ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, December 31, 1996 TAG: 9612310097
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: COLLEGE BASKETBALL
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
Jacque Vaughn had plenty of time to ponder the stories of Kirby Puckett and David Cone as he sat out top-ranked Kansas' first 10 games with a serious wrist injury.
Vaughn, who keeps a taped interview of Puckett explaining how it felt when an eye ailment cost him his baseball career, made a triumphant return to basketball Monday night, helping Kansas to a 90-65 victory over Division II Washburn.
Vaughn will start for the first time Thursday against Brown after sophomore Ryan Robertson led the Jayhawks to an 11-0 record and the top ranking for the last five weeks in his place.
Robertson, who was leading the Big 12 with a 6.4 assist average, celebrated Vaughn's return by scoring 10 points, three off his career high.
LaFrentz and Paul Pierce each had 15 points to lead the Jayhawks.
In other games Monday:
Radford 64, East Tennessee State 59: Kevin Robinson scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Highlanders beat the Buccanneers in Johnson City, Tenn.
The Highlanders (6-5) never trailed as Anthony Walker, Eric Bowens and Eric Parker each added 10 points for Radford.
East Tennessee State (4-6) pulled within 31-29 just before intermission on a 3-point goal by Troy Seymour. But Radford opened the second half with a 14-6 run capped by a Mike Petin layup at the 16:10 mark for a 45-35 lead.
Florida International 91, VMI 63: The Keydets got 27 points and 10 rebounds from sophomore forward Brent Conley but little else from anyone else in a disappointing showing in Miami.
The Golden Panthers won for only the second time this season over a VMI team that shot 38.3 percent and had a season-high 30 turnovers.
Florida International (2-8) led 39-30 at halftime and began the second half with a 14-0 run. VMI (4-5) got no closer than 14 the rest of the game.
Pittsburgh 85, No.8 Michigan 78: Jason Maile was 5-of-6 from 3-point range and had 24 points to lead the Panthers to an upset victory over Michigan, the Wolverines' second loss in three games in the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii.
Michigan (9-2) lost its opener to Memphis and then beat Washington State in the consolation round.
Vonteego Cummings added 22 points for Pittsburgh (7-6), which held Michigan without a field goal for a seven-minute stretch in the first half.
Louis Bullock led the Wolverines, who entered the tournament undefeated and ranked fourth in the nation, with 23 points.
No.4 Iowa State 66, Texas-Pan American 42: Dedric Willoughby scored 18 points and Kelvin Cato blocked a school-record 11 shots as the Cyclones beat Texas-Pan American in Ames, Iowa.
Although sloppy at times and outrebounded by its shorter foe, Iowa State jumped to an 11-0 lead and was never in danger. The Cyclones (9-0) are off to the best start in school history.
No.5 Clemson 73, Marshall 57: Terrell McIntyre had 11 of his 14 points in the second half and Clemson beat Marshall in the Tigers' first game since cracking the top five, their highest ranking ever.
In a game at Clemson, McIntyre had three baskets, including two 3-pointers, as the Tigers (11-1) turned a one-point game into a 52-36 laugher and their seventh straight victory. The Tigers have won those games by an average of 21 points.
No.6 Cincinnati 80, Southwest Missouri St. 57: Sixth-ranked Cincinnati capitalized on guard Damon Flint's defensive game to beat Southwest Missouri State at the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic opener.
Flint turned three first-half steals into dunks as the Bearcats built a big lead.
Danny Fortson led Cincinnati with 19 points and eight rebounds. Flint and Paterson both finished with 12.
No.9 Arizona 93, Pennsylvania 51: Michael Dickerson scored 21 points and Jason Terry added 19 as the Wildcats beat Pennsylvania in Tucson, Ariz., for their 12th straight Fiesta Bowl Classic championship.
No.10 Villanova 87, UNC-Wilmington 38: The Wildcats (10-2) rolled to a victory over North Carolina-Wilmington with five players scoring in double figures. Tim Thomas and Alvin Williams each scored 14 points as Villanova dominated the smaller Seahawks (5-7) in Villanova, Pa.
No.13 Duke 104, Western Carolina 54: Greg Newton had 25 points and 10 rebounds in just 28 minutes Monday night to lead the Blue Devils to a victory over the Catamounts in Durham, N.C.
Ricky Price set the tempo for Duke (9-2) with four 3-pointers in the opening 5:09 and finished with 20 points. Three of the Catamounts' losses have been to ranked opponents - Cincinnati, Alabama and Duke.
Other men's games
Alexander Kuehl scored 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds Monday night as UNC-Charlotte notched a 76-59 victory over George Washington in Charlotte, N.C. Kuehl's Russian counterpart, GW center Alexander Koul, scored 13 to eclipse 1,000 career points. Jarrod West finished off Duquesne by scoring 12 consecutive West Virginia points to ignite a 25-2 run that led the Mountaineers past the Dukes 90-65, their seventh consecutive victory.
Shaheen Holloway and Levell Sanders each hit one of two free throws in the final 18 seconds to give host Seton Hall a 72-70 victory over Rhode Island in the fifth Seton Hall-Meadowland tournament in East Rutherford, N.J. Cedric Peoples scored 12 points and pulled downed 12 rebounds to lead host Florida Atlantic over Fordham 69-65 in Boca Raton, Fla.
Venson Hamilton scored on a dunk to break a tie at 56, and finished with 14 points as Nebraska survived a late scare by Old Dominion in a 72-66 victory at the San Juan Holiday Classic in Puerto Rico. Laurel Park graduate Odell Hudge had 21 points and Mike Byers 19 for ODU (7-3). Chatney Howard had 13 points, including four in a decisive second-half run as James Madison beat Maryland-Baltimore County 71-58 in Harrisonburg.
Women
Virginia Tech 58, Loyola, Md. 55: With their second consecutive victory, the Hokies captured the Diamond Club Classic at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg.
Freshman Kim Seaver, who finished with 18 points and tournament MVP honors, hit a jump shot in the lane with 22 seconds remaining to seal the final score. It was the fifth Diamond Club title in six years for the Hokies (4-5).
Loyola had the early lead in the game, but William Byrd graduate Sherry Banks kept the Hokies' deficit small with eight first half points.
Notes
EARL NO PEARL: Freshman standout Lester Earl missed LSU's 63-43 victory over Lafayette on Monday night after he told coach Dale Brown he wanted to quit the team.
Earl, a native of Baton Rouge, La., was averaging 9.3 points and 5.7 rebounds - the team's second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder.
The 6-foot-9 forward and former Parade All-American started six games and played in 11.
VCU DISMISSAL: Sarah Trayers, a starting guard for Virginia Commonwealth, has been dismissed from the team for violating athletic department policy, coach David Glass said Monday.
``It's one of those situations that because of their rights and confidentiality, I can't comment on it other than to say she violated athletic department rules,'' he said.
Trayers was dismissed over the weekend after meeting with Glass and other members of the athletic department.
The sophomore from Earlysville played in all nine of VCU's games this season, starting in eight of them. Trayers was averaging 5.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists.
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