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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Minnesota Escapes Big 10 Loss

Associated Press

Top 25 men

No. 3 Minnesota survived a late charge Wednesday night, defeating Purdue 70-67 as Brian Cardinal’s 3-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the rim at West Lafayette, Ind.

Minnesota (21-2, 10-1 Big Ten), which led by as much as 13 points in the second half, was led by Sam Jacobson and Bobby Jackson with 13 points.

Chad Austin scored 23 for Purdue, which had its hopes for a fourth consecutive Big Ten championship ended by 21 turnovers that led to 20 Minnesota points.

Minnesota is looking for its first conference championship since 1982.

(1) Kansas 104, Oklahoma State 72

At Lawrence, Kan., Raef LaFrentz keyed a 14-0 run to start the second half as the Jayhawks routed the Cowboys.

Kansas (24-1, 10-1 Big 12) hit seven of their first 10 shots at the start of each half and were never threatened by the out-manned Cowboys (12-11, 4-7), who lost in Allen Fieldhouse for the 35th time in 43 games. Kansas stretched its home streak to 41 straight.

(2) Wake Forest 55, (7) Clemson 49

At Winston-Salem, N.C., the Demon Deacons (20-2, 9-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) held the Tigers (19-5, 7-4) to just one field goal in a span of 18 minutes, and still needed 18 points and 16 rebounds from Tim Duncan to win.

The game featured two of the toughest defenses in the ACC and was marked by plenty of rough play, much of which was permitted by the officials.

(4) Kentucky 84, LSU 48

At Lexington, Ky., senior Anthony Epps scored 18 points on six 3-pointers, both career highs, as the Wildcats (23-3, 9-2 Southeastern Conference) handed the Tigers (9-16, 2-10) their worst loss of the season.

(9) Iowa State 87, Missouri 59

At Ames, Iowa, Dedric Willoughby scored 22 of his 29 points in the first half and the Cyclones (17-4, 8-3 Big 12) used an 18-1 run in the middle of the game to beat the Tigers (12-12, 4-7).

(16) N. Carolina 45, N. Carolina St. 44

At Raleigh, N.C., freshman Ed Cota hit a driving baseline shot with 4.8 seconds left as the Tar Heels rallied from an 11-point, second-half deficit to beat the Wolfpack (9-12, 1-11 ACC).

North Carolina (16-6, 6-5) came into the game with five straight 50 percent shooting games, but shot less than 37 percent against the ACC’s leading defense. The Tar Heels scored only two baskets over the final 7:25 but still won their fourth straight game.

Pittsburgh 95, (18) Villanova 89

At Pittsburgh, Jason Maile scored 40 points, the most by a Pitt player in 40 years, and the Panthers shot 71.4 percent during a 60-point second half to upset the Wildcats (17-7, 8-5 Big East).

Maile scored 28 points after halftime as Pitt (13-11, 7-6) rallied from seven points down to go on a 21-3 run led by three Maile 3-pointers and Gerald Jordan’s strong inside play.

(19) Xavier 79, Dayton 53

At Cincinnati, Torraye Braggs scored 20 points and led a 16-point spurt in the first half as the Musketeers avenged one of its most stinging losses of the season by beating the Flyers (9-12, 2-9 Atlantic 10).

Xavier (17-4, 8-3) wanted a payback for its first loss of the season, a seven-point defeat in Dayton on Jan. 7 that ended the Musketeers’ unbeaten streak at 10 games.

Georgia 77, (12) South Carolina 74

At Athens, Ga., Ray Harrison scored 23 points and sparked a 13-0 run late in the game as the Bulldogs handed the Gamecocks their first Southeastern Conference loss.

Georgia (18-5, 7-4), making a bid to get back in the Top 25, also ended a 12-game winning streak by the Gamecocks (17-6, 11-1).

Oklahoma 91, (15) Colorado 66

At Norman, Okla., Nate Erdmann scored 31 points to outduel Chauncey Billups, and the Sooners used a strong first half to the Buffaloes.

The Sooners (14-7, 6-5 Big 12) won their eighth in a row over Colorado (17-6, 8-3), which hasn’t won in Norman since 1980. The Buffaloes hadn’t been beaten by more than 10 points this season.

Wisconsin 62, (20) Illinois 45

At Madison, Wis., Sam Okey scored 16 points and Wisconsin held Illinois without a field goal for a 13-minute stretch in the second half as the Badgers (14-7, 7-5 Big Ten) beat the Illini (17-7, 7-5).

(21) Texas Tech 80, Texas A&M 65

At College Station, Texas, Cory Carr led four starters in double figures with 22 points and the Red Raiders used a 14-2 run in the second half to beat the Aggies.

The Red Raiders (15-6, 7-4 Big 12) got 19 points, 17 rebounds and five blocked shots from Tony Battie, Rayford Young scored 14 points and Stan Bonewitz had 12. Calvin Davis scored a career-high 29 points for the Aggies (8-13, 2-9) and pulled down 11 rebounds and Jerald Brown scored 15 points.

Big Sky

Weber St. 84, Idaho St. 76

In Pocatello, Idaho, Ryan Cuff scored 36 points to lead the Wildcats (12-10, 7-5) over the Bengals (11-10, 7-6).