| The Salisbury Post

Prep Basketball: Tournaments begin tonight

Monday, February 13, 2012 12:00 AM

By Mike London

mlondon@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY —For two Rowan teams, the NPC tournament, which opens tonight at a variety of venues, means distinction or extinction.

The NPC tourney offers a last chance for the fifth-seeded South Rowan girls and the sixth-seeded Carson boys. Both have to go 3-0 this week or call it a season.

The NPC tournament also is meaningful for the Carson girls, who tied North Iredell for first place, but lost a flip for the top tourney seed and the bye that went with it.

The Cougars could emerge from this affair as tournament champion and with a No. 1 seed for the state playoffs. They also could plummet to a No. 3 seed. That’s what could happen if someone unexpected — the dangerous West Rowan girls, for instance — wins the event.

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There are two NPC doubleheaders in the county tonight — at East and at West. They’ll start with girls games at 6 p.m. No kidding — NPC varsity basketball starting at a reasonable hour.

Doubleheader admission is $5 tonight. It will be bumped to $6 after the tournament moves to one site — Statesville — for the semifinals (Wednesday and Thursday) and championship games (Friday).

South’s boys are a solo act tonight at home at 6 p.m., while Carson’s girls are at home for a 6 p.m. tipoff.

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South’s girls (9-15) play at No. 4 seed East Rowan (8-14). East is much taller and won the regular-season meetings 51-37 and 58-45.

South’s Avery Locklear has broken South’s record for points by a freshman with 381.

East has qualified for the state playoffs unless South, West Iredell or Statesville wins the tournament.

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In the nightcap in Granite Quarry, Carson’s boys (7-17) will challenge the third-seeded Mustangs (13-9).

East has secured a playoff spot, and it beat Carson in two of three regular-season meetings. Carson won a memorable home game in overtime.

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West Rowan’s teams will host West Iredell’s clubs. Both WR teams have locked up state playoff berths. Both WR squads beat WI by double digits twice during the regular season.

West Rowan’s boys (14-10) are seeded second, while the West Rowan girls (12-12) are the No. 3 seed.

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If they’re still upset over losing to North Iredell, Carson’s girls (21-2) might set records against No. 7 seed Statesville. Carson won 85-27 and 71-16 in earlier meetings.

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South’s fourth-seeded boys (7-16) host No. 5 seed North Iredell. South won both regular-season matchups, mostly because Josh Medlin averaged 22.5 points per game against NI.

South is in the state playoffs unless North Iredell, Carson or West Iredell wins the tournament.

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In the first round of the YVC tournament, No. 5 seed North Rowan (9-13) makes another long trip to play No. 4 North Moore tonight.

North Rowan’s top-seeded boys (20-3) are at home against No. 8 seed South Stanly on Tuesday at 6 p.m. South Stanly can’t be overly thrilled with that pairing. North won 71-34 and 84-37 this season. North will try hard not to look ahead to a possible rematch with South Davidson in Friday’s title game. Semifinals and finals will be held at East Montgomery.

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Salisbury’s third-seeded boys (10-13) are at home at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. They open the CCC tournament against No. 6 East Davidson. Salisbury’s girls earned a first-round bye.

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Howard Platt and Bob Parker will call tonight’s West Rowan-West Iredell boys game and Tuesday’s East Davidson-Salisbury boys on WSTP-1490 AM.

ACC Basketball: Maryland couldn't outrebound the Plumlee family

Monday, February 13, 2012 12:00 AM

Associated Press

DURHAM — Maryland barely had more rebounds than the Plumlee family. The Terrapins also wound up playing some critical minutes without the Atlantic Coast Conference’s top scorer.

It all added up to a loss that first-year coach Mark Turgeon still insists wasn’t as lopsided as the final score indicated.

No. 10 Duke beat the Terps 73-55 on Saturday behind double-doubles from both Miles and Mason Plumlee.

Miles had 13 points and a career-high 22 rebounds — the most of any player in coach Mike Krzyzewski’s 37-year career. Mason had 16 points and 10 rebounds. They combined for 32 rebounds — or, one fewer than the entire Terrapins team.

“The Plumlee brothers were dominant,” Turgeon said. “Their big guys kicked our big guys’ tails.”

Nick Faust scored 15 points but Terrell Stoglin, the ACC’s leading scorer, finished with 13 — nine below his average — on 4-of-16 shooting with some questionable shot selection for the Terps (14-10, 4-6).

“They just weren’t going to let Terrell beat them,” Turgeon said. “That’s the reason (Krzyzewski) has won 900-something games. He’s not a dummy. They weren’t going to let Terrell beat them, and he can’t handle it, and then we get frustrated because he throws out of the double team, and guys aren’t making plays.”

Turgeon sat Stoglin with 10:04 remaining after he picked up his third foul, and without him, the Terps cut an 11-point deficit to four before he re-entered at the 8:28 mark. He checked out again with 6:24 to play and didn’t return until the 2:17 mark and Maryland was down by double figures for good.

“His shot selection wasn’t great. It was hurting us,” Turgeon said. “We cut it to four without him, so we took him out. We’ve got to learn from it. We can’t shoot shots like that and be a good team on the road. But he has carried us. ... So, it is just one game. Hopefully we will learn from it and be better (against Boston College) on Thursday.”

Playing their first game since starting point guard Pe’Shon Howard was lost for the season with a torn right knee ligament, they were just 1 of 14 from 3-point range, missing their first 10, and lost their third in four games.

Still, they kept themselves in it for much of the way. Faust’s jumper in the lane with 5 minutes left pulled Maryland to 60-53, but the Terrapins managed just one field goal the rest of the way.

Meanwhile, Austin Rivers countered with a free throw and a deep 3, Curry had a pretty drive down the lane and Miles Plumlee followed Curry’s missed jumper with an authoritative slam that made it 68-53 with 1:30 left.

“We played with energy, we played hard and when we do that, we’re going to play hard on offense and defense,” Miles Plumlee said. “It showed up in the little things. We got loose balls, offensive boards and we just put the game away.”

Mason Plumlee finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Miles had the most rebounds of any player in Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski’s 37-year career.

“And I told Miles, ‘I’ve coached some pretty good players,’” Krzyzewski quipped.

It was the first time both Plumlee brothers had double-doubles in the same game during their three seasons together at Duke. Their 32 combined rebounds were one fewer than the entire Maryland team.

Seth Curry scored 19 points to help the Blue Devils (21-4, 8-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) pull away. They followed up their last-second victory over rival North Carolina with their fifth straight victory in the series. Austin Rivers, whose buzzer-beating 3 gave Duke an 85-84 victory over the Tar Heels, finished with 11 points for the Blue Devils.

Mychal Parker added 12 points for Maryland.

The Associated Press

02/11/12 20:08

Prep Baseball: East gets in the first practice

Monday, February 13, 2012 12:00 AM

By Mike London

mlondon@salisburypost.com

GRANITE QUARRY — The thermometer late Sunday night read 29 degrees Fahrenheit, but East Rowan coach Brian Hightower was thinking baseball.

But then, Hightower is always thinking baseball.

Or maybe it’s brrrr-aseball at this shivery point in mid-February.

Many Mustangs spent Sunday afternoon involved in their standard paintball activities, but Hightower expected them to be at Staton Field well before midnight raring to go.

In all seriousness, the Mustangs took the field for an eight-inning intrasquad game this morning between midnight and 12:01 a.m.

“No, the weather’s not the best,” Hightower admitted. “But the wind is just 5 mph. No problem.”

Hightower has had Feb. 13 — the first official day of baseball practice permitted by the NCHSAA — circled on his calendar in red since May 19.

That’s because 2011 ended for East with a 2-1 3A playoff loss to Weddington on May 18.

Hightower’s not a fan of losing.

East was 19-8 last spring, a sturdy record that would have been cause for parades, cake and ice cream in many communities, but to Hightower it was a semi-disaster.

The five years before that, East had gone 20-9, 20-8, 29-5, 23-5 and 31-2 under his direction. The 31-2, as you probably recall, was a 3A state championship season.

“But we didn’t win a darn thing last year — well, except for the NPC and the NPC tournament,” Hightower said. “That’s not nearly good enough. We need to get back in the hunt for more than that.”

Justin Morris, Will Johnson, Luke Thomas, Will Sapp and Avery Rogers moved on to college, but Hightower still has elite first baseman Andy Austin, stud pitcher Bradley Robbins and returning regulars Nathan Fulbright, Chase Hathcock, Ashton Fleming, Jared Mathis and Wesley LeRoy. He also anticipates senior Roby Holmes having a breakout season.

“We don’t want anyone to outwork us, said Hightower, who said practice No. 2 would take place this afternoon at 3 p.m., about 12 hours after practice No. 1 concludes.

“Two practices the first day is a positive,” Hightower said cheerfully. “That should put us one practice ahead of everybody else.”

Staff report

Coming off their biggest win of the season, a stunning victory over previously unbeaten and second-ranked Concord, A.L. Brown’s boys open play in the SPC tournament tonight.

The third-seeded A.L. Brown boys (15-8) play at home at 6 p.m. against No. 6 seed Cox Mill, a team they split with during the regular season.

A.L. Brown’s fifth-seeded girls (12-11) are at No. 4 Northwest Cabarrus for a first-round game tonight.

A.L. Brown is the host for the semifinals and finals. Both boys semis will be on Tuesday, while the girls play on Wednesday.

Championship games will be played at Bullock Gym on Friday.

A.L. Brown’s boys have earned a state playoff berth, although they still could be the SPC’s No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 or even No. 5 seed depending on how the tournament unfolds.

A.L. Brown’s girls are in the 3A state playoffs unless one of the underdogs — Mount Pleasant, Central Cabarrus or Cox Mill — wins the tourney.

See Scoreboard for a host of tournament pairings and times in all the area leagues.

Davie County

The entire CPC basketball tournament will be conducted at Reagan High in Pfafftown.

Davie’s second-seeded boys (17-6) have a first-round bye and won’t play until Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The War Eagles will take on the winner of Monday’s Reagan-North Davidson contest.

The boys championship game is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

Davie’s sixth-seeded girls (3-20) play on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. against third-seeded North Davidson.

Area athletes: Cuthbertson returns home and shines

Monday, February 13, 2012 12:00 AM

By Mike London

mlondon@salisburypost.com

Area athletes update ...

Fayetteville State’s DaQuondra Cuthbertson (North Rowan) had 13 points and seven rebounds as Fayetteville State’s women pounded Livingstone 84-64 in CIAA action on Saturday.

Shi-Heria Shipp (Salisbury) had five rebounds for George Washington in Saturday’s 63-51 loss to Richmond.

Bubbles Phifer (Salisbury) scored 19 points for Tallahassee Community College in Saturday’s 60-48 loss to Chipola.

Phifer has had seven steals in a game three times this season.

Gardner-Webb’s Jessica Heilig (Salisbury) produced seven points and seven rebounds in a 65-55 loss to Winthrop on Saturday. Heilig pulled down six offensive boards.

UNC Asheville’s Katie Wise (South Rowan) connected on her only field goal attempt in Saturday’s 62-45 loss to Presbyterian.

Charlotte’s Ayanna Holmes (Salisbury) had eight points and four rebounds on Saturday, but the 49ers were thumped 81-3 by Duquesne.

Radford’s Ashia Holmes (Salisbury) had four points and five rebounds in a 55-43 win against Coastal Carolina on Saturday. Ayana Avery (West Rowan) added three points for the Highlanders.

Men’s basketball

Darius Moose (Carson) scored 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting as Brevard beat Mars Hill 96-91 on Saturday.

Moose had five rebounds and made just one turnover in 37 minutes.

Isaiah Cuthbertson (West) is averaging 5.2 points per game for Catawba Valley Community College, while Brandon Ford (North) is competing for high-powered Caldwell Community College. Caldwell scored 115 points on Thursday.

Kaleb Kimber (West) scored six points for Rio Grande in a loss to Lindsey Wilson on Saturday.

Pro basketball

Shamari Spears (Salisbury) scored 31 points in a recent offensive outburst for the London Lightning of the National Basketball League of Canada. Spears has averaged 22.3 per game in his last four outings.

Donte Minter (West) scored 13 points in just 15 minutes in his most recent outing in Holland.

Junior Hairston (West) had 17 points and 14 rebounds in his most recent game in Iceland.

Carlos Dixon (South) is averaging 16.4 points per game this season in Japan. Dixon scored 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting on Saturday.

Donald Rutherford (Catawba) is averaging 20.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and is one of the top scorers in Denmark’s pro league.

Rob Fields (Catawba) also is now playing in Denmark and averages 18.4 points per game.

Baseball

Wingate freshman Will Sapp (East Rowan) singled in a run and scored the winning run as the Bulldogs rallied to beat Mount Olive 6-5 on Saturday.

Sapp doubled in his first college at-bat and started his career 2-for-2.

Softball

Campbell’s Ericka Nesbitt (East) got her college career off to a great start by going 2-for-3 in each of her first three games, including one against N.C. State.

Erin Foster (West) went 2-for-4 in Western Carolina’s opening game, an 11-10 loss to Longwood.

Catcher Gina Loflin (West) will be back with the Union (Ky.) team this season after redshirting in 2011.

NBA: LeBron only No. 6 on least-liked list?

Monday, February 13, 2012 12:00 AM

By Jim Litke

Associated Press

Nineteen months after “The Decision” sent his personal stock plummeting, LeBron James is as desperate as ever to please and still clueless on how to go about it.

So maybe the only surprise about Forbes magazine’s latest list of most-disliked athletes is that James hasn’t demanded a recount. He came in at No. 6, a dozen percentage points behind co-leaders Michael Vick and Tiger Woods, both of whom polled 60 percent. Unlike either, James finds no slight too small to ignore and has so many public feuds running at any moment that it’s hard to keep track of them all. But something James said recently is true about every one of them:

“I’m an easy target; if someone wants to get a point across — just throw Lebron’s name in there. You could be watching cartoons with your kids and you don’t like it, you say, ‘Blame it on LeBron.’ If you go to the grocery store and they don’t have the milk that you like, you just say, ‘It’s LeBron’s fault.’ “

Fair point. And to be fair, he’s a model citizen as pro athletes go and all five guys who finished ahead of him on the list were guilty of actual sins:

Vick headed up a dogfighting ring and Woods ran a stable of girlfriends while pretending to be married. Jets receiver Plaxico Burress did jail time for shooting himself in the thigh, which at the time seemed like punishment enough. Lions tackle Ndamukong Suh, who four months earlier topped the Forbes’ poll of most-liked athletes, was on the fast track to becoming the NFL’s dirtiest player when he paused to stomp an opponent last season and earned a two-game suspension. Nets forward Kris Humphries married Kim Kardashian — if only for 72 hours. Even Kobe Bryant, who finished a notch below James at 45 percent, spent time in court defending himself against a rape charge that was later dropped.

Yet it’s James who winds up in the public dock all the time, and that’s because unlike everyone else on the list, he doesn’t know when to quit talking. On Jan. 30, he tweeted about Los Angeles’ Blake Griffin dunking thunderously over Oklahoma City’s Kendrick Perkins, then unwisely got into a back-and-forth skirmish with Perkins that still simmers, reminding the rest of us almost daily what’s so annoying about James.

“Dunk of the Year!” is how James began his tweet, “@blakegriffin just dunked on Kendrick Perkins so hard!!! Wow! I guess I’m No. 2 now. Move over (hash)6.”

Notice the not-so-subtle self-promotion, “I guess I’m No. 2 now,” plus James’ ever-more maddening habit of referring to himself in the third person, “Move over (hash)6.”

Perkins certainly did, cutting right to the quick in his response. “You don’t see Kobe tweeting,” he told Yahoo. “You don’t see Michael Jordan tweeting. If you’re an elite player, plays like that don’t excite you.”

Perkins knows that James is not just an ‘elite’ player; he knows James is probably the best player in the league at the moment. But the subtext of what Perkins said — that for all his talent, James still has zero championships compared to Bryant’s five rings and Jordan’s six — is indisputable. Larry Bird touched on both points earlier this week when he said in an interview that if he could play alongside anyone for a season, “It would have probably been more fun to play with LeBron, but if you want to win and win and win, it’s Kobe.”

After all these years, you would think the Kobe-versus-LeBron debate is one that James would avoid. He hasn’t.

“It’s simple, he has five rings and I have none so it’s easy to say that. If I had five rings and Kobe had none,” James said blithely, “it’d probably be the other way around.”

Until it is the other way around, James should pick his fights more carefully. Bryant spent much of his youth and most of his early NBA career mimicking everything Jordan did, from his maniacal work ethic and lack of conscience to the way Jordan walked and talked. Eventually, he figured out he was always going to suffer in the comparison. So he won and won and kept on winning until everybody else made the connection. Bryant is still far from being loved, as his No. 7 spot on the Forbes list proves, but he is universally feared by competitors and respected even by fans who don’t much like him. James has taken the opposite tack and run into so many headwinds, it’s hard to believe he hasn’t changed course by now.

Not long after “The Decision,” Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, a shrewd marketer in his own right, reckoned that James lost a billion dollars in brand equity. So naturally, LeBron doubled down. He starred in a Nike spot retracing his steps from high school and tweaking his growing legion of critics at every turn, asking over and over, “What should I do?” In hindsight, it was the beginning of a pattern.

All these squabbles later, the answer is the same now as it was then: Win a little and say even less until you do.

———

Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke@ap.org and follow him on Twitter.com/JimLitke.

The Associated Press

02/09/12 19:47

Area sports briefs: North jayvees 16-0 in YVC

Monday, February 13, 2012 12:00 AM

From staff reports

North Rowan’s jayvee boys basketball team beat North Moore on Friday to finish the season 16-0 in the YVC and 19-1 overall.

The only loss was to West Rowan.

Leading scorers for the Cavaliers were Mike Bost (12.6 points per game), Kasaun Coney (10.4), Shareef Walker (9.9), Mike Robinson (9.0) and Jareke Chambers (8.3).

Brian Lytton coached the team.

Sacred Heart hoops

Sacred Heart’s varsity boys won the consolation bracket of the CCISAA tournament played in Winston-Salem.

Sacred Heart (18-14) lost in a quarterfinal to eventual champ Hickory Christian 39-24. Reilly Gokey and Max Fisher scored seven points each, and Fisher and Walker Latimer had 10 rebounds each.

The Dolphins then defeated Reidsville’s Community Baptist 41-22, as all-tournament pick Latimer had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Gokey and Justin Boyd scored eight each, while Will Casmus and Arun Kelly-Rajan had six points and six rebounds each. Fisher contributed 7 boards.

Sacred Heart rallied to beat Concordia Lutheran 29-26. Gokey scored 12.

Kelly-Rajan and Latimer had six points and five steals apiece. Latimer had 10 rebounds, while Fisher, Gokey and Kelly-Rajan had five each.

Next weekend, the Dolphins will play in the 50th annual Shamrock Tournament in Charlotte, featuring 75 Catholic middle schools from the South.

College baseball

Catawba topped Shippensburg 2-1 on Sunday on Ethan Satterfield’s sac fly in the bottom of the ninth.

Ryan Bostian (South Rowan) doubled to start the ninth for the Indians (4-2) and advanced to third on a single by Julio Zubillaga (Carson). After an intentional walk filled the bases, Satterfield’s fly ball to deep left easily scored Bostian.

John Tuttle (A.L. Brown) pitched eight sharp innings. He allowed four hits and one run, while striking out seven.

Ross Whitley earned another save with a perfect ninth.

Bostian and Zubillaga had two hits each to lead the offense. n Pfeiffer’s baseball game with Barton that was scheduled for Sunday was postponed by cold temperatures.

College softball

Catawba’s hot softball team swept a doubleheader from UNC Pembroke on Sunday at Whitley Field.

The Indians (7-1) won 4-0 and 4-3.

Emily Huneycutt had two RBIs in the first game and Amanda Terry had three hits to back Brittany Murray’s five-hit shutout.

Kayla Myers’s two-run single helped Catawba rally in the nightcap. Selena Ashley was the winning pitcher. Huneycutt earned a save. Terry had three more hits, including a triple.

College track

Livingstone had three all-conference performers in the CIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships held over the weekend in Hampton, Va.

High Jumper B.J. Grant (South Rowan) tied for third, clearing 6 feet, 63/4 inches.

Justin Avery (West Rowan) was all-conference in the 200 meters. He was clocked in 22.11 seconds. Avery ran 22.00 in the prelim, the 12th-fastest time in D-II this season.

Avery also made the final in the 400. He finished fifth in 50.19 seconds after qualifying in 49.88.

Brittany Burton also made all-conference. She placed second in the women’s high jump with a leap of 5-33/4.

Quanera Hayes turned in NCAA-qualifying performances in the 200 and 400 dashes. Her 400 (55.79) was the fifth-fastest in D-II this season.

College commitments

East Rowan catcher Nathan Fulbright has committed to Guilford.

North Rowan linebacker Jake Becker is headed to Methodist.

Stories are upcoming.

NBA Roundup: Kobe lifts Lakers

Monday, February 13, 2012 12:00 AM

Associated Press

The NBA roundup ...

TORONTO — Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jumper with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto

Bryant, who scored 27 points, took an inbound pass from Metta World Peace and shot over the outstretched arms of James Johnson to deny the Raptors, who battled back after trailing by as many as 18.

Down 93-92, Toronto blew its best chance for a winning shot when Rasual Butler couldn’t inbound the ball and failed to call a timeout before 5 seconds had elapsed. Bryant made one of two from the line to put the Lakers up by two with 3.7 seconds left. Jose Calderon, who scored a career-high 30 points, inbounded to DeMar DeRozan for the final possession, but he airballed his potential tying shot at the buzzer.

Celtics 95, Bulls 91

BOSTON — Rajon Rondo recorded a triple-double with 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds to lead the Celtics over the Chicago Bulls, who were without star guard Derrick Rose.

Kevin Garnett added 13 points and 12 rebounds, reserve JaJuan Johnson had 12 points and Ray Allen 11 for the Celtics, who snapped a two-game skid. Rondo had season highs in both points and assists.

Wizards 98, Pistons 77

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — JaVale McGee had 22 points and eight rebounds, and John Wall dished out 14 assists as the Washington Wizards routed the Detroit Pistons.

Detroit entered on a season-best four-game winning streak, but saw it end when the Wizards went on a 22-2 run that spanned the third and fourth quarters.

Nick Young added 22 points for the Wizards. Greg Monroe had a game-high 27 for Detroit.

Heats 107, Hawks 87

ATLANTA — LeBron James scored 23 points, Dwyane Wade added 21 and the Miami Heat blew out the Atlanta Hawks after racing to a 22-point lead at halftime.

The Heat made a big statement in the Southeast Division against the second-place Hawks, leading by as many as 32 in what turned into nothing more than a showcase for Miami’s Big Three.

By halftime, Wade already had 21 points, James was rolling along with 14 points and nine rebounds, and Chris Bosh put a double-double in the books with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Warriors 106, Rockets 97

OAKLAND, Calif. — Monta Ellis had 33 points and seven assists, and David Lee added 15 points and 13 rebounds for Golden State.

Rookie reserve Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry had 14 points apiece and each made some big shots late to help the Warriors upset another top team.

Wonder boys home tonight

Monday, February 13, 2012 12:00 AM

Staff report

Coming off their biggest win of the season, a stunning victory over previously unbeaten and second-ranked Concord, A.L. Brown’s boys open play in the SPC tournament tonight.

The third-seeded A.L. Brown boys (15-8) play at home at 6 p.m. against No. 6 seed Cox Mill, a team they split with during the regular season.

A.L. Brown’s fifth-seeded girls (12-11) are at No. 4 Northwest Cabarrus for a first-round game tonight.

A.L. Brown is the host for the semifinals and finals. Both boys semis will be on Tuesday, while the girls play on Wednesday.

Championship games will be played at Bullock Gym on Friday.

A.L. Brown’s boys have earned a state playoff berth, although they still could be the SPC’s No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 or even No. 5 seed depending on how the tournament unfolds.

A.L. Brown’s girls are in the 3A state playoffs unless one of the underdogs — Mount Pleasant, Central Cabarrus or Cox Mill wins the tournament.

See Scoreboard for a host of tournament pairings and times in all the area leagues.

Davie County

The entire CPC basketball tournament will be conducted at Reagan High in Pfafftown.

Davie’s second-seeded boys (17-6) have a first-round bye and won’t play until Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The War Eagles will take on the winner of Monday’s Reagan-North Davidson contest.

The boys championship game is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

Davie’s sixth-seeded girls (3-20) play on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. against third-seeded North Davidson.

NHL Roundup: Red Wings match record

Monday, February 13, 2012 12:00 AM

Associated Press

The NHL roundup ...

DETROIT — The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen’s tiebreaking goal early in the third period.

The league mark was set by the Boston Bruins during the 1929-30 season and matched by Philadelphia in 1976. Detroit can break the record with a win Tuesday night over the Dallas Stars at Joe Louis Arena.

Rangers 3, Capitals 2

NEW YORK — Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie.

Blues 3, Sharks 0

ST. LOUIS — Alex Pietrangelo had two goals, David Perron also scored with a two-man advantage and Andy McDonald added an assist in his return from a concussion that sidelined him for 51 games.

Penguins 4, Lightning 2

PITTSBURGH — Evgeni Malkin continued his torrid play, scoring his 31st and 32nd goals of the season as Pittsburgh rallied past Tampa Bay.

Kings 4, Stars 2

DALLAS — Jordan Nolan and Dwight King each scored their first career goal and Los Angeles beat Dallas in a matchup of Western Conference playoff contenders.

Ducks 5, Blue Jackets 3

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Corey Perry scored three goals for his fifth career hat trick — and second against Columbus this season — to lead Anaheim. Ryan Getzlaf had three assists for the Ducks.

College Basketball Roundup: Hokies edge BC 66-65

Monday, February 13, 2012 12:00 AM

Associated Press

The college basketball roundup ...

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Dorian Finney-Smith scored 17 points, including a tip-in with 1.8 seconds left, to lift Virginia Tech past Boston College 66-65 on Sunday night.

After Virginia Tech (14-11, 3-7 ACC) called a timeout with 10.1 seconds remaining, Robert Brown launched a 3-pointer at the top of the key with 4 seconds left that bounced off the rim. Finney-Smith, though, tipped it in to give the Hokies a one-point lead.

Boston College (8-17, 3-8) then called a timeout for a final attempt. Lonnie Jackson took a long 3-pointer just inside of the halfcourt line that was off the mark, and Virginia Tech prevailed.

Ryan Anderson led Boston College with 17 points, and Jackson finished with 14. The Eagles shot a season-high 55.8 percent (24 of 43).

No. 12 Georgetown 71, St. John’s 61

WASHINGTON — Freshman Greg Whittington scored a career-high 12 points, and No. 12 Georgetown hit clutch 3-pointers down the stretch in a 71-61 win over St. John’s on Sunday.

Whittington, Jason Clark and Markel Starks all hit 3s in the final 6 minutes to counter the Red Storm’s momentum in a game in which Georgetown never trailed — but also never led by double digits until the final 5 seconds.

Nate Lubick finished with seven points, eight rebounds, five assists and a career-high four blocks for the Hoyas (19-5, 9-4), who shot 61 percent in the second half and moved into sole possession of fourth place in the Big East.

No. 22 Michigan 70, Illinois 61

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 15 points and Evan Smotrycz had 13 as Michigan stayed unbeaten at home.

Trey Burke added 14 points for the Wolverines (19-7, 9-4 Big Ten), but it was Smotrycz and Hardaway who provided a big lift by shaking off their shooting slumps in the first half. Hardaway entered the game shooting 19 percent from 3-point range in conference play. Smotrycz wasn’t much better at 24 percent, but they both went 2 for 2 from beyond the arc before halftime.

Brandon Paul had 21 points and Tyler Griffey added 18 for Illinois (16-9, 5-7).

Golf Roundup

Monday, February 13, 2012 12:00 AM

Associated Press

The golf roundup ...

MELBOURNE, Australia — Jessica Korda broke out her father’s trademark scissor-kick celebration Sunday when she won the Women’s Australian Open at Royal Melbourne for her first LPGA Tour title.

She decided against the cartwheels that her father, Petr, did when he won the 1998 Australian Open tennis title.

Maybe she was still dizzy following a topsy-turvy final day of the tournament.

After losing the lead with a late bogey run, the 18-year-old American fought back to take the last spot in an improbable six-player playoff, then won with a 25-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole.

“It is a really special place for my family,” Korda said. “For my first win, I honestly could not have thought of a better place.”

She closed with a 1-over 74 to finish at 3-under 289 in the first women’s professional event at Royal Melbourne, the difficult sand-belt layout that was the site of the 2011 Presidents Cup.

Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lincicome, Julieta Granada, So Yeon Ryu and Hee Kyung Seo also were in the playoff that matched the largest in LPGA Tour history.

Champions

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Corey Pavin made a 12-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to defeat Peter Senior and win the Allianz Championship for his first Champions Tour title Sunday at Broken Sound.

Both players shot a final-round 71 to finish tied at 11-under 205.

Senior forced the playoff with a birdie on the last hole of regulation, but his birdie try in the playoff stopped an inch short of the cup.

Golf: Mickelson wins at Pebble Beach

Monday, February 13, 2012 12:00 AM

By Doug Ferguson

Associated Press

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Phil Mickelson rallied from six shots behind to win for the fourth time at Pebble Beach, a final round made even more memorable by the guy in a red shirt who was among the first to congratulate him Sunday on the 18th green.

Turns out that Tiger Woods was just along for the ride.

Mickelson closed with an 8-under 64, beating Woods by 11 shots in a one-sided showdown at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

“I just feel very inspired when I play with him,” said Mickelson, who has posted the better score the past five times he has played alongside Woods in the final round.

“I love playing with him, and he brings out some of my best golf. I hope that he continues to play better, and better, and I hope that he and I have a chance to play together more in the final rounds.”

Woods, one shot out of the lead on the sixth hole after 54-hole leader Charlie Wi fell apart early, followed his first birdie of the final round with three straight bogeys, starting with a three-putt from 18 feet on the par-3 seventh.

It never got much better from there.

He finished a miserable day with another three-putt on the 18th for a 75, the only consolation coming from belief that he’s closer than ever to putting it all together.

“I didn’t hit it as bad as the score indicated, but I putted awful,” Woods said. “As good as I felt on the greens yesterday, I felt bad today. Anything I tried to do wasn’t working. Consequently, I made a ton of mistakes on the green.”

At least he got to watch a clinic.

Mickelson went from six shots behind to a two-shot lead on the par-5 sixth hole when he rolled in a 20-foot eagle putt, adjusting his read after watching Woods’ amateur partner — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo — miss from a similar line.

Woods holed a bunker shot for birdie on No. 12, but right when it looked like a two-shot swing that could give Woods some momentum, Mickelson made a 30-foot par putt. With Woods out of the way, Mickelson made a 40-foot par putt on the 15th hole to keep a three-shot cushion, and he was never challenged from there.

He wound up with a two-shot win over Wi, who four-putted for double bogey on the opening hole and never recovered.

Mickelson, who finished at 17-under 269, became only the ninth player in PGA Tour history with 40 career wins. This one was special for many reasons, and the thrashing he gave Woods was but a small part of it.

His wife, Amy, flew up for the weekend and gave him a pep talk Friday in the rain at Monterey Peninsula when Mickelson was going nowhere. He ran off five birdies, got back into the tournament and picked up a win he didn’t see coming.

As much as Woods talks about his game being close, Mickelson felt the same way. His last win was the Houston Open last April, and while he thought he was putting well, his scores didn’t reflect it.

“It’s one of the more emotional victories for me than I’ve had, and the reason is I’ve had some doubt these last couple of weeks, given the scores I’ve shot,” Mickelson said. “Having these great practice sessions, I started to wonder if I’m going to be able to bring it to the golf course. So this gives me a lot of confidence and erases the doubt.”

The last shred of doubt came on the 14th, a diabolical green that turn birdies into bogeys without caution. Woods hit a wedge that went down the side of the green, requiring two chips to get on the green. He made bogey.

Mickelson’s caddie, Jim “Bones” Mackay got in his hear.

“He erased all doubt and said, ‘Let’s get aggressive and make birdie, we need one more here,’” Mickelson said. “It just got me aggressive and into a positive frame of mind.”

He went at the flag and made birdie.

Wi, who started the final round with a three-shot lead, birdied his last two holes for a 72 and his fifth runner-up finish on tour. It was the third straight week that the winner began the final round at least six shots behind a 54-hole leader going for his first tour victory.

“I fought back and hung in there, because the four-putt on the first hole, I was really shook up pretty badly and my strokes were pretty iffy at best,” Wi said. “I hung in there all day. My time will come.”

The shocker, though, was how Woods fell apart.

He has been taking big strides with his game over the past few months, and he looked poised to break through after a 67 in the third round at Pebble Beach got him to within four shots of the lead.

Two weeks ago in his 2012 debut at Abu Dhabi, Woods was tied for the lead with unheralded Robert Rock going into the final round and didn’t break par, tying for third.

Davis Cup Tennis: U.S. completes rout

Monday, February 13, 2012 12:00 AM

Associated Press

FRIBOURG, Switzerland — The United States completed its 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the first round of the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning the closing singles matches.

Harrison made his Davis Cup debut, defeating Michael Lammer 7-6 (0), 7-6 (4) to extend the Americans’ lead to 4-0. Isner, who stunned Roger Federer in four sets Friday, then beat Marco Chuidinelli 6-3, 6-4 to give the U.S. its first sweep since a 2004 first-round series against Austria.

“It was really exciting to be out there,” Harrison said. “To be part of this week was a huge experience.”

The U.S. will play at France or Canada in the April 6-8 quarterfinals.

Harrison was selected by captain Jim Courier after the U.S. sealed its victory Saturday, when Mardy Fish and Mike Bryan beat Olympic doubles champions Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka. Federer and Fish had been scheduled to meet in Sunday’s first match.

Harrison, ranked 95th, dominated the first-set tiebreaker against the 251st-ranked Lammer with volley winners and strong serves, clinching it with a powerful passing shot.

Courier, a Davis Cup and four-time Grand Slam winner, suggested the 17th-ranked Isner is on the verge of a career breakthrough.

“I learned that John can beat anyone at any time, because no one has a chance if he plays the way he plays, and serves the way he serves, unless they play incredible defensive tennis,” Courier said.

Prep Track: Salisbury's Brown wins indoor high jump state title

Sunday, February 12, 2012 12:00 AM

By Mike London

mlondon@salisburypost.com

Salisbury senior William Brown recently signed to play linebacker for Fayetteville State, but the Broncos got an even better athlete than they figured on.

Brown won the state championship in the high jump in the 1A/2A/3A state indoor track meet in Chapel Hill on Saturday. He cleared 6 feet, 6 inches for the gold, matching his career-best on his pressure-packed, final leap.

Brown was runner-up in the event last winter, clearing 6-4, and coach David Johnson believed there was a good chance Brown could claim the state title, especially after he soared 6-6 to win a meet in Winston-Salem two weeks ago against a strong field.

“He beat the guys in Winston-Salem that he was going to have to beat to win the state,” Johnson said. “So he had a lot of confidence going to Chapel Hill.”

On Saturday, five competitors cleared the bar at 6-4, with Brown, Weddington’s Cole Finch, Union Pines’ Spencer Walden, Currituck’s Cody Aarestad and N.C. School of Science & Math’s Darrow Goff moving on to attempts at 6-6 at the Eddie Smith Indoor Arena.

“The pressure was on a little bit,” the 6-foot-2, 175-pound Brown said. “Because the guy from Weddington (Finch) was really jumping good.”

The misses piled up at 6-6.

Brown, the fourth competitor to jump, failed twice at that height, but on his third and final try, he was successful. He saw the faces of his competitors as he bounced back to his feet.

“There was a little shock there, like, ‘Hey, that’s it,’ ” Brown said.

But Finch, who had been the leader (fewest misses) going to the 6-6 height, still had to make his final try. Brown watched with his heart pounding.

“I actually could hear my heart beating,” Brown said. “And he almost made it. His leg barely clipped the bar.”

Johnson was thrilled at Brown’s victory. Brown is one of those guys easy to pull for because he does the job not only athletically but off the field and in the classroom.

“William’s got some God-given ability, but that ability also comes with a great attitude and a great work ethic,” Johnson said. “He’s put in the time and the effort, and he’s coachable. He listens when you tell him something, and he’s always looking for ways to get faster, stronger and better.”

As a Salisbury high jumper, Brown was a year behind super athlete and current UNC football player Darien Rankin, who had a personal best of 6-8.

“Darien was a mentor to William and he was always jumping a few inches higher, so William was in his shadow a little bit,” Johnson said. “But today, William showed the ability that he has. We expect big things from him outdoors this spring, not just in the high jump, but in the 400 and the 4x400. He’s versatile.”

Brown, who has the goal of topping 6-8 in the high jump this spring, earned a ring as a key member of Salisbury’s 2010 state championship football team, but Saturday was very special to him.

He went to Chapel Hill as Salisbury’s lone male representative — a one-man track team — and came home a winner.

“Winning in football was great — that was a lot of us pulling together,” Brown said. “But this is something I accomplished as an individual. I just feel really good right now. I feel like a champion.”

ACC Basketball: North Carolina 70, Virginia 52

Sunday, February 12, 2012 12:00 AM

By Aaron Beard

Associated Press

CHAPEL HILL — Tyler Zeller spent the two days after North Carolina’s last-second loss to its fiercest rival keeping a low profile in the back of class, not watching television and avoiding going out in public any more than necessary.

Getting back on the court against a ranked opponent turned out to be the best remedy for easing that pain.

The 7-foot senior had 25 points and nine rebounds to help the fifth-ranked Tar Heels beat No. 19 Virginia 70-52 on Saturday and regroup from their stunning loss to Duke.

Zeller had 23 points and 11 rebounds against the Blue Devils on Wednesday night. But his frustrating final minute included a pair of missed free throws, accidentally tipping a ball into the Duke basket on a rebound attempt and defending the game-winning 3-pointer by freshman Austin Rivers.

“I have a tendency to take a lot of losses hard, especially when you miss two free throws that could’ve won it,” Zeller said. “I tried to deal with it the best way possible. ... I felt bad. I think all of my teammates also felt bad, so it’s something where we were trying to bounce back as well as possible today.”

The Tar Heels (21-4, 8-2 ACC) used a 22-5 run to take control in the second half, with Zeller scoring seven during the spurt that pushed the Tar Heels to a 15-point lead with 61/2 minutes left.

The Cavaliers (19-5, 6-4) got no closer than 11 points again, with the Tar Heels avoiding any kind of repeat of blowing a double-digit lead in the final 21/2 minutes against the Blue Devils.

Zeller was 1 for 6 from the floor in the first nine minutes, but made 8 of 10 shots the rest of the game despite facing constant double teams from the stingy Virginia defense. He also kicked the ball out to set up Reggie Bullock’s 3-pointer — UNC’s only made 3 in 10 tries — near the end of the clinching run.

“When he wasn’t making shots, he was kicking it out to the open guys,” Virginia’s Joe Harris said. “Not a lot of posts can pass like he can. We were coming quick and that’s the pass we want him to make. But with his size and basketball sense, he was able to make the straight-line pass to the opposite wing — which makes it really tough for our defense to scramble back and get back on our guys.”

Zeller earned a standing ovation from fans when he came out with 1:42 left. It was as though everyone knew Zeller needed this day, from the teammates who took up for him after the past two games to whoever scribbled “Believe in Zeller” in chalk on a sidewalk outside the Smith Center.

“Z’s fine,” said John Henson, who had 10 points and 10 rebounds. “He took it a little rough, but it was a team thing and without him I don’t even think we would’ve been in that game to be honest.”

Coach Roy Williams said he talked with Zeller to try to cheer him up Thursday night.

“He’s a very sensitive kid,” Williams said. “It was tough on him. People were tough on him — very, very, very unfairly. ... He’s playing big-time basketball for us.”

Harrison Barnes added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Tar Heels, who shot just 35 percent. But they took a 52-32 rebounding advantage with 23 offensive boards. They scored 23 second-chance points, their best total in an ACC game this year.

Mike Scott scored 18 points to lead the Cavaliers and Jontel Evans added 12. Virginia shot 36 percent overall, but went six minutes without a basket during the 22-5 run and managed just eight field goals after halftime.

Compare that to the first 15 minutes, when Virginia shot 50 percent and twice built seven-point leads.

“I thought we got — soft’s not the right word — but we didn’t have the same kind of toughness and focus that was required and that we had early,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “We have to learn to play in that situation. We went cold, and that certainly affected us.”

North Carolina was short-handed for this one with freshman reserve P.J. Hairston out with a sore left foot. Freshman forward James Michael McAdoo played well in a larger role, finishing with nine points and seven rebounds off the bench in 18 minutes.

With the win, Williams earned his 664th career victory to tie UCLA’s John Wooden for 23rd place in Division I men’s basketball history.

ACC Basketball: Duke 73, Maryland 55

Sunday, February 12, 2012 12:00 AM

By David Ginsburg

Associated Press

DURHAM — Duke’s Plumlee brothers were double trouble — make that double-double trouble — for Maryland.

Miles Plumlee had 13 points and a career-high 22 rebounds and younger brother Mason also had a double-double in the 10th-ranked Blue Devils’ 73-55 victory over the Terrapins on Saturday.

Mason Plumlee finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Miles had the most rebounds of any player in Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski’s 37-year career.

“And I told Miles, ‘I’ve coached some pretty good players,’” Krzyzewski quipped.

It was the first time both Plumlee brothers had double-doubles in the same game during their three seasons together at Duke. Their 32 combined rebounds were one fewer than the entire Maryland team.

“The Plumlee brothers were dominant,” Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said. “Their big guys kicked our big guys’ tails.”

They built a 48-33 rebounding advantage but struggled to separate themselves on the scoreboard until they closed the game with a 13-2 run.

Still, they kept themselves in it for much of the way. Faust’s jumper in the lane with 5 minutes left pulled Maryland to 60-53, but the Terrapins managed just one field goal the rest of the way.

“We were able to get good stops and streak them together and make a run,” Curry said. “We kind of dominated, got the crowd into it and (pushed) the lead up.”

Rivers, whose buzzer-beating 3 gave Duke an 85-84 victory over the Tar Heels, finished with 11 points for the Blue Devils.

Mychal Parker added 12 points for Maryland.

Duke broke out its new gray uniforms — their manufacturer calls it “platinum” — with “Blue Devils” replacing the school’s name on the front and the years of their four national championships in barely visible stars along the back shoulders.

But for a while in this one, they looked like the same team that hasn’t played particularly well lately at Cameron.

Duke entered having lost two of its last three home games and the only win there in that stretch — a close victory over St. John’s — felt like a loss to Krzyzewski. Neither team led this one by more than seven points in the opening half, and Duke was up 32-29 at the break after starting 1-for-10 from the field.

“I felt that initially, today, they wanted it too much and they were into themselves a little bit more than being outward, and they finally kind of got outward,” Krzyzewski said. “That was easier to do (at UNC) because there were 25,000 people there against you and you have to be together and you have to talk or else you’re going to get annihilated.”

CIAA Basketball: Fayetteville State 83, Livingstone 80: Blue Bears lose 10th game by 5 points or less

Sunday, February 12, 2012 12:00 AM

By David Shaw

dshaw@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Livingstone’s Josh Hodge threw himself into his work Saturday night at Trent Gym — but his work threw him back.

A 6-foot-4 junior, Hodge had an automatic jump shot in the first half when he drained six 3-pointers and scored 22 points. But his accuracy betrayed him in the closing seconds when his 3-ball from the left side misfired, allowing Fayetteville State to escape with an 83-80 win.

“It’s heart-wrenching. It really is,” coach James Stinson said after LC (6-14, 2-10 CIAA) buried itself deeper in the Southern Division basement. “Sooner or later we’re gonna have to get on a roll and really play the way we’re capable of playing.”

The loss completed a 1-3 homestand and prevented the Blue Bears from evacuating last place. They actually played a solid game at both ends — forcing 20 turnovers and blocking eight shots on defense and shooting 51 percent (26-for-51) from the field.

“We played with a lot of energy at the end of the game,” guard Mark Thomas said, “The problem is we need to learn how to finish.”

Livingstone failed that test against FSU (6-14, 4-8). The visiting Broncos shot 52 percent from the floor (29-for-56) and nearly squandered an 8-point lead in the final minute-and-a-half.

“We’ve lost a few games like that,” said Fayetteville State coach Alphonza Kee. “And I think those losses helped us win this one tonight.”

Livingstone suffered its 10th loss by five or fewer points,but not before delighting the crowd with a dizzying first half. Hodge, a Hartford, Conn., native, hit four 3-pointers in the opening six minutes. He finished 6-for-12 from beyond the arc and scored a team-best 25 points.

“The point guards were penetrating and that left me wide open,” he said. “The easy part was knocking them down. The point guards did all the work.”

Only 1:38 remained in the first half when Hodge nailed his sixth long ball to give LC a five-point lead. And when teammate Tyler Johnson converted both ends of a one-and-one with 1:02 on the clock, the Blue Bears sat atop a 45-38 cushion. FSU cut it to four when freshman Anthony Shelton his a 3-pointer with three seconds left in the half.

“That changed the momentum,” Stinson said. “We had the ball right before that, but instead of pulling it out and using the clock, we took a shot we probably shouldn’t have.”

Shelton, who shot 7-for-9 from the field and scored a career-high 22 points, opened the second half with another home run ball. Later his botched jam fell through the hoop with 1:26 remaining, providing a 79-71 Broncos lead.

“We fought through some adversity,” he said. “We finally came out with some fire in the end and it paid off.”

Livingstone used three foul shots and a 3-pointer by Thomas to tie the score 80-80. Shelton won the game with a driving layup and ensuing free throw with 11.3 seconds to go.

“I’ve done that before in high school,” he said. “I like pressure. I did what needed to be done.”

When Hodge’s desperation shot clanked off the iron in the waning seconds, Livingstone was narrowly beaten again.

“Most of them are tough to walk away from,” Thomas said dejectedly. “This one too. We could have won a lot of games that we’ve lost.”

FAYETTEVILLE STATE (83) — Shelton 22, Evans 17, Donnell 11, Plummer 10, Tate 7, Best 7, Baxter 3, Underwood 2, Fields 2, Johnson 2.

LIVINGSTONE (80) — Hodge 25, M.Thomas 14, Austin 10, Henry 6, T.Johnson 6, Jackson 6, Redfern 5, D.Thomas 3, Ford-Bey 3, Anderson 2, Paul, Williams.

Fay. State 41 42 — 83

Livingstone 45 35 — 80

Area Sports Briefs: Catawba women win again

Sunday, February 12, 2012 12:00 AM

From staff reportsCatawba’s men’s basketball team had a tough day at Anderson on Saturday and lost 95-65.

Catawba (6-16, 3-11) got 21 points and 11 rebounds from Keon Moore and 17 points and 12 boards from Tyrece Little. Chris Watson contributed 12 points.

Denzail Jones scored 19 points for Anderson (18-4, 13-1) on 9-for-14 shooting.

Anderson shot 57 percent. Catawba turned it over 24 times.

Catawba plays at Lenoir-Rhyne on Wednesday night.

CATAWBA (65) — Moore 21, Little 17, Watson 12, Huntley 4, Martin 4, Thomson 3, Strickland 2, Tyree 2, Veshi, Tamer, Drakeford, Smogner.

ANDERSON (95) — D. Jones 19, Hash 13, Cobb 12, Trull 10, Shugart 10, McDowell 9, Lamb 8, Adekambi 5, M. Jones 4, Sledge 4, Daniel 1, McGowan.

Catawba 31 34 — 65

Anderson 48 47 — 95

n Catawba women roll on

Chloe Bully and Nisha Long had huge days as first-place Catawba won 78-66 at Anderson on Saturday afternoon. Catawba leads the SAC by two games.

Bully hit two 3-pointers to open the game and finished with 22 points. Long had 24 points and four assists. Dana Hicks added 15 points and eight rebounds.

The Indians (16-6, 11-3) shot 56 percent in the first half and topped that with sizzling, 60-percent shooting after the break.

Alissa Diaz scored 21 points for the Trojans (9-13, 6-8).

CATAWBA (78) — Long 24, Bully 22, Hicks 15, Connor 6, Merritt 6, Clay 3, May 1, Welfare 1, L. Lewis, Coleman, Sullivan.

ANDERSON (66) — Diaz 21, Shannon 17, Willoughby 11, Woods 7, Parris 3, Woods 3, Ahlin 2, Simpson 2, Moore.

Catawba 38 40 — 78

Anderson 29 37 — 66

n Catawba baseball

Catawba’s baseball team, ranked 30th in Division II, split a home doubleheader with Shippensburg on Saturday.

Pitcher J.J. Jankowski (2-0) controlled the opener, as the Indians won 6-4. He allowed one run and six hits in seven innings and fanned eight.

Ross Whitley got the Indians out of a major jam in the eighth and pitched the ninth for a save.

Ryan Bostian (South Rowan) led the Indians at the plate with a 4-for-5 effort. Craig Brooks had three hits, including a two-run single.

Catawba (3-2) was pounded 11-3 in the nightcap, as Shippensburg put up a seven-run fifth inning. Garrett Furr had two of Catawba’s 11 hits.

Nick Lomascolo (0-2) took the loss. He pitched five innings and allowed four runs.

Bostian is 9-for-19 so far. Justin Morris (East Rowan) has two hits in his first two college at-bats.

Catawba plays Shippensburg again today at noon. SAC play starts on Feb. 17 at Newman Park against Mars Hill.

n State track meets

North’s Rowan senior Teaunna Cuthbertson placed in two events in Saturday’s 1A/2A/3A indoor state track meet held in Chapel Hill.

Cuthbertson was second in the long jump with an effort of 17 feet, 73/4 inches and fourth in the 55 hurdles in a time of 8.92 seconds.n Carson sophomore Myquon Stout placed third in the shot put. His best effort was 49 feet, 53/4 inches.

n East Rowan’s Raykwon Torrence placed fifth in the long jump with an effort of 20-111/4.

n A.L. Brown’s Talvanisha Lawing was fifth in the 55 hurdles in 8.99.

Girls in the top 20 included:

n West’s Christa Landy, ninth in the 300 meters (43.13)

n Gray Stone’s Hunter Latimer, ninth in the 1000 meters (3:14.10)

n Salisbury’s Jaleesa Smoot, 10th in the 300 (42.94)

n East’s Kaisha Fisher, 10th in the shot put (30-73/4)

n Carson’s Shirley Marshall, 11th in the shot put (30-5)

n A.L. Brown’s Samara Tisdale, 12th in the shot put (30-1/2)

n Carson’s Jesse Troutman, 16th in the pole vault (9-0)

n A.L. Brown’s 4x800 relay team (Lexie Petty, Erika Neese, Briana Landis, Natalie Tresslar), 19th (11:00.29)

Boys in the top 20 included:

n North’s Khandler Kimber, eighth in the high jump (6-0)

n A.L. Brown’s 4x800 relay team (Robert Pinkston, Johnny Hodge, Max Chandler, Timmy Hall), eighth, (8:36.91)

n West Rowan’s Caleb Cranfield, ninth in the pole vault (12-6)

n Carson’s Jacob Fink, 10th in the 3200 (10:09.60)

n East’s Drew Miller, 11th in the pole vault (12-6)

n East’s Marshall Shank, 13th in the pole vault (12-0)

n East’s Casey Padgett, 14th in the shot put (41-11)

n A.L. Brown’s Jose Navarette, 15th in the 3200 (10:14.50)

n North’s Neegbeah Reeves, 16th in the 1600 (4:45.25)

n A.L. Brown’s 4x400 relay team (Pinkston, Hodge, Chandler, Hall), 16th, (3:44.26)

n East’s Brad Oden, 18th in the 3200 (10:17.73)

The Burlington Cummings girls and the Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons boys won team championships.

n In Saturday’s 4A state meet, Davie’s Anna McBride was the champion in the 3200 in a time of 11:04.51.

Davie’s Mekayla Boswell placed fourth in the high jump (5-2).

Davie’s 4x800 relay team of Kaitlyn Hutchins, Shelby Weatherman, Blakely Gantt and McBride was 14th (10:25.38).

Hutchins was 18th in the 500 (1:23.33).

Davie’s Tristan Jarvis was 20th in the boys 500 (1:09.68).

Southeast Guilford and Knightdale shared the boys state title, while Raleigh Wakefield won the girls championship.

n 4A swim meet

Providence (boys) and Hough (girls) won the 4A state swimming competition on Saturday.

Top performances by Davie were Bailey Folmar’s 12th in the 10 backstroke and Palmer Benson’s 14th in the 100 breaststroke.

n Wrestling championships

Scores from Saturday’s dual team state championship matches were:

1A: West Wilkes 50, Ayden-Grifton 13

2A: Piedmont 42, Croatan 22

3A: Hillsborough Orange 34, Southwestern Randolph 30

4A: Winston-Salem Parkland 36, Pinecrest 25

n Catawba lacrosse

Catawba’s lacrosse team routed Lees-McRae 29-5 on Saturday at Shuford Stadium.

The Indians broke the school record for goals, topping the old mark of 25 set in 1999 and tied in 2004. Seventeen different Indians scored. Braden Artem, Steven Ridolfo and Tom Cullop had three goals apiece.

n Catawba softball

Catawba’s softball team split a doubleheader with Lander in Greenwood, S.C., on Saturday.

Catawba (5-1) dropped the opener 6-1 but took the nightcap 4-1 behind the pitching of Emily Huneycutt and a two-run homer by Mollie Kovalcin.

n Pfeiffer baseball

Tusculum beat Pfeiffer 15-6 in a game played at Asheboro’s McCrary Park on Saturday. Lukas Graves hit a grand slam for the Pioneers.

n Pfeiffer basketball

Pfeiffer’s men’s basketball team lost to Erskine 79-74 on Saturday, despite 31 points by Danny Smith.

n Pfeiffer’s women lost to Erskine despite 31 points and 12 rebounds by Brittany Cox. Cox surpassed the 1,000-point milestone.

n Local golf

Mark Beymer made a hole-in-one at Rolling Hills Golf Club. It came on the par-3, 158-yard No. 7 hole. Witnessing the feat were Eric Faust, Frank Saunders and George Stillwell.

• North Hills is offering a community recreational basketball program for students enrolled in kindergarten through fifth grade. Students who are not currently playing on a school elementary team are eligible to play. Participants will be divided into teams by age groups. They will practice and play their games on Saturdays.

A registration fee of $75 includes the uniform and trophy. The registration deadline is Friday, Feb. 17. To register, pick up a registration form at the school and submit payment between 8-3 or request a registration form by email.

College Basketball: Top 25 Roundup

Sunday, February 12, 2012 12:00 AM

Associated Press

The Top 25 roundup ...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Doron Lamb hit a 3-pointer with 3:18 left to put No. 1 Kentucky ahead to stay, and the Wildcats took a big step toward a Southeastern Conference regular-season title by beating Vanderbilt 69-63 Saturday night for their 17th straight win.

Kentucky (25-1, 11-0) disrupted Vanderbilt with aggressive defense in the first half, and the Wildcats held off a furious charge in a sold-out and electric Memorial Gym by scoring the final eight points of the game. The young and talented Wildcats wound up holding off the experienced Vanderbilt squad that had been predicted to be their best challenge this season.

Lamb finished with 16 points, Anthony Davis added 15 points and seven blocks, Terrence Jones scored 14 and Marquis Teague had 13.

Vanderbilt (17-8, 6-4) led 63-61 with 4:08 to go on a bucket by Brad Tinsley. The Commodores didn't score again and snapped a four-game home winning streak over No. 1 teams. They missed a chance to pull into a tie with Florida for second in the SEC.

NO. 2 SYRACUSE 85, UCONN 67

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Scoop Jardine sparked a game-deciding rally with 3-pointers on consecutive possessions in the closing minutes, and No. 2 Syracuse beat Connecticut.

Jardine had a season-high 21 points as Syracuse (25-1, 12-1 Big East) earned its fifth consecutive win since suffering its only loss of the season at Notre Dame.

Connecticut trailed the entire second half but closed to 63-61 on a free throw by Tyler Olander with 6:26 to go.

Jardine then hit 3-pointers from the right side as the Orange closed the game with a 19-3 surge.

Jeremy Lamb scored 18 points for Connecticut (15-9, 5-7), which has lost six of seven.

The crowd of 33,430 was the largest of the season and fourth largest in Carrier Dome history.

NO. 11 MICHIGAN STATE 58, NO. 3 OHIO STATE 48

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Adreian Payne scored 15 points, Draymond Green had 12 and Michigan State snapped Ohio State's 39-game home winning streak.

The Spartans (20-5, 9-3) pulled into a tie with the Buckeyes (21-4, 9-3) for first place in the Big Ten.

Keith Appling had 14 points for Michigan State, which rode its smothering pressure to a 10-point halftime lead and never relented down the stretch. Payne finished 6 for 6 from the field and 3 for 4 on free throws.

Jared Sullinger had 17 points and 16 rebounds for Ohio State, but was 5 for 15 from the field. Aaron Craft added 15 points, but Deshaun Thomas and William Buford, averaging a combined 30 points, totaled just 12.

NO. 4 MISSOURI 72, NO. 6 BAYLOR 57

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Phil Pressey scored 19 points, making four of Missouri's season-best 14 3-pointers.

Sixth man Michael Dixon also had four 3-pointers and Marcus Denmon added three for Missouri (23-2, 10-2 Big 12).

Missouri is 14-0 at home.

Quincy Miller had 20 points and Perry Jones III had just four on 2-for-12 shooting for Baylor (21-4, 8-4).

NO. 7 KANSAS 81, OKLAHOMA STATE 66

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Jeff Withey and Thomas Robinson each logged impressive double-doubles for Kansas, which wasted a big chunk of a 29-point second-half cushion before pulling away for the victory.

Withey finished with 18 points and a career-best 20 rebounds, while Robinson burnished his player of the year credentials with 24 points and 14 boards for his 18th double-double of the season.

Tyshawn Taylor added 12 points, Elijah Johnson had 11 and Travis Releford 10 for the Jayhawks (20-5, 10-2 Big 12).

Markel Brown had 21 points and Keiton Page added 19 for the Cowboys (12-13, 5-7).

NO. 9 MURRAY STATE 82, AUSTIN PEAY 62

MURRAY, Ky. — Isaiah Canaan had 23 points and six assists as No. 9 Murray State bounced back from its first loss of the season to beat Austin Peay 82-62 on Saturday night.

Ivan Aska and Jewuan Long added 12 points for the Racers (24-1, 12-1 Ohio Valley Conference). On Thursday night, Murray State became the last team in Division I to lose this season when it fell to Tennessee State.

Alton Williams scored 15 points for the Governors (9-18, 6-7), who lost to Murray State 87-75 on Jan. 7.

Murray State posted its most-lopsided win over Austin Peay since 1999.

NO. 14 UNLV 65, NO. 13 SAN DIEGO STATE 63

LAS VEGAS — Mike Moser scored 19 points and made a key steal late that helped UNLV to the close victory.

The Runnin' Rebels (22-4, 6-2 Mountain West) forced three turnovers in the final 42 seconds to win.

Moser's steal and pass set up Anthony Marshall for the go-ahead layup. The Aztecs' Chase Tapley had made a 3-pointer to put San Diego State up by one with less than two minutes to play.

San Diego State (20-4, 6-2) didn't score again.

NO. 18 MARQUETTE 95, CINCINNATI 78

MILWAUKEE — Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder scored 23 points each, leading Marquette to the home win.

Jamil Wilson added 15 points for the Golden Eagles (21-5, 10-3 Big East), who have won nine of their last 10 games.

JaQuon Parker and Dion Dixon scored 15 points each for the Bearcats (17-8, 7-5), who had won two straight coming into Saturday's game.

NO. 24 LOUISVILLE 77, WEST VIRGINIA 74

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Kyle Kuric scored 17 points to lead five Louisville players in double figures.

Louisville (20-5, 8-4 Big East) scored 13 of the game's final 16 points to extend its winning streak to six games.

Russ Smith had 16 points for the Cardinals. Chris Smith and freshman Wayne Blackshear added 13 apiece and Peyton Siva scored 10.

Kevin Jones had 22 points and 11 rebounds for West Virginia (16-10, 6-7). Deniz Kilicli added 17 points and Darryl "Truck" Bryant scored 13.

NBA Roundup

Sunday, February 12, 2012 12:00 AM

Associated Press

The NBA roundup ...

MINNEAPOLIS — Jeremy Lin did it again.

Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.

Steve Novak scored 15 points, including the tying 3-pointer with 36 seconds to play and Lin used his quickness to draw a foul and get to the line in the closing seconds. He finished with 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

Lin had just five points on 1-for-13 shooting and four turnovers in the second half.

Kevin Love had 32 points and 21 rebounds for the Wolves, who missed two chances to win the game in the final 5 seconds.

The Knicks trailed by seven with 6:41 to play and it looked as if a week of Tebow-like hype was finally catching up to Lin. But the Wolves only scored one field goal the rest of the way, and the Knicks hung in.

CLIPPERS 111, BOBCATS 86

CHARLOTTE — Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan all had double-doubles after three quarters as the Los Angeles Clippers handed the dreadful Charlotte Bobcats yet another lopsided loss.

Paul toyed with the Bobcats, finishing with 18 points and 14 assists in only 28 minutes.

Griffin had 21 points and 10 rebounds and DeAndre Jordan had 11 points with 12 rebounds.

Kemba Walker had 19 points for the Bobcats, who've lost a franchise-record 14 straight and are on pace to match a dubious NBA record.

At 3-24, the Bobcats' winning percentage (.125) equals that of the NBA's all-time worst franchise, the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers finished 9-72. The Bobcats are on pace to finish this year's lockout-shortened 66-game schedule with eight wins.

SPURS 103, NETS 89

NEWARK, N.J. — Gary Neal scored 18 points, and Tim Duncan recorded his ninth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs won their seventh in the row.

Tony Parker added 12 points, DeJuan Blair finished 11, while Daniel Green and Thiago Splitter each had 10 for the Spurs.

76ERS 99, CAVALIERS 84

CLEVELAND — Jrue Holiday scored 20 points to lead six Philadelphia players in double figures as the 76ers rolled over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers.

NUGGETS 113, PACERS 109

INDIANAPOLIS — Ty Lawson scored 27 points to lead the Denver Nuggets over the Indiana Pacers, snapping the Nuggets' five-game losing streak with the win.

College Basketball Roundup

Sunday, February 12, 2012 12:00 AM

Associated Press

The college roundup ...

CHARLOTTE — Charlotte welcomed back more than 50 former players as part of Homecoming festivities on Saturday afternoon.

Then the 49ers gave everyone something to celebrate as they rolled to a 19-point first-half lead and went on to a 73-66 victory over Rhode Island.

Javarris Barnett scored 18 points, including 16 in the first half, and three other players scored in double figures as the 49ers (12-11, 4-6 Atlantic 10) won their second straight and further distanced themselves from a stretch when they lost six straight conference games.

Coach Alan Major dedicated the victory to the alumni, many of whom participated in an Alumni game earlier in the day.

"As excited as I am about the win, I think the most exciting thing was seeing those alumni out there running around before we played," Major said. "We told our guys before the game today was about honoring your history, honoring the guys who have fought and given us the opportunity to have what we have now as a program. All those guys were in the house and it was good to honor those guys with a W."

Barnett, a 6-7 senior who came into the game averaging 12.2 points, hit four 3-pointers in the first half as the 49ers pulled out to a 40-25 halftime lead. He had eight of his points in a 21-2 run early on which gave the 49ers a 28-9 lead.

Charlotte also got 14 points from Pierria Henry, 13 points from Jamar Briscoe, and 12 points, 10 rebounds and five rebounds from DeMario Mayfield.

Charlotte has won two straight, and should climb out of a tie for 11th place in the conference standings.

College of Charleston 86, Davidson 78

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Antwaine Wiggins scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead College of Charleston over Davidson 86-78 in a Southern Conference matchup on Saturday.

Four players scored in double figures for the Cougars (16-10, 9-7) as Nori Johnson had 17 points, Trent Wiedeman 16 and Andrew Lawrence 11.

De'Mon Brooks led the Wildcats (19-6, 13-2) with 25 points. Davidson shot 32 percent in the first half (8 of 25) and trailed 38-33 at halftime.

Chris Czerapowicz added 15 points, Jake Cohen 13 and Nik Cochran 12 for Davidson, which had won 12 of 13 coming in.

Wofford 66, App.State 64.

BOONE — Brad Loesing scored 16 points and Lee Skinner added 11 as Wofford survived a late rally to beat Appalachian State 66-64.

Appalachian State (10-15, 6-9 Southern Conference) rallied to cut the deficit to 59-58 after Tab Hamilton converted a four-point play but Skinner made two free throws and Loesing hit a 3-pointer to seal the win for Wofford.

Furman 80, WCU 66

GREENVILLLE, S.C. — Charlie Reddick scored 16 points and hot-shooting Furman (13-13, 7-8 Southern Conference) defeated Western Carolina 80-66.

Tawaski King scored 14 points and Harouna Mutombo chipped in with 13 for the Catamounts (10-17, 4-10), who have lost three in a row and seven of their past eight.

UNC-A 88, Radford 62

ASHEVILLE — Matt Dickey scored 22 points as UNC Asheville defeated Radford 88-62 to clinch the No. 1 seed for the Big South Conference tournament.

After Radford took an early 10-4 lead, a layup by Dickey started a 21-4 run for the Bulldogs (19-7, 14-1) that gave them a 25-14 lead with 9:49 remaining in the first half.

Marshall 78, East Carolina 68

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Damier Pitts scored 27 points and Marshall (15-10, 6-5) snapped a two-game losing streak, beating ECU.

East Carolina (12-12, 3-8 Conference USA) led 52-51 after Robert Sampson knocked down a 3-pointer with 10:17 left to play. But Marshall used an 11-0 run to jump ahead 62-52.

Miguel Paul and Sampson led East Carolina with 19 apiece.

VCU 68, Old Dominion 64

NORFOLK, Va. — Bradford Burgess scored 24 points and Darius Theus capped the go-ahead run to lead Virginia Commonwealth over Old Dominion 68-64.

The Rams (22-5, 13-2 CAA) trailed 61-58 with 1:01 left and scored eight straight over the next 45 seconds.

North Carolina A&T 85, South Carolina State 55

GREENSBORO — Nic Simpson scored 17 points, leading five North Carolina A&T (11-15, 6-5 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) players in double figures in an 85-55 rout of South Carolina State.

NHL Roundup

Sunday, February 12, 2012 12:00 AM

Associated Press

The NHL roundup ...

PHILADELPHIA — Ryan Callahan scored three goals and the New York Rangers beat Philadelphia 5-2 on Saturday for their seventh straight win over the Flyers.

Marian Gaborik and Artem Anisimov also had goals for the Eastern Conference-leading Rangers, who broke out of their power-play funk and improved to 5-0 against the Flyers this season.

Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds had Philadelphia's goals. The Flyers have lost four of five, and are losing their hold on fourth place in the East.

Henrik Lundqvist had 31 saves in the victory.

ISLANDERS 2, KINGS 1, OT

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Mark Streit's goal 1:36 into overtime lifted the New York Islanders over Los Angeles.

BRUINS 4, PREDATORS 3, SO

BOSTON — Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron scored shootout goals to lift Boston over Nashville.

Boston forced overtime when Milan Lucic scored a power-play goal with 67 seconds left in regulation after goalie Tim Thomas was pulled for an extra skater.

Daniel Paille and Bergeron also scored for the Bruins, who had lost seven of 12.

Thomas stopped 19 shots in regulation, and then turned aside Sergei Kostitsyn and Martin Erat in the shootout.

PANTHERS 3, DEVILS 1

NEWARK, N.J. — Scott Clemmensen stopped 27 shots against his former team, and Florida beat New Jersey.

Sean Bergenheim, Kris Versteeg and Mikael Samuelsson scored for the Panthers, who have won four of six. Florida stretched its Southeast Division-lead over Washington to two points with just its second road win in 12 games.

PENGUINS 8, JETS 5

PITTSBURGH — Evgeni Malkin added to his NHL-leading point total, scoring a goal and dishing out four assists as Pittsburgh rolled past Winnipeg.

OILERS 4, SENATORS 3, OT

OTTAWA — Taylor Hall scored 17 seconds into overtime, and Edmonton snapped a two-game losing streak by beating Ottawa.

LIGHTNING 2, SABRES 1

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Steven Stamkos had a goal and assist, and resurgent Tampa Bay beat Buffalo for its seventh win in 10 games.

CANADIENS 5, MAPLE LEAFS 0

TORONTO — Carey Price turned aside 32 shots, and Montreal hammered Toronto after the Maple Leafs retired the famous No. 13 of longtime former captain Mats Sundin.

Top 25 Basketball: Four unranked teams beat the unranked

Sunday, February 12, 2012 12:00 AM

Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. — Joe Ragland scored 24 points, Ben Smith matched his career high with 22 and Wichita State moved a step closer to the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship wth an 89-68 victory over No. 17 — and fading — Creighton.

Wichita State (22-4, 13-2) has won 12 of its last 13 games and 20 of 22. The Bluejays (21-5, 11-4) have lost three straight.

The Shockers won with limited help from 7-footer Garrett Stutz, who played only 13 minutes because of foul trouble and finished with eight points. They shot 59 percent from the floor, made eight 3-pointers and hit all 17 of their free throws. Ragland and Smith combined to go 17 for 24 from the floor.

Smith helped neutralize Creighton's Doug McDermott, who had 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting. Gregory Echenique led the Bluejays with 16 points.

PRINCETON 70, NO. 25 HARVARD

PRINCETON, N.J. — Ian Hummer had 20 points and Princeton beat No. 25 Harvard 70-62 on Saturday night, handing the Crimson their first Ivy League loss of the season.

T.J. Bray added 12 points for the Tigers (13-10, 4-3), who defeated the Crimson at home for the 24th straight time. Princeton has not lost to Harvard at Jadwin Gym since 1989.

Keith Wright had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Harvard (21-3, 7-1), which had won nine straight and was attempting to go 8-0 in the Ivy League for the first time.

TENNESSEE 75, NO. 8 FLORIDA 70

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Trae Golden scored 17 points, Jeronne Maymon added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Tennessee ended Florida's home-winning streak at 19.

Coming off a 20-point loss at top-ranked Kentucky and wearing gray uniforms to commemorate the program's back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007, Florida trailed by double digits early and never mustered anything resembling a comeback.

It didn't help that the Gators (19-6, 7-3 Southeastern Conference) played most of the game without their top two reserves, guard Mike Rosario and forward Will Yeguete.

Yeguete suffered a head injury early in the first half when he slammed into the padding at the base of the basket.

Skylar McBee had 13 points for Tennessee (13-12, 5-5), which swept the season series for the first time since 2009.

GEORGIA 70, NO. 20 MISSISSIPPI STATE 68, OT

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Georgia's Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 20 points, including a crucial 3-pointer late in overtime.

Georgia (12-12, 3-7) earned its first Southeastern Conference road win this season and only its second road victory overall. Gerald Robinson Jr. added 13 points, including eight in overtime. Dustin Ware had 11.

Mississippi State (19-6, 6-4) was led by Concord native Dee Bost's 21 points. The senior guard missed a jumper at the buzzer that would have tied it.

Georgia trailed for much of the game, but Robinson hit a driving layup with 27 seconds remaining that sent the game to overtime. Georgia won at Humphrey Coliseum for the first time since 2002.

ACC Basketball: Florida State 64, Miami 59

Sunday, February 12, 2012 12:00 AM

Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Bernard James got off to a miserable start. He made up for it with a terrific finish.

James scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half and No. 15 Florida State remained in the hunt for its first Atlantic Coast Conference championship with a 64-59 victory over Miami on Saturday.

“He’s a cool customer,” Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said of the 6-foot-10 James. “When we start executing better, it makes it easier for him.”

James, who is shooting 60 percent from the floor this season, missed four of his five attempts in the first half. But he went 7 for 8 from the field after the break and matched his career-high point total as the Seminoles ended Miami’s longest win streak in ACC play at five.

Michael Snaer had 12 points and Ian Miller finished with 11 for Florida State (17-7, 8-2), which bounced back from a disappointing 64-60 loss at Boston College on Wednesday.

The Seminoles, who began the day tied with Duke and North Carolina for first place in the league, have conference wins over the Tar Heels and Blue Devils among their league wins while their only ACC losses came at Clemson and Boston College.

“Hopefully we can be more consistent as we move through the rest of our season,” Hamilton said. “We bounced back today.”

Hamilton made some changes at halftime to try and give James a bit more operating room inside.

“We had a difficult time getting him going because of the defensive job that Reggie Johnson was doing,” Hamilton said.

ACC Basketball: Clemson 78, Wake Forest 58

Sunday, February 12, 2012 12:00 AM

Associated Press

WINSTON-SALEM — Just a few field goals were the difference in Clemson losing its last three ACC games.

No such problems Saturday, as Tanner Smith had 20 points and five assists to help the Tigers pull away for a 78-58 victory over Wake Forest.

Smith hit 8-of-9 from the field, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, as Clemson (12-12, 4-6) snapped a three-game losing streak by completing a season sweep.

“We just haven’t always executed like we needed to,” Smith said. “But when we get our offense clicking and make some stops, we can get things going. We can look at this game as a stepping stone for us, and hope that we can string some wins together because of it.”

The Tigers had lost their last three league games by a total of eight points — 65-61 at Virginia on Jan. 31, 67-64 at Virginia Tech on Feb. 4 and 64-62 to Maryland on Tuesday.

But Clemson had no such scoring problems on Saturday, as the Tigers used a 20-3 run over the first and second halves to end a challenge from Wake Forest (11-14, 2-9).

“We had one of those nights where we shot really well,” Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said. “Obviously that makes everything a lot easier.”

Milton Jennings added 15 points and Andre Young 12 for the Tigers, who ended an 18-game losing streak on the Demon Deacons’ home court.

C.J. Harris scored 18 points, Travis McKie had 13 and Nikita Mescheriakov added 12 for Wake Forest, which has now lost six straight ACC games — all by double digits — and nine of its last 10.

“Obviously, we are embarrassed,” Demon Deacons head coach Jeff Bzdelik said. “Yeah, we’ve gone through a tough stretch here, and our confidence has been rattled. But we need to rise above that and stay confident as best we can. That’s the challenge, no question.”

The Demon Deacons kept it close — eight lead changes, eight ties — by hitting 15 of 15 from the free throw line.

“I bet half of those weren’t on drives on the basket or fast breaks, it was just a little bit of undisciplined play,” Brownell said. “We cut some of that out and we made shots, and just played better.”

Wake Forest last led when two free throws by Chase Fischer with 2:23 left in the first half put the Demon Deacons ahead 36-34. But Clemson closed out the half with eight unanswered points for a 42-36 halftime lead, then opened the second half with a 12-3 run to push the Tigers’ lead into double digits.

“That was big,” said Smith, who hit a jumper and layup during the eight-point run. “It’s tough to watch the other team shoot free throws ... but we kept our composure and stayed focused, and did what we had to do.”

Clemson pulled ahead by as many as 23 points twice in the second half, the last at 76-53 on a Devin Booker free throw with 4:25 remaining.

After trailing by seven points in the opening minutes, Wake Forest rallied to take its first lead at 11-9 on a Harris jumper with 12:03 left. Four minutes later, Harris’ three-point play would kick off a 9-2 run that gave the Demon Deacons their biggest lead of the half, 26-19 with 6:10 remaining.

However, the Tigers rallied to tie the score at 26-26 on Jennings’ layup with 4:55 left. Clemson then swapped the lead with Wake Forest six times before closing out the half with the eight-point run.

“I was really proud of the guys,” Brownell said. “I told them at halftime that this could have been an issue where we hung our heads a little bit, and it could have been an issue where the game was slipping away. But the guys hung in and battled.”

The Associated Press

02/11/12 19:38