SYRACUSE, N.Y., 22 December 2004 — Hakim Warrick finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead seventh-ranked Syracuse to an 82-69 win over Cornell at the Carrier Dome.
Josh Pace and Terrence Roberts each scored 16 points for the Orange (10-1), who have won 28 straight in the series. Pace pulled down nine rebounds.
Cody Toppert scored 23 points for the Big Red (3-6), who have lost two straight and three of their last five games overall. Ryan Rourke and Will Scott each posted nine points.
In Starkville, Miss., Lawrence Roberts finished with 25 points, nine rebounds and three steals to lead 21st-ranked Mississippi State to a 104- 80 win over Florida A&M at the Humphrey Coliseum.
Winsome Frazier added 24 points for the Bulldogs (10-2), who have won three straight games. Shane Power contributed 18 points. Tony Tate scored 17 points for the Rattlers (2-6), who have lost two of their last three games. Darius Glover notched 15 points.
In Cincinnati, Eric Hicks scored 18 points and Roy Bright compiled 17 points and 11 rebounds as 22nd-ranked Cincinnati pounded Jackson State, 95-43, at Fifth Third Arena.
The Bearcats (8-0) used a smothering effort on defense to build a 30-point halftime lead and easily hand head coach Bob Huggins his 550th career victory. Jihad Muhammad made four three-point field goals in a 14-point performance for the Bearcats. Antonio Williams-Parker netted 12 points for Jackson State (3-8), which had won two straight and three of four after an 0-6 start to the year.
Meantime, Kansas power forward Wayne Simien will be out 4 to 6 weeks after undergoing surgery on his left thumb Monday evening. The preseason All-America was injured Saturday night in the second-ranked Jayhawks’ 64-60 victory over South Carolina. X-rays revealed the thumb on his non-shooting hand was severely sprained. Further testing showed there was ligament damage.
The 6-foot-9 senior has had an injury-marred career at Kansas. He missed 28 games for various injuries over his first three seasons.
Keeping his key player healthy was a top priority for Self going into the season. He had even cut back his practice time in hopes of easing him through an injury-free year.
``We all feel for Wayne, but after visiting with Wayne, his family and all the doctors who have seen him, I strongly encouraged Wayne to go through the procedure,’’ coach Bill Self said Monday night in a statement.
Earlier Monday, Self had told reporters he did not expect to know Simien’s status until Tuesday.
``We believe having Wayne at 100 percent the final two months of the season is far better than having him 60 to 70 percent,’’ he said in the statement.
Losing Simien weakens the Jayhawks considerably.
Self has been waiting for one of three freshmen to emerge and oust 6-8 walk-on Christian Moody and play alongside Simien. But 6-10 C.J. Giles, 6-8 Darnell Jackson and 6-11 Sasha Kaun have all been inconsistent and disappointing.
Self could decide to go with a small lineup that includes a fourth freshman, 6-7 Alex Galindo.
Giles leads the group, averaging 5.0 points and 3.3 rebounds.
``We could go a different mode and play small if we have to,’’ Self said. ``I’m confident they can do it. It’s amazing -- when opportunity knocks, usually somebody makes the most of it. Somebody usually steps up. ``
Kansas (7-0) plays Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Wednesday night in Kansas City’s Kemper Arena. The Jayhawks don’t play again until hosting No. 9 Georgia Tech on Jan. 1 in a rematch of one of the regional finals of last season’s NCAA tournament.
Simien had six double-doubles in seven games. He was averaging 17.4 points and 12 rebounds and was shooting 87.9 percent from the free throw line.
He was injured with 13:45 to play against South Carolina when he was fouled as took a shot. He went to the locker room, had the thumb taped and returned for the final few minutes. His dunk with 1:41 to play gave the Jayhawks the lead for good and he finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
``He couldn’t play another game the way he played the last 10 minutes and be effective,’’ Self said earlier Monday. ``That was adrenaline going on. When that all ran out of him he was a pretty sore cat.’’
