Cardinals hold off Gators

Francisco Garcia did just about everything for No. 13 Louisville on Saturday in Gainesville, Fla.

The junior forward finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, five steals and four assists, and the Cardinals (5-1) withstood a late rally to beat the Florida Gators 74-70.

Rick Pitino improved to 20-1 against former assistant coaches and players, extending his record to 6-0 against Billy Donovan.

Dean and Garcia helped stake the Cardinals to a 12-point lead in the second half, but the Gators (5-2) came back and had several chances to move ahead late. Florida, however, made poor shot selections and committed an intentional foul down the stretch that cost it a chance to win the game.

David Lee led the Gators with 18 points and nine rebounds. Anthony Roberson added 15 points.

(2) Kansas 96, Louisiana-Lafayette 51: At Lawrence, Kan., Keith Langford had 19 of his 24 points in a torrid first half that propelled the Jayhawks (6-0) over the Ragin’ Cajuns (3-4). J.R. Giddens had 14 of his 16 points for Kansas in the first half. He was 5 for 7 – including 4 for 6 behind the arc. Louisiana-Lafayette was led by Tiras Wade and Brian Hamilton with 12 points each.

(3) Georgia Tech 64, Air Force 42: At Atlanta, Luke Schenscher scored 15 points and the Yellow Jackets (6-0) overcame the slow-paced offense of the Falcons (6-3). The Yellow Jackets, who try to run at every opportunity, were forced into a game that was totally out of character. They attempted a season-low 40 shots and failed to make a 3-pointer for the first time since 1987.

(4) Syracuse 86, Binghamton 56: At Syracuse, N.Y., Hakim Warrick scored 20 points, Gerry McNamara added 18 and the Orangemen (8-1) bounced back from their first loss of the season by defeating the Bearcats (2-5). Syracuse took command early in the second half and defeated the Bearcats for the fourth straight time since they moved up to Division I. Andre Heard led Binghamton with 17 points and Troy Hailey added 16.

(10) Kentucky 73, Indiana 58: At Louisville, Ky., Patrick Sparks scored 16 points and the Wildcats (6-1) dominated the Hoosiers (2-4) inside en route to a victory. Chuck Hayes added 14 points and nine rebounds for Kentucky, which has won five straight games and 12 of the last 14 in its annual series against Indiana. Bracey Wright led Indiana with 31 points.

(11) Pittsburgh 84, Penn State 71: At State College, Pa., Carl Krauser scored a career-high 28 points and the Panthers held off the Nittany Lions (5-4), giving Pittsburgh its third 7-0 start in as many seasons. The Panthers beat the Nittany Lions for a fourth consecutive season in the intrastate series. Chevon Troutman and Antonio Graves scored 18 points each for Pittsburgh. Aaron Johnson had 17 points for Penn State.

(12) N.C. State 94, Liberty 60: At Raleigh, N.C., Julius Hodge had 27 points and finished an assist and a rebound short of the second triple-double of his career, and the Wolfpack (7-0) defeated the Flames (1-5). The Wolfpack matched their best start under ninth-year coach Herb Sendek. Larry Blair scored 22 points and was the only player in double figures for Liberty, which shot 40 percent from the field and made 14 turnovers.

(18) Alabama 75, Temple 71: At Tuscaloosa, Ala., Earnest Shelton scored 22 points, and the Crimson Tide (8-1) hit 6 of 10 free throws in the final 62 seconds to defeat the Owls (3-4). The Crimson Tide led by 12 points early in the second half. But the Owls, paced by Mark Tyndale’s 22 points and seven rebounds, rallied with seven 3-pointers in the first 13 minutes after the break. Jermareo Davidson had 16 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots for the Tide. Chuck Davis finished with 14 points and Ronald Steele had 12.

(21) George Washington 79, St. Francis, Pa. 65: At Loretto, Pa., Pops Mensah-Bonsu scored 17 points, and the Colonials (6-1) used a 20-2 run late in the first half to take control and earn a win over the Red Flash (4-3). Jason Osborne led St. Francis with a season-high 24 points, while Darshan Luckey added 18. J.R. Pinnock scored 16 points and T.J. Thompson 14 for George Washington.

(22) Mississippi St. 83, Arkansas-Little Rock 53: At Starkville, Miss., Lawrence Roberts scored 21 of his season-high 27 points in the first half to lead the Bulldogs (7-2) over the Trojans (4-4). Roberts scored the Bulldogs’ first 10 points, and keyed a 21-0 spurt late in the half which helped Mississippi State seize control against Arkansas-Little Rock. The Trojans received six points from leading scorer Brandon Freeman, nearly 10 less than his average. Zack Wright had 15 points.

Marquette 63, (24) Wisconsin 54: At Milwaukee, Travis Diener scored 29 points in leading the unbeaten Golden Eagles (9-0) past the Badgers (5-2). The Golden Eagles never trailed in beating their instate rivals for the second time in six tries under coach Tom Crean. Alando Tucker scored 13 points for the Badgers,.