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony(notes) missed his fourthconsecutive game with a sprained left ankle Sunday against the San AntonioSpurs.
Nuggets coach George Karl said the NBA’s leading scorer still isn’tcomfortable making sharp moves, and Denver was expecting a fast-paced gameagainst the Spurs.
Karl expects Anthony to try to play Monday against Sacramento.
Anthony is averaging 29.7 points and injured his ankle a week ago againstNew Orleans. The Nuggets are 2-1 without him so far.
Wallace’s 38 and 11 power Bobcats to win
January 31, 2010
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)—Gerald Wallace(notes) scored a season-high 38 points and had11 rebounds and the Charlotte Bobcats defeated the Sacramento Kings 103-96 onSaturday.
Wallace keyed the decisive third quarter when the Bobcats pulled away byoutscoring Sacramento 34-13. Scoring on several uncontested baskets insideagainst the Kings’ uninspired defense, Wallace had 19 points to help Charlottetake a 90-67 lead into the fourth.
Charlotte Bobcats forward Gera… AP – Jan 30, 11:26 pm EST Charlotte Bobcats center Nazr … AP – Jan 30, 11:23 pm EST
Sacramento Kings center Spence… AP – Jan 30, 11:23 pm EST
Sacramento Kings forward Andre… AP – Jan 30, 11:21 pm EST YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index = 3; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_lazy_images = [http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100131/capt.3d1ea598d94c42ba8add8cef9af99eb2.bobcats_kings_basketball_sca102.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=244&hc=271&q=70&sig=2sTM8Nw92XZHSUfkUrViCA--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100131/capt.557f135be4aa4d1891a95067921b2b32.bobcats_kings_basketball_sca103.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=249&hc=277&q=70&sig=v.BjJcKkO0aempplexvA4A--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100131/capt.57a552b3721a4305b6e9357335d0d049.bobcats_kings_basketball_sca104.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=269&hc=299&q=70&sig=38xTBKStAPCwGqvMZcVcqg--]; YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(window,load,YAHOO.Sports.articleLazyLoadCarousel.init); 1 of 4 Cha-Sac Gallery function prev_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index > 0) { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index – 1); } else { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index); }}function next_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index 0) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next); }*/}function goto_photo(p) { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { for(i = 0; i < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos.length; i++) { if (i == p) { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, ); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, none); } } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page) { YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page.innerHTML =(p + 1); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = p; } } update_buttons();}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init = function () { YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_prev, click, prev_photo); YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_next, click, next_photo); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = 0; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page = YAHOO.util.Dom.get(carousel_page); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos = YAHOO.util.Dom.getElementsByClassName(item, div, leadphoto); if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { goto_photo(0); }}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init();
Nazr Mohammed(notes) had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Bobcats. Stephen Jackson(notes)and Flip Murray(notes) each had 13 points.
Kevin Martin(notes) scored 31 points for the Kings, who have dropped two straightand nine of 10. Omri Casspi(notes) scored 14 points and Jason Thompson(notes) had 12 pointsand 16 rebounds.
Kings rookie guard Tyreke Evans(notes), who bruised his left hip and only playedseven minutes in the second half, had four points, one more than his season-lowagainst Memphis. Evans had 34 points in a Jan. 18 game in Charlotte.
With the Bobcats struggling on offense in the fourth quarter, the Kingsmounted a comeback. Martin made a difficult driving layup and followed with asteal and a dunk, pulling the Kings to within 100-96.
But Raymond Felton(notes) quickly scored at the other end for Charlotte and Wallaceadded a late free throw to secure the victory.
The Bobcats started their six-game road trip with a loss in Denver. But theyhave won three straight and conclude the West Coast swing with Sunday’s game inPortland and meet the Lakers on Tuesday.
Drafted by the Kings in 2001, Wallace rarely left the bench in three seasonswith Sacramento. He was picked in the expansion draft by Charlotte in 2004 andhas thrived in his eighth season, becoming the first player in Bobcats historyto make the All-Star game.
On Saturday, Wallace made his first eight shots and ignited the Bobcats inthe third quarter. Wallace finished on two alley-oops late in the quarter, thesecond one giving Charlotte an 83-59 lad with 2:54 remaining.
Wallace made all six shots and scored 14 points in the opening half when theBobcats led 56-54. Martin had 21 points for the Kings, who were outscored 27-21in the second quarter.
Notes: Annie Wersching from the hit show “24,” attended the game. … TheKings have lost seven of their past 10 home games.
Fill-in Collison gets Hornets by Memphis
January 31, 2010
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)—Darren Collison(notes) did his best Chris Paul(notes) imitation, helpingthe New Orleans Hornets finally find a way to win in overtime.
Collison, subbing for the injured Hornets’ point guard, scored 17 points andhad a career-best 18 assists and New Orleans defeated Memphis 109-102 inovertime on Saturday, snapping the Grizzlies’ 11-game home winning streak.
“I give credit to (Paul),” the rookie from UCLA said. “I get the chanceto watch him every day in the pick-and-roll. I was being a lot more aggressivein the pick-and-roll finding my gaps. I am so small (6-foot, 160 pounds) andquick that I can use it to my advantage.”
New Orleans Hornets forward Da… AP – Jan 30, 11:20 pm EST New Orleans Hornets guard Darr… AP – Jan 30, 11:14 pm EST
New Orleans Hornets guard Darr… AP – Jan 30, 11:14 pm EST
New Orleans Hornets center Eme… AP – Jan 30, 11:13 pm EST
New Orleans Hornets ceter Emek… AP – Jan 30, 11:13 pm EST
New Orleans Hornets guard Marc… AP – Jan 30, 9:22 pm EST
Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach… AP – Jan 30, 9:22 pm EST
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Emeka Okafor(notes) had 21 points, including 19 after halftime, as New Orleansovercame a 21-point deficit in the third quarter to win its third game out ofthe past four. The rally was one point shy of the Hornets’ franchise record of a22-point rally to defeat Boston in 1995.
Four of the Hornets past 10 games have gone to overtime, and New Orleans hadlost the previous three before Saturday’s victory.
Collison’s steal and dunk with 24 seconds left put the game out of reach.
“(Collison) seemed a lot more confident, a lot more comfortable getting tothe cup, making decisions,” Okafor said of the second half. “He just startedrolling, and we started rolling.”
David West(notes) led New Orleans with 22 points, while Peja Stojakovic(notes) had 20points. Marcus Thornton(notes) finished with 14 for the Hornets, who moved ahead ofMemphis for the Western Conference’s eighth playoff spot. Houston, Memphis andOklahoma City have identical 25-21 records, a half-game behind the Hornets forthe last spot.
“It’s crazy over here in the West,” Okafor said. “You have like six teamsthat are right there. You just have to play ball and see what happens.”
Zach Randolph(notes) and Marc Gasol(notes) had 25 points apiece for Memphis, which had notlost a home game since a 110-105 defeat to the Boston Celtics on Dec. 4.
O.J. Mayo(notes) scored 17 points and Rudy Gay(notes) and Mike Conley(notes) scored 10 apiece,but struggled from the field, shooting a combined 7 of 30.
Paul, the Hornets’ leading scorer, sat out the game with a bruised leftknee. Paul initially hurt the leg in Wednesday’s game against Golden State, thenhit it again in Friday’s overtime loss to Chicago.
“It was a great win for us on the heels of (Friday) night’s difficultdefeat,” Hornets coach Jeff Bower said.
After Grizzlies guard Jamaal Tinsley(notes) scored the opening basket of the extraperiod, the Hornets scored the next six points as a pair of free throws eachfrom Stojakovic and West were sandwiched around Collison’s 10-footer.
That put New Orleans up 103-99. Randolph’s 3-point play with 2:03 left gaveMemphis some hope.
But the Grizzlies would not score again as New Orleans had the final sixpoints, including Collison’s steal and dunk with 24 seconds left.
Memphis made only 2 of its 13 shots in overtime—Tinsley’s layup andRandolph’s basket on the front of the 3-point play.
Collison replaced Paul when the Hornets’ leading scorer missed eight gamesearlier in the season with an ankle injury. New Orleans is 5-4 in games withoutPaul.
Memphis led by 21 early in the third quarter, but slowly let the game slipaway by shooting 32 percent after the break. It was the biggest lead Memphis hasblown in a losing effort this season.
“We played hard enough early to get up by 21 points, and then we quitexecuting,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. “We turned the ball over. Wedidn’t share the basketball when it should have been shared. We took toughshots. That was the key.”
“We thought we were going to win, and stopped moving the ball and didn’thelp each other,” Gasol said. “This is a lesson we have to learn.”
The Hornets made a run at Memphis to start the second half. New Orleans wasmuch more effective moving the ball, and the Hornets were beginning to connecton their shots, particularly inside.
Okafor’s dunk, his fifth field goal of the quarter, cut the lead to 75-66,and Darius Songaila’s(notes) tip-in got the Hornets closer than they had been in awhile at 75-68.
Okafor had 14 in the quarter, hitting all seven of his shots in the period.That was part of the Hornets going 14 of 16 from the field in the period, andhelped New Orleans cut the Memphis advantage to 81-76 entering the fourth.
“We dug ourselves into a little bit of a rut and had to bring it,” Okaforsaid. “It was either we bring energy or get blown out. We didn’t plan ongetting blown out, so we just buckled down and did what we had to do.”
Collison was getting to the basket to keep the Hornets chipping away at theMemphis lead in the fourth. New Orleans pulled even at 85 when Songaila scoredinside.
“(Collison’s) effort was terrific with his own play and how his effortcreated things for others,” Bower said.
NOTES: After a winter storm Friday made Memphis roads slick, the Grizzliesoffered fans the opportunity to exchange their tickets for Saturday’s game fortickets to next Friday’s home game against the Houston Rockets. … It wasRandolph’s first game at home since being selected as a reserve on the All-Starteam. The forward got a rousing ovation from the crowd when the honor wasmentioned as part of his pre-game introduction. … Collison’s assists not onlywere a career high, but also a franchise best for a rookie. The previous was 16by Paul in 2006 against Golden State.