LAS VEGAS, 1 January 2005 — Luther Head scored a game-high 18 points to lead top-ranked Illinois over Northwestern State, 69-51, in the Las Vegas Holiday Classic at Valley High School yesterday.
James Augustine added 12 points for the Fighting Illini (13-0), who are off to their best start since 1988-89 when the school began the season with 17 straight wins under coach Lou Henson.
Clifton Lee, Jermaine Spencer and Jermaine Wallace each netted seven points off the bench for the Demons (5-7), who dropped their fifth straight game on the heels of a five-game win streak. This was Northwestern State’s first-ever game against a top-ranked team.
In Chapel Hill, N.C., Sean May led a balanced attack with 16 points as fourth-ranked North Carolina routed Cleveland State, 107-64, in non-conference action at the Smith Center.
Raymond Felton, Melvin Scott and Jawad Williams each netted 13 points for North Carolina (11-1), which has won 11 straight after a season-opening loss to Santa Clara back on November 19.
Marvin Williams added 14 and Rashad McCants chipped in with 12 points for the Tar Heels, who shot 57 percent from the floor in the win.
Omari Westley paced Cleveland State (3-5) with 18 points. Modibo Niakate and Patrick Tatham each scored 10 points for the Bulldogs, who have dropped five in a row after starting the season with three straight wins.
In Winston-Salem, N.C., Justin Gray finished with a game-high 23 points to lead No. 5 Wake Forest to an easy 98-76 win over North Carolina A&T at Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
Eric Williams added 19 points and Chris Paul contributed 10 for the Demon Deacons (11-1), who have won six straight games and will begin ACC play on January 2 at Virginia. Gray, who scored 21 of the points in the first half, went 6-for-9 from the floor, including 5-for-7 from behind the 3-point arc, in the game.
Sean Booker netted 18 points and Demetrius Guions scored 14 for the Aggies (1-11), who have dropped seven straight contests.
In Syracuse, N.Y., Hakim Warrick scored a game-high 29 points, Terrence Roberts added 20 with nine rebounds, and No. 7 Syracuse survived a scare to defeat previously-unbeaten Hofstra 80-75 at the Carrier Dome.
Gerry McNamara collected 17 points and six assists for the Orange (13-1), who have won six straight since suffering their only loss of the season to Oklahoma State on December 7th.
Antoine Agudio scored 17 points to lead Hofstra. Carlos Rivera added 16 points and Loren Stokes had 15 for the Pride (9-1), who entered play as just one of 11 undefeated teams remaining in the country.
In Hartford, Conn., Josh Boone scored a career-high 22 points, Charlie Villanueva added 17 and 11th-ranked Connecticut pasted Quinnipiac, 123-71, at the Hartford Civic Center.
Rudy Gay netted 15 while Rashad Anderson and Antonio Kellogg each chipped in 12 for the Huskies (8-1), who shot 57 percent from the floor en route to their fourth straight win.
Boone has now scored at least 20 points for the fourth consecutive contest. He also grabbed 10 rebounds, enabling him to record his seventh double-double of the season, and the fourth in a row.
Rob Monroe paced the Bulldogs with 16 points. C.J. Vick added 12 points for Quinnipiac (4-5), which has dropped three in a row. The Bulldogs shot 37 percent from the floor, including 9-of-26 from beyond the arc in the setback.
In Columbia, Mo., Jason Conley scored 16 points with a game-high 13 rebounds, and Missouri held on for a 63-61 victory over No. 12 Gonzaga at Mizzou Arena.
Linas Kleiza added 11 points before fouling out, as the Tigers (7-5) rebounded from a loss to top-ranked Illinois to win for the fifth time in seven games.
J.P. Batista led Gonzaga (10-2) with a game-high 17 points and 10 rebounds. Adam Morrison added 12 points in the loss, Dereck Raivio scored 11 with five assists and Erroll Knight had 10 points.
Bulldogs center Ronny Turiaf, playing on an injured ankle, was just 2-of-15 from the field for six points. He missed a pair of free throws in the final seconds that would have tied the game, and followed with a missed jumper on Gonzaga’s final possession.
In Tucson, Ariz., Chris Rodgers tied a career high with 20 points to lead 14th-ranked Arizona to an 84-71 win over Richmond in the championship game of the Fiesta Bowl Classic at the McKale Center.
Ivan Radenovic added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats (10-2), who won their seventh in a row. Salim Stoudamire also netted 16 points in the victory.
Jamaal Scott scored 16 points to lead the Spiders (5-5), who have dropped five of their last seven.
In New York, Daryll Hill had 19 points to lead the St. John’s Red Storm to a shocking 63-45 victory over the 17th-ranked North Carolina State Wolfpack in the ECAC Classic championship game at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Hill averaged 21 points in the two games and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Eugene Lawrence added 10 points for the Red Storm (6-4), who scored the game’s first eight points and did not trail thereafter.
Julius Hodge came on late in the game and led the Wolfpack (10-2) with 19 points. Hodge, however, missed his first nine shots, and did not get his first field goal until his dunk with 11:13 to go.
In Louisville, Ky., Francisco Garcia scored a game-high 23 points to lead No. 19 Louisville to a 78-63 win over Eastern Kentucky in a non-conference matchup at Freedom Hall.
Juan Palacios added 15 for the Cardinals (10-2), who won their fourth straight game. Ellis Myles collected 10 points and 10 rebounds in the victory.
Michael Haney scored 22 for the Colonels (8-3), who have dropped two in a row after a three-game win streak. Eastern Kentucky was coming off a 98-49 loss at Florida on December 22.
In New Orleans, Lawrence Roberts scored 25 points and grabbed 19 rebounds, as 21st-ranked Mississippi State fought off the Virginia Tech Hokies, 71-65, at the Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic.
Marcus Campbell added a dozen for the Bulldogs (12-2), who have won six straight games to end the non-conference portion of their schedule.
Mississippi State was able to escape with the victory despite shooting just 39 percent from the field, including 2-of-12 from behind the arc.
Virginia Tech was paced by Carlos Dixon’s 19 points. Coleman Collins added 16 for the Hokies (6-5), who lost for the third time in four tries.
In Las Vegas, Jason Maxiell scored a game-high 30 points, Eric Hicks added 17 and 22nd-ranked Cincinnati pulled away in the second half to rout Longwood, 95-69, in the Las Vegas Holiday Classic at Valley High School.
Maxiell ended 10-of-14 from the floor and 10-of-14 from the line for the Bearcats (11-0), who have won 11 consecutive games to start the season for the second straight year. Jihad Muhammad added 15 for Cincinnati, which wraps up participation in the Las Vegas Holiday Classic against top-ranked Illinois on Friday night in a marque matchup.
