Powell, Brown Assist Illinois Cruise Past Penn State

STATE COLLEGE, Pa., 18 February 2005 — Roger Powell, Jr. scored a game-high 21 points and Dee Brown added 19 points and 11 assists as top-ranked Illinois cruised to an 83-63 victory over Penn State at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Luther Head added 16 points for the Fighting Illini (26-0, 12-0 Big Ten), who are still the only undefeated team left in Division I basketball. Illinois also set a new record for the longest winning streak in school history. The previous mark of 25 was set over three seasons from Feb. 21, 1914 to Feb. 9, 1916.

Geary Claxton posted 19 points and was the lone scorer in double figures for the Nittany Lions (7-17, 1-10). Penn State has dropped six straight and 11 of its last 12 contests.

In Chapel Hill, N.C., Rashad McCants scored 23 points to lead fourth-ranked North Carolina to an 85-61 pounding of Virginia at the Smith Center.

Sean May added 17 points and 16 rebounds for the Tar Heels (21-3, 9-2 ACC), who have won two straight and seven of their last eight games. Jawad Williams chipped in 14 points and Raymond Felton had 12 in the victory for UNC. Gary Forbes paced the Cavaliers with 23 points. Elton Brown contributed 11 points in a losing cause for Virginia (13-10, 4-8), which saw its three-game winning streak come to an end.

In Chestnut Hill, Mass., Sean Marshall scored 22 points and Jared Dudley added 14 with 12 rebounds to lead No. 6 Boston College to a 74-64 victory over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Conte Forum. Craig Smith contributed 13 points and eight boards for Boston College (21-1, 10-1 Big East), which rebounded from its first loss of the season eight days ago at Notre Dame.

In East Lansing, Mich., Shannon Brown scored 18 points and Maurice Ager added 16 to lead No. 11 Michigan State to an 81-62 victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the Breslin Center. Paul Davis had 14 with 12 rebounds for the Spartans (18-4, 9-2 Big Ten), who have won 15 of their last 17 games.

In Tuscaloosa, Ala., Chuck Davis scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half to lead 16th-ranked Alabama to a 72-63 victory over Southeastern Conference rival Arkansas at Coleman Coliseum.

Earnest Shelton had 19 points and Kennedy Winston contributed 18 for the Crimson Tide (20-4, 9-2 SEC), who shot 54 percent from the field to earn their third straight win and ninth in 10 games. Davis made good on 7-of-9 field goal attempts.

In Stockton, Calif., Guillaume Yango scored 16 points and Christian Maraker added 14 as 19th-ranked Pacific pulled away for a 79-56 victory over Cal-Santa Barbara in a Big West match-up at the Alex G. Spanos Center.

Jasko Korajkic netted 12 points for the Tigers (21-2, 15-0 Big West), who broke open a close contest with a 16-0 second-half run to extend its winning streak to 17 games and clinch the Big West’s regular-season championship.

In Madison, Wis., Mike Wilkinson scored 22 points with nine rebounds to lead No. 20 Wisconsin to a 76-50 victory over the Michigan Wolverines at the Kohl Center. Zach Morley added 12 for the Badgers (17-6, 8-4 Big Ten). Alando Tucker and Ray Nixon each scored 10 for the Badgers, who have not lost two consecutive games this season. Wisconsin rebounded after losing to No. 1 Illinois, 70-59, on Saturday.

In Norman, Okla., Terrell Everett scored 18 points and Kevin Bookout added 12, leading No. 21 Oklahoma to an easy 83-60 victory over Nebraska at Lloyd Noble Center.

Jaison Williams and Drew Lavender collected 10 points apiece for the Sooners (18-6, 7-4 Big 12), who halted a season-high three-game losing streak.

Joe McCray scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Cornhuskers (11-11, 4-7), who have dropped seven of their last 10 games. Jake Muhleisen added 11 points in the loss.

In Raleigh, N.C., Tony Bethel and Ilian Evtimov each scored 17 points as North Carolina State routed 22nd-ranked Maryland, 82-63, in ACC action at the RBC Center.

Engin Atsur added 14 and Julius Hodge chipped in 13 for North Carolina State (15-10, 5-7 ACC), which has won two straight following a three-game slide.

In Charlotte, N.C., Curtis Withers scored 18 points, Eddie Basden added 15 and 23rd-ranked Charlotte held off DePaul, 66-62, at the Dale F. Halton Arena. E.J. Drayton contributed 12 points for Charlotte (18-4, 9-2 C- USA), which has won four straight overall and eight in a row at home. The win moved the 49ers into a tie atop of the Conference USA standings with idle Louisville.

In Cincinnati, Jason Maxiell scored a game-high 20 points, Eric Hicks added 18 with 12 rebounds and 24th-ranked Cincinnati routed Southern Mississippi, 83-51, in Conference USA action at Fifth Third Arena. Jihad Muhammad added 15 and Armein Kirkland chipped in nine for Cincinnati (19-6, 7-4 C-USA), which won for just the fourth time in its last eight but improved to 13-2 at home.