COLLEGE BASKETBALL Wake Forest tops Memphis


November 17, 2003 at 12:00a.m.


Marquette also beat St. John's in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK -- Taron Downey, playing eight days after an emergency appendectomy, scored a career-high 20 points to lead No. 20 Wake Forest to an 85-76 victory over Memphis on Thursday night in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.
Downey hit three 3-pointers in a 3:15 span of the second half, the last two part of a 13-3 run that gave Wake Forest a 73-59.
Justin Gray added 12 points for Wake Forest, which won its 10th straight season opener. Eric Williams had 11 points and freshman Chris Paul, who started in Downey's place, added 10.
Rodney Carney had 19 points for Memphis.
No. 23 Marquette 52, St. John's 45
NEW YORK -- Travis Diener scored 18 points and No. 23 Marquette, despite not having a field goal over the final 4:20, beat St. John's in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.
Marquette shot 29.6 percent (16-for-54), while the Red Storm were 16-for-51 (31.4 percent). The Golden Eagles had 20 turnovers, two more than St. John's.
Diener was 3-for-11 from the field, including missing all five of his two-point attempts. He was 9-for-10 at the free throw, however, and that's where Marquette prevailed, going 14-for-16 compared to 11-for-22 for St. John's.
Grady Reynolds led St. John's with 11 points, while Kyle Cuffe had 10. The Red Storm were 2-for-12 from 3-point range.
EA Sports East All-Stars 80,Ohio St. 77, OT
COLUMBUS -- Greg Grays and Al Faux scored 22 points apiece to lead EA Sports, which erased a five-point deficit in the final 41 seconds of regulation, tying the score at 69 on Grays' 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining.
Terence Dials (Boardman) led the Buckeyes with 18 points and nine rebounds. J.J. Sullinger scored 17, Tony Stockman had 15 points -- all on 3-pointers -- and Matt Sylvester added 15 off the bench for Ohio State.
Sullinger missed the front end of a one-and-one with 15 seconds remaining, preventing Ohio State from extending its 69-66 lead. The Buckeyes made only nine of their 18 free throw attempts.