South Carolina edges No. 19 Baylor 85-84
WACO, Texas---Devan Downey entered Friday's game against Baylor as South Carolina's leading scorer. After he shot 1-for-7 from the field and scored only four points in the first half, his coach wasn't worried.
"I thought he was terrific in the first half," South Carolina first-year coach Darrin Horn said. "He ran our team, he got other guys shots, he defended. He did all the little things. In the second half, he did the same things."
Downey finished with 23 points in leading the Gamecocks past No. 19 Baylor 85-84. Zam Fredrick scored 19, including the go-ahead basket with 5.1 seconds left. Mike Holmes had 11 points, and Dominique Archie and Brandis Raley-Ross scored 10 each for the Gamecocks (10-2).
Curtis Jerrells scored 22 for Baylor (12-2). Kevin Rogers had 14 points and 13 rebounds, Tweety Carter scored 18 points and Henry Dugat had 16.
"Downey's a great player," Baylor coach Scott Drew said. "He controlled everything. He created not only for himself, with eight assists and one turnover. But we really struggled for answers. We'll watch tape and see what we can do, but we're not going to face another guard possibly as good as him the rest of the season. When he's on, he's as good as anybody in the country."
Downy seemingly drove at will. He scored on five layups and two jumpers in the lane in the second half.
"From being patient in the first half and getting my team involved and spreading the floor, I feel like I'm quick enough that if we spread the floor I can get in gaps," he said. "When the opportunity was there, I just took it."
Baylor cut the lead to one on Rogers' tip-in with 32.5 seconds to play. After a Bears timeout, South Carolina's Evaldas Baniulis was called for traveling on the inbounds play.
On Baylor's next possession, Dunn rebounded Carter's missed jumper and was fouled by Holmes. Dunn made both free throws for an 84-83 Baylor lead with 12.9 seconds left.
After a South Carolina timeout with 8.6 seconds remaining, Fredrick got free inside for a layup to put the Gamecocks up for good.
Baylor's last-second shot by Carter was blocked by Raley-Ross.
Baylor trimmed the lead to 74-73 on a 3-pointer by Dugat with 4:03 left, but South Carolina responded with a tip-in by Holmes and a dunk by Archie.
South Carolina trailed by five before Downey hit a layup and a 3 to tie the game at 44 with 15:14 left. Baylor answered with a rebound and dunk by Quincy Acy and a steal and layup from Dugat to go up 48-44. South Carolina came back with a 3-pointer by Dominique Archie and took its first lead on a jumper in the lane by Downey.
From there, the Gamecocks went on a 16-9 run to go ahead 63-53 with 8:30 to play. Downey scored eight points during the stretch.
Baylor took a 10-point lead midway through the first half when Jerrells converted a three-point play to put the Bears up 23-13 with 10:54 remaining.
Later in the half, South Carolina cut the lead to three on a 3-pointer by Austin Steed. Baylor answered with a five-point spurt to go back up by eight before Holmes' dunk pulled South Carolina to 37-31 with 2:50 left. Baylor led 40-36 at halftime after Rogers' tip-in at the buzzer of Jerrells' off-balance 3-point attempt was waved off by officials after review.
(c) The Associated Press.
Men's basketball: Oklahoma State 86, Rhode Island 82
OKLAHOMA CITY --- James Anderson scored a career-high 33 points and Byron Eaton had all 22 of his points in the second half as Oklahoma State beat Rhode Island 86-82 Saturday night in the All-College Classic.
The tandem of former McDonald's All-Americans provided nearly all of the Cowboys' offense in the second half, and Eaton's two free throws with 3:29 left gave Oklahoma State (8-3) the lead for good.
Anderson set up Anthony Brown's jumper with a steal and then added a pair of free throws of his own to push the lead to six, and that was enough of a cushion for the Cowboys to protect down the stretch.
Kahiem Seawright led the Rams (8-4) with 17 points but was blocked inside in the final minute to help thwart any hopes of a comeback. Jimmy Baron added 16 points, Marquis Jones scored 15 and Keith Cothran had 14 for Rhode Island.
Anderson and Eaton combined to score 24 of the Cowboys' first 28 points after halftime, and Eaton hung in the air for an extra moment to set up a three-point play that put Oklahoma State up 66-59.
Rhode Island answered with a 9-1 run to take a 68-67 lead on Seawright's two free throws with 6:17 left. Cothran then darted around the left side for a layup to make it 70-68, but Anderson answered with a 3-pointer at the other end for Oklahoma State.
Baron's 3-pointer tied it one last time at 73-73 before Eaton's go-ahead foul shots.
The Rams were making their first trip to Oklahoma City since upsetting No. 2 Kansas in the second round of the 1998 NCAA tournament en route to an appearance in the round of 8, but this visit didn't have such a happy ending.
The Rams trailed by 10 in the first half before Jones got hot against Keiton Page, Oklahoma State's 5-foot-10 backup point guard.
Jones scored 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, during a 22-4 run and his two free throws gave Rhode Island a 44-36 lead with 29.8 seconds left in the first half. Marshall Moses' putback cut the Cowboys' deficit to six at halftime.
From then on, Anderson and Eaton took control.
Anderson opened the second half with back-to-back layups before Eaton's three-point play put Oklahoma State up 45-44, and the two never let up.
Anderson and Eaton teamed up to score 39 of Oklahoma State's 48 points after halftime to come away with the win in the first-ever meeting between the schools.
(c) 2008, The Dallas Morning News, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Men's basketball rides early lead to 71-49 win
Hamilton College jumped out to a 16-0 lead and never trailed in a 71-49 non-league win against visiting Morrisville State College at Scott Field House on Dec. 12.
Jon Ciriello '11 paced the Continentals (5-2 overall) with season highs of 14 points and seven rebounds in the win. Russ Rosenband '12 came off the bench to hit three 3-pointers and contribute 13 points. The first-year is 17-for-38 (44.7 percent) from beyond the arc this season.
Tim Shaw '10 recorded Hamilton's first four points of the game and finished with 10 points and six boards -- five on the offensive glass. Lance Wilson '11 handed out a game-high seven assists and chipped in seven points.
The Continentals led by as many as 19 in the first half and went into the break with a 32-17 advantage. Morrisville State (0-8) went on a 17-7 run in the first five minutes of the second half and cut the deficit to five. The Mustangs did not get any closer, as the Continentals answered with a 10-2 run of their own. Shaw and Ciriello combined to score all 10 points in the spurt to claim a comfortable 49-36 lead with 9:46 left.
Hamilton extended its lead to 22 points -- the largest of the game -- on a Harlee Wood '09 layup to close the scoring. Wood led all players with nine rebounds and four steals. The Continentals shot 60.7 percent from the field in the second half and held the Mustangs to just 33.9 percent overall.
Hamilton is off until Saturday, Jan. 3, when the Continentals host Middlebury College for another non-league game at 4 p.m.
(c) 2008 The Trustees of Hamilton College. All rights reserved.
Cal's Anderson to declare for draft without hiring agent
BERKELEY, Calif. -- California sophomore forward Ryan Anderson has decided to test his NBA value by declaring for the draft Thursday without signing with an agent.
The decision gives Anderson the opportunity to work out at his own expense for NBA teams to gauge where he would be drafted before making a final decision. Anderson has until June 16 to decide whether to remain in the draft or return to school.
He is projected by draft analysts as a borderline first-round pick. How that status changes in the next two months will decide what Anderson ultimately will do.
"If I'm a late first-round pick and that's what they're telling me and I'm not guaranteed to be in the first round, that's a decision I have to sit down and think about," he said. "If I'm in the late teens or lower 20s, I'm still going to have to think about it, but it will be an easier decision to make than if I'm not guaranteed to be in first round."
Anderson is an excellent outside shooter for his size and also has good post moves. But there are questions about his strength, athleticism and defense.
The 6-foot-10 Anderson was an all-Pac-10 selection this season, leading the conference in scoring at 21.1 points per game and ranking third in rebounding at 9.9.
His 1,236 points are the most by any Cal player after his sophomore year and the 16th most in school history.
"I never really saw myself possibly leaving as a sophomore," he said. "But I have no complaints. It's been great. Cal's been great to me. It would be great either way. ... I love my teammates, I love Cal and I love being a college student. This is just a process where I'm trying to get information and learn more about the NBA game and see where I'm at."
The future of Cal's program is facing uncertainty with a search for a new head coach going on and the possibility its best player won't return. Coach Ben Braun was fired last week and the search for his successor is ongoing.
Anderson said the firing of Braun and his potential successor had little impact on his decision.
"It will basically be where I'm slotted to go," Anderson said. "It would be great to come back and have a set coach and come back and be with my teammates. If it's the best situation for me to go, then it's something I'm going to take advantage of."
The last Cal player to leave early for the NBA was Leon Powe, who entered the draft following his sophomore season in 2006.
Teammate DeVon Hardin tested the waters last year before deciding to return to school for his senior year. Hardin struggled a bit this season and saw his draft stock drop.
"He said he said it's a great way to gain information when you go to these workouts and hear from NBA guys," Anderson said. "They'll tell you if they think you're ready and where you'll be picked. This whole process will be very good for me to know where I'll be at for the future. If I do stay in college, it will be better for me next year."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Villanova and Scottie Reynolds both have reasons to be thankful
DETROIT -- Scottie Reynolds might not be here today if a woman he has never met had made a different decision years ago.
Villanova's star guard reflected Thursday -- a day before the 12th-seeded Wildcats played top-seeded Kansas in the Midwest Regional semifinals -- on the pivotal choice his birth mother made 20½ years ago in Alabama.
The woman, who Reynolds knows only by name, later gave him up. Rick and Pam Reynolds adopted Reynolds, raising him in Virginia and Illinois.
"Yeah, sometimes I sit back and think about where I am right now," Reynolds said quietly in an interview with The Associated Press. "Without that decision and without the parents I have right now, I wouldn't be in this position and I might not even be alive right now."
Reynolds has made the most of his opportunity in life, just as he and his Villanova teammates have taken advantage of slipping into the NCAA tournament as one of the final teams to get a bid from the selection committee.
The Wildcats' unexpected presence in the second week of the tournament is expected to end late Friday night at Ford Field against the Jayhawks, who are double-digit favorites.
"We've been in that position before," Villanova's Dwayne Anderson said. "Everyone expected us to lose against Clemson. That's something we have, an underdog mentality.
"We're going to approach this game the same way."
The Jayhawks' average margin of victory this season is a nation-high 20 points, including routs in the first two rounds, but they don't sound or look cocky about their chances of advancing.
"At this point, you know, every game's gonna be tough. It's going to be tougher than what it looks like," Kansas' Russell Robinson said. "We just try to stay humble and grounded because nothing is guaranteed."
In the NCAA tournament, Jayhawks coach Bill Self knows that well.
Self -- widely regarded as the best coach without a Final Four appearance -- is a win away from advancing to the regional final for the fifth time since 2000.
He almost shed the unwanted title last year with Kansas and in 2004, his first season leading the storied program, after advancing to regional finals in back-to-back years at Illinois and Tulsa.
"The thing that stands out first and foremost is how hard they play and how hard they compete," Self said. "They steal extra possessions for their team.
"They're not good defensively. I think they're great defensively."
That has to be the case if Villanova has any shot at pulling off an upset and it won't be easy because the Jayhawks can beat teams so many ways.
Kansas is scoring 81-plus points a game with five double-digit scorers, led by Brandon Rush's modest 13-point average and reserve Sherron Collins' 10. Two more Jayhawks chip in with an average of 7½ points.
"Guys that come off the bench could be starters on teams in this Sweet 16," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "You got to be able to score against these guys because if you're not, they are.
"That's probably what separates them from other outstanding teams that can just score. They can really shut you down on the defensive end."
Villanova's challenges on defense grew when center Casiem Drummond -- its only player taller than 6-foot-8 -- broke his right ankle in the second-round win over Siena.
At both ends of the court, the Wildcats will rely heavily on Reynolds.
He is averaging 16 points, 5½ more than the second-leading scorer on the team, and has helped Villanova improve defensively since a five-game losing streak dropped it to 13-8.
"Some guys, their role is to maybe cut back on a few things they do. But Scottie's role on our team, we needed him to do everything he could possibly do," Wright said. "When he understood that it was unselfish for him to go and be aggressive and take more shots, then he would do it.
"He's such a good kid. He was brought up by two beautiful parents."
When Villanova's run is over and the semester ends, Reynolds plans to seek out his birth mother in the hopes of meeting her for the first time.
"Last year, I got the contact information, but things didn't end up the way I wanted it to and I didn't get a chance to go through the whole situation," he said. "This summer, I'm going to try to make contact and have a face-to-face meeting."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Utes will play in new tournament
SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah will play UTEP in the College Basketball Invitational, a new postseason tournament.
The Utes will play the Miners in El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday.
Utah, 17-13, lost in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference tournament. UTEP finished the regular season with a 19-13 record.
"We're thankful to still be playing," Utah coach Jim Boylen said. "It's important for this team to be playing any opponent to compete and feel the pressure. Anytime you can play in an elimination tournament it's a stepping stone. We're excited about it."
The Miners play in Conference USA. The Utah-UTEP winner will meet the winner of the Tulsa-Miami of Ohio game.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Gilder scores 18 to lead Northwestern St. to 71-51 win
KATY, Texas -- Trey Gilder scored 18 points to lead Northwestern State to a 71-51 win over Southeastern Louisiana in a first-round Southland Conference game Thursday night.
Colby Bargeman added 13 points and Gerrell Thomas scored 11 for Northwestern, which will play top-seeded Stephen F. Austin in a semifinal Friday. The fifth-seeded Demons (14-17) will be trying to reach the tournament final for the fourth straight year.
Southeastern Louisiana (17-13), the No. 4 seed, entered the tournament with three straight wins, but couldn't find an answer to a Northwestern offense that shot 55 percent from the field and hit 8-of-17 3-pointers.
The Lions also committed 21 turnovers.
Kevyn Green led Southeastern Louisiana with 12 points. He came into the tournament with 73 points scored over the last three regular season games. Warrell Span added 11 and Tavaris Nance scored 10.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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