Lobos Hand Utes First Loss Of Season
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Royce Olney has rarely seen a 3-point shot he didn’t like, and the last look he got Sunday, he’ll treasure for a long time.
Olney’s two 3s in the final minute, including the game-winner with 4.6 seconds remaining, carried No. 14 New Mexico to a 77-74 win over No. 3 Utah in Albuquerque, N.M.
New Mexico (16-3, 6-1 WAC) extended its homecourt winning streak to 38 games and toppled the last unbeaten Division I team.
“The ball was in my hands and I didn’t want to let go of it,” said Olney, whose earlier 3-pointer had cut Utah’s lead to 73-72 with 1:03 remaining.
New Mexico overcame a 73-67 deficit in the final 1:27 by going to a full-court press and forcing Utah (18-1, 6-1) point guard Andre Miller into a pair of turnovers that the Lobos converted into a slam dunk by Clayton Shields and an Olney 3-pointer.
(1) Duke 90, Georgia Tech 69
At Durham, N.C., Roshown McLeod scored 23 points as the Blue Devils (20-1, 9-0 ACC) beat the Yellowjackets (13-8, 2-6) for their 11th straight win, setting up a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup with North Carolina.
Thursday’s meeting at Chapel Hill will be the first game between the nation’s top-ranked teams since Kentucky beat Massachusetts in the semifinals of the 1996 Final Four and the 14th 1-2 meeting since 1980.
Dion Glover scored 20 points to pace Georgia Tech.
(5) Kansas 82, Nebraska 71
At Lincoln, Neb., Paul Pierce scored 27 points, Raef LaFrentz had 25 and the Jayhawks (24-3, 8-1 Big 12) held off Nebraska’s second-half 3-point flurry to win its eighth straight over the Cornhuskers (13-8, 4-4).
Nebraska’s Troy Piatkowski hit his fifth 3-pointer of the second half with 1:15 to play, trimming the margin to 74-70. But the Huskers missed their last five shots, sealing the win for Kansas.
Piatkowski finished with 25 points to lead Nebraska.
Florida 86, (7) Kentucky 78
At Lexington, Ky., Jason Williams and Kenyan Weaks each scored 24 points as the Gators (11-7, 4-4 SEC) hit 12 3-pointers, on their way to a win over the Wildcats (19-3, 8-1).
Florida snapped a 10-game losing streak to Kentucky and won in Rupp Arena for the first time since Feb. 12, 1989.
(13) S. Carol. 67, (18) Cincy 65
At Columbia, S.C., Antonio Grant hit a desperation 3-pointer as time expired, capping the Gamecocks’ (16-3) comeback from a 23-point deficit to beat the Bearcats (16-4).
Grant picked up a loose ball with the clock ticking down and launched a prayer that swished through as the horn sounded.
Melvin Watson had 21 points to lead the Gamecocks, who never led until the end.
Melvin Leavitt led Cincinnati with 21 points.
(19) Michigan 80, (16) Iowa 66
At Iowa City, Iowa, Louis Bullock scored 21 points, including five 3-pointers, as the Wolverines (16-6, 6-3 Big Ten) handed the Hawkeyes (15-6, 4-4) their fourth straight defeat.
Iowa, which has lost five of its last seven games, got 15 points from Ryan Bowen.
(20) Syracuse 84, Pittsburgh 73
At Pittsburgh, Todd Burgan scored seven of his 27 points in a 16-0 run at the start of the second half to carry the Orangemen (17-4, 7-3 Big East) past the Panthers (7-9, 2-7).
Vonteego Cummings led Pittsburgh with 23 points.
(21) Rhode Island 75, Fordham 70
At New York, Joshua King scored 21 points and Rhode Island (14-5, 6-2 Atlantic 10) hung on for the victory, extending Fordham’s losing streak to a school-record 11 games.
Maurice Curtis led Fordham (4-15, 0-9) with 26 points.
(23) Maryland 77, Virginia 70
At College Park, Md., Rodney Elliott scored 17 points and the Terrapins (13-7, 6-4 ACC) pulled away in the second half to hand the Cavaliers (10-12, 2-7) their fourth straight loss.
Curtis Staples scored 25 points and made seven 3-pointers for Virginia to move into fourth place on the NCAA career list with 376.
xxxx Marquee matchup The wait is nearly over. No. 1 Duke visits No. 2 North Carolina on Thursday.