Dec. 31, 2008

BC Men's Basketball Defeats Sacred Heart, 89-76

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Sophomore guard Rakim Sanders scored a game-high 20 points and senior guard Tyrese Rice recorded 18 points to lead Boston College to an 89-76 win over Sacred Heart before 2,137 fans in Conte Forum.

Sanders and Rice received plenty of support. Sophomore center Josh Southern finished with 13 points and nine rebounds, while reserves Reggie Jackson and Tyler Roche registered 12 points and 10 points respectively.

Rice shot 10-for-12 from the foul line, marking the second time this season and the fifth time in his collegiate career that he'd made 10 or more free throws in a single game.

Miami Men's Basketball Storms Past North Florida, 94-41

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) -- Jack McClinton and Cyrus McGowan scored 17 points apiece as Miami beat North Florida 94-41 on Wednesday.

With those 17 points, including three three-pointers, McClinton overtook John Salmons for 17th place on Miami's all-time scoring list with 1,292 career points.

McGowan added 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season, while redshirt freshman Julian Gamble posted the first of his career with a career-high 13 points and 13 rebounds. It was the first time a pair of Hurricanes registered a double-double since Anthony King and Dwayne Collins managed the feat in a win over FIU on Nov. 11, 2006.

Smith's Career-High 31 Leads Pack Over Towson

RALEIGH, N.C. – When Wednesday’s afternoon game against Towson was not going well, NC State needed an injection of energy from the bench.

Down 11 points to the visiting Tigers six minutes into the game, the Wolfpack turned to sophomore center Tracy Smith, who turned out to be instant offense and instant energy against Towson’s zone defense.

Smith helped erase that deficit by scoring 12 consecutive points for the Pack during one stretch. He broke a 41-41 tie late in the first half with an inside shot, and State never trailed again.

Duke Handles Loyola 92-51

DURHAM, N.C. - Kyle Singler scored 20 points to help fifth-ranked Duke beat Loyola of Maryland 92-51 on Wednesday despite playing much of the game without starting point guard Nolan Smith.

Gerald Henderson added 19 points for the Blue Devils (11-1), who had no trouble winning their first game after an 11-day break for Christmas. But Duke lost Smith midway through the first half to an apparent left-knee injury, leaving the sophomore to spend most of the day sitting on the bench and wearing an ice bag on his knee.

Still, Duke had too much depth and size against the smaller Greyhounds (4-9), taking a double-digit lead in the first 6 minutes and never looking back. The Blue Devils shot 55 percent and scored 34 points off 24 turnovers to win extend their nonconference winning streak at Cameron Indoor Stadium to a national-best 66 games, a span of nearly nine years.

Tar Heels Win Thirteenth Straight With 84-61 Victory Over Nevada

RENO, Nev. (AP) - Tyler Hansbrough scored 22 points to lead top-ranked North Carolina to a 84-61 victory over Nevada on Wednesday night and keep the Tar Heels undefeated with a school-record 13th straight win by double figures.

Wayne Ellington added 15 points and Ty Lawson had 11 points and seven assists for North Carolina (13-0), which trailed early but put together a 10-1 run midway through the first half capped by Hansbrough's 3-pointer to take control of the game.

It marked the seventh straight 20-point game for Hansbrough, North Carolina's career scoring leader who also had three rebounds to move past Brad Daugherty into a tie with Mitch Kupchak for fifth on the school career rebounding list.