ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, February 26, 1996 TAG: 9602260121
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: ROUNDUP
SOURCE: FROM STAFF AND ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTS
Ray Allen, the star who was allowed to play, scored 26 points Sunday to lead No.3 Connecticut to a 70-59 victory over No.4 Villanova, which played without suspended guard Kerry Kittles in Philadelphia.
The Huskies (25-2, 15-1 Big East) were coming off a 77-65 loss to Georgetown that ended their 23-game winning streak.
The Wildcats (23-4, 13-3) had won 10 straight, but this was the first of three games they will play without Kittles, suspended for unauthorized use of a school telephone credit card. The senior had been a real thorn in Connecticut's side, having averaged 26 points in the last meetings with the Huskies.
This was to have been Kittles' last home game. He needs just 13 points - seven less than his average - to become Villanova's career scoring leader.
Allen and backcourt mate Doron Sheffer came up big for the Huskies when the Wildcats closed to 36-34 with 16:54 left. Sheffer hit a 3-pointer, his first points of the game, to start a 9-0 run and Allen had two baskets in the stretch.
Villanova was able to pull to 47-41 and 49-43, but both times Travis Knight scored on tip-ins. The Wildcats were never closer than eight points the rest of the way.
Jason Lawson led Villanova with 14 points.
In other games:
No.6 Cincinnati 65, Tulane 63: Darnell Burton sank a 3-point basket from deep in the corner with two seconds left, leading the Bearcats past the Green Wave in New Orleans.
Cincinnati (21-3, 10-2 Conference USA) held off a Tulane second-half charge that saw the Green Wave erase a 10-point halftime deficit and lead by four with just over three minutes to play.
Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins left with just over 10 minutes remaining in the first half after picking up his second technical foul in two minutes for criticizing the officials.
Tulane (17-7, 8-4) outscored Cincinnati 12-2 over the first four minutes of the second half to tie it at 38. The Bearcats, after going 0-for-6 from the free-throw line in the first half, were 11-for-20 in the second half to stay close.
Damon Flint led Cincinnati with 14 points. LeVeldro Simmons had 14 points for Tulane.
No.7 Purdue 74, Indiana 72: Chad Austin's 3-pointer with 13.7 seconds left gave visiting Purdue a victory over the archrival Hoosiers as the Boilermakers overcame more than seven minutes without a field goal in the second half.
Purdue (23-4, 13-2 Big Ten) saw an 11-point lead evaporate during its scoring drought before recovering. The victory moved the Boilermakers one step closer to becoming the first team to win three consecutive Big Ten titles outright in three decades.
Indiana (15-11, 8-6) tied the game for the last time at 64-64 on two free throws by Charlie Miller.
Miller scored 18 for Indiana before fouling out with 3:06 to go and Indiana holding a 70-67 edge.
No.19 Memphis 57, No.21 Louisville 54: In Memphis, Tenn., Lorenzen Wright and Cedric Henderson scored 16 points each, and Wright grabbed 11 rebounds , leading the Tigers over the Cardinals.
Louisville (19-8, 10-3 Conference USA) had a chance to tie the game three times in the final 30 seconds, but DeJuan Wheat missed three long-range shots, including one at the horn.
The Tigers (20-5, 10-2) got their 32nd consecutive home win, the second-longest streak in the nation.
Tick Rogers led the Cardinals with 21 points.
No.23 Georgia Tech 92, N.C. State 83, OT: Stephon Marbury scored 25 points and took charge in overtime as the Yellow Jackets beat the Wolfpack in Atlanta for their 1,000th win.
Georgia Tech, which has 876 losses, won its fifth straight.
Tech (18-10, 11-3 ACC) took the conference lead when No.10 Wake Forest lost 67-49 to Virginia on Saturday night after both schools had been tied for first place.
North Carolina State (14-13, 3-11), tied it at 74 on a 3-pointer by Danny Strong with 22.4 seconds left in regulation.
Strong had a career-high 31 points for North Carolina State, including seven 3-pointers, tying his career best.
St.Joseph's 69, Fordham 58: Senior forward Reggie Townsend scored 16 points, giving him 1,000 for his career, as the Hawks (13-10, 8-6) rallied in the second half to defeat the Rams (3-22, 1-14) in an Atlantic 10 game in Philadelphia.
Saturday's games
No.8 Utah 74, Air Force 50: In Air Force Academy, Co., Keith Van Horn scored 23 points and the Utes used a second-half burst to beat the Falcons, clinching at least a share of their second straight Western Athletic Conference title.
Charlie Nelson and Matt Horin paced Air Force (5-20, 1-15) with eight points each. Utah is 22-5, 14-3.
No.13 Arizona 84, Oregon St. 60: In Tucson, Ariz., a three-point play by Ben Davis started the Wildcats on a 9-0 run in the first two minutes of the second half, and they went on to rout the Beavers.
Arizona (21-5, 10-4 Pac-10) beat Oregon State for the 13th straight time. Sonny Benjamin and Iyan Walker had 11 points each for Oregon State (3-21, 1-14).
No.24 Stanford 71, Washington 56: Andy Poppink had 21 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Cardinal over the Huskies in Stanford, Calif.
Stanford (17-7, 10-5) also got 13 points from Dion Cross. Washington (14-9, 7-7) got 14 points each from Todd MacCulloch and Mark Sanford.
Women, No.9 Virginia 77, Maryland 53: Tora Suber scored 26 points as the Cavaliers (22-5, 13-3) overpowered the Terrapins (13-13, 7-9) to clinch their sixth consecutive ACC regular-season title.
Mimi McKinney added 13 of her 20 points after halftime for UVa.
LENGTH: Long : 111 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. North Carolina State's Al Pinkins (left) puts up aby CNBshot over Georgia Tech's Eddie Elisma on Sunday in an ACC game in
Atlanta.