Gonzaga does it again

The Bulldogs beat a third-ranked team for the second time this season.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
OKLAHOMA CITY -- J.P. Batista came off the bench for a career-high 20 points, Adam Morrison scored 19 and No. 12 Gonzaga beat Oklahoma State 78-75 in its second upset of a third-ranked team this season.
Oklahoma State (9-1) pushed its way back into the game with a 21-8 run that John Lucas III capped with a 3-pointer from the left corner to make it 65-62 with 91/2 minutes to play. After a 9-2 run by Gonzaga, the Cowboys drew to within a point on two occasions but could not take the lead.
Batista, a junior college transfer, saw increased playing time as Bulldogs leading scorer Ronny Turiaf was limited by an ankle injury and foul trouble during the game.
Turiaf had 10 points in 18 minutes and Erroll Knight scored 11 for the Bulldogs, who are 2-1 against Top 5 teams this season. Gonzaga (10-1) beat then-No. 3 Georgia Tech 85-73 on Dec. 18 and lost to No. 1 Illinois 89-72 on Nov. 27.
Reserve Stephen Graham scored 22 points to lead the Cowboys, and Lucas had 19.
No. 4 North Carolina 96,N.C. Wilmington 75
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Jawad Williams scored a season-high 25 points and Sean May added 16 for North Carolina.
Raymond Felton finished with 12 points and 10 assists as the Tar Heels (10-1) won their 10th straight game.
No. 7 Syracuse 72, Albany 55
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Hakim Warrick had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Demetris Nichols returned to the lineup with 10 points.
Nichols, back after missing three games with a sore back, scored 10 points for the Orange (12-1). He had seven points in a 56-second span to give the Orange a 20-point lead.
No. 9 Georgia Tech 92,Lafayette 58
ATLANTA -- Freshman Anthony Morrow scored a career-high 20 points, including 11 in a late 27-3 surge by Georgia Tech.
Ra'Sean Dickey added 15 points for the Yellow Jackets (9-1). Tech was leading only 55-47 when Isma'il Muhammad dunked to begin the big spurt with 10:55 left.
No. 11 Connecticut 73,Sacred Heart 55
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Josh Boone had 20 points and 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season for Connecticut.
The 11th-ranked Huskies (7-1) trailed by 3 points at halftime but put together spurts of 12-1 and 14-0 after the break. UConn outscored Sacred Heart (1-8) 40-19 in the second half.
No. 14 Arizona 79,E. Washington 45
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Channing Frye had 16 points as Arizona advanced to the championship game of the Fiesta Bowl Classic.
The Wildcats will play Richmond, a winner over Butler, for the title Thursday night. Arizona is 38-1 in its holiday tournament. Hassan Adams had 13 points and four steals for the Wildcats (9-2).
No. 17 North Carolina St. 84,Columbia 74
NEW YORK -- Cameron Bennerman had a career-high 24 points and picked up the slack for foul-plagued Julius Hodge, leading North Carolina State in the Holiday Festival.
Bennerman had seven points in a 14-1 surge that gave the Wolfpack (10-1) a 73-59 lead with 4:17 to play. Hodge scored 22 points despite missing considerable time in the second half.
No. 24 Maryland 112, Liberty 68
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- John Gilchrist scored a season-high 29 points and Nik Caner-Medley had 20 as Maryland (8-2) reached 106-2 in non-conference home games since 1989-90.
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.