Wake-Up Call For No. 3 Unc: Deacons Take Heels To Buzzer

Top 25

Third-ranked North Carolina found yet another way to win Saturday - with defense.

Donald Williams hit a running one-hander in the lane with 5.7 seconds left as the Tar Heels, shooting a season-low 41 percent, escaped with a 62-61 victory over No. 16 Wake Forest at Winston-Salem, N.C.

But it was the North Carolina defense, which held Wake Forest without a basket for more than 10 minutes in the second half and forced a key turnover down the stretch, that rallied a team that had been mostly relying on its 91-points-a-game offense.

The Atlantic Coast Conferenceleading Tar Heels (6-1, 16-1) are 7-0 this season against ranked teams after extending their winning streak to seven. The Demon Deacons (4-3, 11-4) have lost 27 of their last 30 meetings with North Carolina.

“We’ve got too many competitors on this team not to win a game like that,” added Jerry Stackhouse.

(6) Syracuse 76, Miami 51

John Wallace had 20 points and reserve Otis Hill added 14 as the Orangemen beat the Hurricanes.

The Orangemen (8-1 Big East, 15-2) got out to an early 15-point lead but couldn’t finish off the Hurricanes (3-5, 8-7) until the final 3 minutes, when they doubled their lead.

Miami was plagued by poor shooting against Syracuse, hitting just 19 of 67 shots and 8 of 22 foul shots.

(8) Maryland 74, Duke 72

Keith Booth scored a career-high 22 points, including the go-ahead basket, and Joe Smith blocked two shots in the final 26 seconds as the Terrapins ended their 15-game losing streak against the Blue Devils at College Park, Md.

Maryland’s victory kept Duke (0-7, 10-9) winless in the ACC, its worst league start in the 41-year history of the conference.

The Terrapins (6-1, 16-3) beat Duke for the first time since 1988.

(10) Michigan St. 75, Illinois 67

Spartan Shawn Respert scored 29 points and Jon Garavaglia hit key second-half key baskets at Champaign, Ill.

Michigan State (6-1, 14-2) went ahead for good 38-37 in the Big Ten game on a 15-footer by Garavaglia with about 17 minutes left, but Illinois (4-3, 13-6) stayed within striking distance, pulling to 66-64 with a layup by Jerry Gee with 2:08 left.

(11) Iowa St. 87, Kansas St. 79

Fred Hoiberg scored 20 of his game-high 26 points in the second half as the Cyclones held off the Wildcats in Ames, Iowa.

Hoiberg and Loren Meyer accounted for all but six of Iowa State’s second-half points. The Cyclones (3-1 Big Eight, 17-2) are off to their best start in school history.

The Wildcats (2-5, 11-8) have lost five of their last six games.

(14) Georgetown 71, Pittsburgh 60

Othella Harrington scored 20 points as the Hoyas pulled away down the stretch at Landover, Md.

Georgetown (7-2 Big East, 14-3) struggled throughout the game, and the Panthers (1-8, 5-12) never trailed by more than five points in the second half until Allen Iverson sank a pair of free throws to make it 62-56 with 1:47 left.

Georgetown went ahead for good on a shot by freshman Boubacar Aw to make it 44-42 with just over 12 minutes to play.

(15) Virginia 128, George Mason 98

Cory Alexander scored a careerhigh 36 points as the Cavaliers broke a 12-year-old school scoring record at Charlottesville, Va.

The Cavaliers (12-5) rebounded from a 71-70 loss to Wake Forest on Wednesday night and sent George Mason (5-13) to its 11th consecutive loss.

Virginia surpassed the game scoring mark established in a 124-60 victory over Johns Hopkins on Nov. 26, 1982.

Saint Louis 75, (19) Cincinnati 68 Scott Highmark scored 22 points and the Billikens missed only two of 29 free throws, pulling away at the finish.

St. Louis (4-2 Great Midwest, 13-4) rallied from a 40-33 halftime deficit despite shooting 33 percent (9 for 27) in the second half. Cincinnati (5-1, 15-6) was even colder in the second half as it lost for the first time in the conference, shooting 28 percent (9 for 32).

(22) Villanova 88, Providence 67

Kerry Kittles scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half as the Wildcats ran away from the Friars in the Big East at Villanova, Pa.

It was the fifth straight victory for the Wildcats (6-2, 13-5).

Providence (3-6, 11-6) has lost four of five, all within the conference. Austin Croshere led the Friars with 16 points, while leading scorer Eric Williams was limited to 10 points.

(23) Florida 72, Mississippi 57

Dan Cross scored 20 points before leaving with an injury as the Gators came from behind to beat the Rebels at Gainesville, Fla.

Florida (4-3 Southeastern Conference, 10-6) trailed by as many as 10 points midway through the second half before starting its comeback. The Gators ended the game with a 19-5 run.

The Rebels (1-7, 5-12) lost three starters in the second half.

Pacific 89, (24) New Mexico St. 86

Marzell Clayton’s 12-foot jumper with 17 seconds left put the Tigers in front for good in a win at Las Cruces, N.M.

New Mexico State (5-3 Big West, 14-5) couldn’t stop the Tigers’ outside shooting as Pacific improved to 5-4, 10-7.

(25) Oklahoma 82, Nebraska 72

Ryan Minor scored 30 points and the Sooners used six straight 3-pointers to break the game open in the second half at Norman, Okla.

The Sooners (2-2 Big Eight, 15-4) struggled late in the first half and early in the second as the Cornhuskers (1-3, 14-5) overcame a 16-point deficit with 11:27 left to play.