Saturday, November 24, 2007
No. 8 Indiana 70, Illinois State 57
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Freshman star Eric Gordon scored 31 points, the third time in four games he’s hit for at least 30, and No. 8 Indiana held off a second-half charge to beat Illinois State in the Chicago Invitational Challenge. The Hoosiers (4-0) have won their first four games for the first time since the 2002-03 team went 8-0. They will play Xavier in the final on Saturday night. Gordon scored 20 in the first half on 8-of-11 shooting. He had 11 straight Indiana points during one stretch to help the Hoosiers build a 38-28 halftime lead. Illinois State (3-1) gave Indiana its first real test in its first road game.
No. 15 Texas 102, New Mexico St. 87
NEWARK, N.J. — A.J. Abrams had career bests of 31 points and nine 3-pointers to lead No. 15 Texas to victory over New Mexico State in the semifinals in the StubHub! Legends Classic. D.J. Augustin added 25 points, Connor Atchley had 15 and the Longhorns (4-0) hit 16 3-pointers in a wide-open contest that paired schools that played a first-round game in the NCAA tournament in March. Jonathan Gibson had 21 points to lead New Mexico State (2-3) in the game at the new Prudential Center.
No. 17 Pittsburgh 92, Buffalo 45
PITTSBURGH — Sam Young started Pittsburgh on an early 22-point run with a one-handed dunk, a 3-pointer from the baseline, a blocked shot and a steal and the No. 17 Panthers rolled to victory over Buffalo. Buffalo (2-3), coming off a 17-point loss to Niagara, led 4-0 before being held scoreless for 6 minutes as Pitt surged to a 22-4 lead and went on to open a 28-point halftime lead.
No. 18 Kansas State 73,
Central Florida 71, OT
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Freshman Michael Beasley had 30 points, Jacob Pullen added 19 and No. 18 Kansas State beat Central Florida in overtime in the Old Spice Classic. The Wildcats (4-1) were coming off an 87-77 upset loss to George Mason on Thursday. Jermaine Taylor had 20 points, Dave Noel scored 15 and Mike O’Donnell added 14 for Central Florida (2-2), which forced overtime after overcoming a double-digit second-half deficit. UCF’s Chip Cartwright made one of two free throws with 6.6 seconds remaining to make it 73-71. Kansas State then escaped with the win when Noel’s running jumper bounced off the rim at the buzzer.
No. 19 S. Illinois 63, Mississippi St. 49
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Randal Falker scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half and No. 19 Southern Illinois beat Mississippi State in the Anaheim Classic on Friday. The Salukis (3-0) advanced to Sunday’s championship game, where they’ll play either Southern California or Miami of Ohio, which met later Friday. The teams take Saturday off. Falker helped Southern Illinois pull away in the second half after leading by four at the break. He scored 13 of their first 15 points, while the Bulldogs (3-2) struggled with turnovers.
No. 20 Villanova 84, George Mason 76
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Scottie Reynolds scored 21 points and No. 20 Villanova beat George Mason in the Old Spice Classic. Shane Clark and Malcolm Grant added 13 points each for Villanova (4-0), which advanced to Sunday’s championship game against North Carolina State. George Mason got 25 points from Folarin Campbell. The Patriots (4-1) were looking to open a season with five consecutive wins for the first time in school history.
No. 21 Syracuse 91, Washington 85
NEW YORK — Freshman Donte Greene scored 25 points and No. 21 Syracuse overcame some poor free-throw shooting over the final two minutes for a victory over Washington in the third-place game of the NIT Season Tip-Off. The Orange (4-1) were able to hold a double-figure lead for most of the second half thanks to their defense. Syracuse had 12 steals in forcing 21 turnovers and the Orange were able to convert many of those into easy transition baskets. Syracuse shot 51.9 percent from the field (27-for-52) coming off its worst shooting game of the season — 36.2 percent in the 79-65 semifinal loss to Ohio State at Madison Square Garden.
Florida St. 65, No. 25 Florida 51
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s young, rebuilt team was no match for Florida State’s athletic and experienced squad. Jason Rich had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Toney Douglas added 10 points and the Seminoles beat the 25th-ranked Gators. The two-time defending national champions had their 15-game winning streak snapped along with their school-record 24-game home winning streak. The Seminoles (5-2) dominated from the opening tip, taking a 25-9 lead and never letting the Gators (5-1) back in the game.
Associated Press