The Morning Dish – Friday, December 31st
Wolfpack Embarrassed at Garden: For St. John’s, the past two years have largely been forgettable. But last night could be a turning point for the Red Storm. St. John’s made a ranked opponent, North Carolina State, look downright silly. The Wolfpack scored only 10 points in the first half, shooting 13 percent from the field. The Wolfpack lost 63-45, shooting only 20 percent from the field. They made four more free throws than field goals. Darryl Hill led the Red Storm with 19 points to upset the Wolfpack and ruin the homecoming of New York-native and Wolfpack senior star Julius Hodge. Hodge finished with 19 points but made only 7-of-21 shots. No one else from North Carolina State reached double figures.
Missouri Cools Off Gonzaga: Fresh off a victory against another top five team, Gonzaga entered Missouri’s home court looking to knock off the struggling Tigers. But Missouri held the Bulldogs to 38 percent shooting from the field and upset Gonzaga 63-61. Senior forward Rony Turiaf missed an opportunity to tie the game with an ugly layup, followed by a innocuous desperation shot by sophomore guard Adam Morrison. Sophomore forward Jason Conley led the Tigers with 16 points and 13 rebounds. The Bulldogs have wins against Oklahoma State and Georgia Tech already this season.
Illini Playing Like Champions: Unlike other games in which Illinois shot lights out, the Illini needed to play excellent defense against Northwestern State. Although the Demons did not pose a serious threat to upset the undefeated Illini, Illinois shot only 41 percent from the field. The Demons were worse, however, making less than 36 percent of their shots. Senior guard Luther Head led four Illini in double figures with 18 points. Junior forward James Augustine tallied his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
ACC Elite Cruises: Wake Forest manhandled local creampuff North Carolina A&T, 98-76. The Demon Deacons sprinted to a 60-28 halftime lead and let the backups seal the deal. Junior guard Justin Gray scored 23 points in 22 minutes to lead the Demon Deacons. Meanwhile, fellow ACC heavyweight North Carolina scored 85 points or more for the sixth consecutive game, annihilating Cleveland State 107-64. The Tar Heels forced 31 turnovers, creating ample opportunity for the offense, which is firing on all cylinders. Junior forward Sean May led six Tar Heels in double figures with 16 points.
Syracuse Survives Pride: Syracuse handed Hofstra its first loss, but the Orange needed a late second-half rally to survive at home. The Pride drained 12 three pointers to keep things interesting, building a lead early in the second half after a 38-38 halftime tie. Syracuse relied on senior forward Hakim Warrick to guide the comeback. Warrick finished with 29 points, including several huge baskets with less than a minute remaining. Sophomore forward Terrence Roberts had a career-high 20 points as Hofstra had no answer for the Orange’s big men. Sophomore guard Antoine Agudio led Hofstra with 17 points.
Other Top 25 Teams Take Care of Business: Among the 11 Top 25 teams in action last night, Connecticut scored the most points, blistering Quinnipiac 123-71. The Huskies scored 67 points in the second half as eight Connecticut players scored in double figures, led by sophomore forward Josh Boone with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
• Arizona beat Richmond 84-71 to win the Fiesta Bowl Classic championship. The Wildcats were led by junior guard Chris Rodgers, who scored 20 points off the bench.
• Cincinnati remained undefeated with a 95-69 win against Division I-newcomer Longwood in the Las Vegas Holiday Classic. Senior forward Jason Maxiell had a dominating game with 30 points and nine rebounds.
• Louisville coach Rick Pitino returned to the sidelines after attending his mother’s funeral in New York, and the Cardinals beat Eastern Kentucky 78-63. The Colonels opened the second half with a 17-4 run to trim a 23-point halftime deficit to 10. But Louisville stretched the lead as junior forward Francisco Garcia scored 23 points for the Cardinals.
• Virginia Tech played Mississippi State as tough as possible, but senior forward Lawrence Roberts was unstoppable, leading the Bulldogs to a 71-65 win in Blacksburg, Va. Roberts finished with 25 points and 19 rebounds as the Bulldogs out-rebounded the Hokies by 20. With both teams shooting less than 43 percent, there were plenty of rebounds to collect.
Take Time Off: DePaul coach Dave Leitao and guard Sammy Mejia have agreed that the sophomore starter needs some time to take care of personal issues. Neither one explained the situation further. Mejia averages 12.9 points per game, the Blue Demons’ second leading scorer.
Bookout Misses Blowout: Oklahoma junior forward Kevin Bookout missed the Sooners’ romp last night against Florida A&M. Bookout sat out the 104-45 demolition because of a bruised nerve in his right elbow. Bookout is averaging 12.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for the Sooners, who did not miss his production against the overmatched Rattlers. Freshman forward Longar Longar started in Bookout’s place and had his best night as a Sooner, leading all scores with 27 points. The Sooners scorched the nets, shooting better than 61 percent from the field while holding the Rattlers to less than 29 percent.
Triple Threat: Northeastern freshman forward Shawn James set two records for the Huskies in a 76-61 win against Iona. James became the first player in school history to record a triple-double by scoring 17 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and swatting 11 shots. James set the single-game school record for blocked shots, too. James’ productive night helped the Huskies get back to .500 at 5-5. Although the win is nice, James’ individual performance will likely be one of the highlights of the year for Northeastern.
Grizzly Must Go to Class: Montana’s leading scorer and rebounder, senior forward Kamarr Davis, will be academically ineligible to play in at least the team’s next six games. Davis will attend a short academic session that starts Monday and runs through the end of January. If he succeeds, he could rejoin the team to play Sacramento State Jan. 22. In addition to losing Davis, sophomore Mike Chavez broke his jaw and will be out for at least five weeks.
Sobering Loss: Alabama State coach Rob Spivery was arrested early Thursday morning after El Paso police pulled him over for driving erratically. Police officials say Spivery failed a field sobriety test and refused to take a breath test. Spivery said he only had a drink or two at a reception following Alabama State’s loss to UTEP Wednesday night. School officials have not yet commented on the situation.
