Umass Sends West Virginia Into Third Row

Top 25/WCC/Big Sky

Massachusetts had an unbeatable combination, hitting 3-pointers like they were layups and blocking more shots than West Virginia made.

The fourth-ranked Minutemen (6-1) cruised to a 95-65 victory Tuesday night in Springfield, Mass., setting an Atlantic-10 record with 20 blocks and missing by one its school record of 13 3-pointers.

“In the past we had teams that people said couldn’t shoot,” said Lou Roe, who had 13 points in 15 minutes for Massachusetts. “Adding that shooting just puts us up to another level.”

The blocked shots ruined what slim hopes the Mountaineers (4-4) had after trailing 58-29 at halftime. They made just 18 field goals in 74 attempts.

“We’ve always played with 6-foot-5 or 6-foot-6 centers,” Massachusetts coach John Calipari said. “Now all of a sudden people are playing the same way and driving into guys who are 7-footers who can jump.”

The 20 blocked shots were one off the NCAA record set by Georgetown in a 108-55 victory over Southern of New Orleans on Dec. 1, 1993.

(5) Kansas 106, E. Tennessee St. 73

In Lawrence, Kan., 7-footer Greg Ostertag blocked four shots to break the Jayhawks’ (9-1) career record of 200 held by Danny Manning and Kansas exploited its size advantage against the Buccaneers (4-6).

(6) Connecticut 77, Villanova 62

In Philadelphia, Ray Allen returned after missing a game with a sprained right ankle, scoring 19 points as the Huskies (2-0 Big East, 8-0) limited the Wildcats (1-1, 7-4) to 5-for-20 3-point shooting.

Ahead by five at halftime, the Huskies outscored Villanova 9-2 in the opening 3 minutes after intermission to take a 39-27 lead. A 7-2 run midway through the half increased the lead to 56-32.

(10) Syracuse 81, Boston College 72

In Newton, Mass., Lawrence Moten scored 28 points, 12 during a first-half run that brought Syracuse from one point down to 13 ahead, and the Orangemen (2-0 Big East, 9-1) held on to win their ninth straight.

The Eagles (0-2, 6-3) got just 12 points from Danya Abrams, who was averaging 22.6 points per game.

(12) Georgetown 55, Pittsburgh 46

In Pittsburgh, the Hoyas (2-0 Big East, 8-1) never solved the Panthers’ (0-2, 4-6) halfcourt defense, but pulled away in the final 6 minutes of a turnover-filled game behind Allen Iverson’s 15 points.

LSU 70, (13) Florida 66

In Baton Rouge, La., Randy Livingston scored 22 points, including five free throws in the final minute, as the Tigers (1-0 Southeastern Conference, 7-3) surprised the Gators (0-1, 6-3).

(16) Iowa St. 74, Loyola-New Orleans 44

In Ames, Iowa, Julius Michalik scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Cyclones (11-1) set a school record with their ninth consecutive victory. Loyola-New Orleans (4-8) is an NAIA Division II team.

Big Sky Conference

Weber State 94, Southern Utah 85

In Ogden, Utah, Ruben Nembhard scored 29 points and Jimmy DeGraffenried added 19. The Wildcats’ (6-5) outrebounded the Thunderbirds (5-5) 45-30.

West Coast Conference

San Francisco 93, Brown 81

In San Francisco, Gerald Walker’s 28 points led the Dons (6-7), who overcame a 15-8 deficit to beat the Bruins (4-6).

San Diego 72, Yale 59

In San Diego, Sean Flannery had 21 points and nine rebounds as the Toreros (4-6) beat the Ivy League’s Bulldogs (2-5) and ended a five-game losing streak.

Pepperdine 68, CS Northridge 52

In Malibu, Calif., Gavin Vanderputten and Gerald Brown each scored 12 points for the Waves (4-8), who used a 16-4 second-half run to beat the Matadors (2-8).