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News Nuggets, 01.23.05
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Deacons too tall of an order for Bearcats

CINCINNATI — Eric Williams knew it would come down to him.

Wake Forest's versatile center was two inches taller than anyone on Cincinnati's front line. With that advantage in mind, the Demon Deacons planned to spread out, get him the ball and let him score.

It only took a couple of shots for Williams to stop fretting.

The 6-foot-9 center scored a career-high 29 points, having his way with Cincinnati's front line, and No. 3 Wake Forest never trailed in a 74-70 victory Saturday over the 20th-ranked Bearcats.

``I felt nervous,'' Williams said. ``I knew the kind of players we were playing against today. They play so hard. I was putting a lot of pressure on myself. I was telling myself I can't let the team down coming off a loss.''

The Demon Deacons (16-2) rebounded from their overtime loss to Florida State by hitting their free throws down the stretch — something they didn't do against the Seminoles.

Taron Downey missed a free throw with 4 seconds left against Florida State, ending Wake Forest's NCAA record at 50 consecutive free throws made and sending it to overtime. He swished two free throws with 2 seconds left on Saturday to clinch the win, and Wake Forest made its last seven overall.

``We needed a game like this,'' coach Skip Prosser said.

The Bearcats (15-3) had their biggest weaknesses exposed as they lost at home to a ranked team for the second time in eight days. They also fell by three points against Louisville last Saturday.

Neither 6-foot-7 Jason Maxiell nor 6-foot-6 Eric Hicks — the power forwards who anchor Cincinnati's front line — could keep up with a taller player who shot over them once he got the ball.

``It was a gamble,'' Hicks said. ``By the time I got around him, he had it and would dunk.''

Chris Paul added 21 points for Wake Forest, which improved to 5-1 against ranked teams this season. Paul was 5-of-7 from behind the arc.

49ers shoot down No. 25 Golden Eagles

MILWAUKEE — Eddie Basden and his Charlotte teammates knew that Marquette would rally on its home court. The 49ers made sure it wasn't for a win.

Basden scored 23 points and Brendan Plavich added 20 to help Charlotte beat No. 25 Marquette 76-66 on Saturday. The 49ers blew a nine-point lead at halftime but finished the game on a 20-10 spurt to hold off the Golden Eagles.

``We knew they we're going to make a run, so going into halftime with the lead, we weren't comfortable with it,'' Basden said. ``We just kept fighting and didn't let this one slip away.''

The Golden Eagles scored 20 of the first 27 points after halftime to take a 51-47 advantage. Travis Diener's basket gave Marquette its first lead of the game at 48-47 and Steve Novak followed with a 3-pointer to cap the run with 12:51 remaining.

The teams battled back and forth until the 49ers pulled ahead 66-62 with 4:42 remaining, then closed the game on a 10-4 run.

``After they took the lead the crowd got into the game and it would've been easy to let this one get away,'' Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz said.

Curtis Withers had 17 points and 14 rebounds for the 49ers (13-3, 4-1 Conference USA), who rebounded from a loss to No. 20 Cincinnati on Wednesday that snapped the team's nine-game winning streak.

``They've got three guys that complement each other very well,'' Marquette coach Tom Crean said. ``Curtis Withers ... this was his best game of the year. Eddie is as a complete player as there is in our league. They're a very good team. We're still a good team, but we just hit a little slide here.''

Marquette (14-4, 2-3) has lost three of its last four games. Diener, playing with a sprained foot, had 15 points, seven assists and five rebounds to lead the Golden Eagles.

Dameon Mason added 14 points and Ryan Amoroso chipped in with 13 points for Marquette.

14th-ranked Cardinals surge away from Vols

LOUISVILLE — Locked in another tight game with Tennessee, No. 14 Louisville turned to its star.

And Francisco Garcia delivered, scoring 20 points and keying a 24-2 second-half spurt in an 85-62 victory Saturday.

``I'm always confident,'' said Garcia. ``I said, 'I need to step up and be the leader.' My teammates were looking for me.''

Garcia had seven points, two rebounds and two assists during the 9-minute run, which started with Louisville down 53-50.

``I knew we were going to come back. We play great at home,'' said Garcia, who finished with nine rebounds and four assists.

Larry O'Bannon scored 15 and Ellis Myles had 12 points and five rebounds after breaking his left thumb in Wednesday's 92-41 win over East Carolina.

The Cardinals (16-3) have won 10 of 11 games since a 60-58 loss to Kentucky on Dec. 18.

``We are playing better basketball,'' Louisville coach Rick Pitino said. ``We are doing the little things better, pressing better and pressing more intelligently.''

The game was the last of a four-game series between the teams. The Cardinals won the previous three by a total of seven points.

This one looked as if it was going down to the wire, too.

Neither team led by more than five until Garcia's 3-pointer from the wing with 8:02 left put the Cardinals up 62-55.

Otis George, in his second game back since recovering from a stress fracture in his right foot, had a dunk, two layups and an assist to Brandon Jenkins to send the lead into double digits.

``I've just got so much energy,'' George said. ``Sometimes, the coach tells me I have to slow down.''

Former ECU coach stepping down as USC AD

COLUMBIA — Mike McGee, South Carolina's athletic director since 1993, said last week that he will retire June 30.

University president Andrew Sorensen said he hopes to have a new AD in place early enough that the two can have some time to work together.

The 66-year-old McGee, the 1959 Outland Trophy winner as a Duke offensive lineman, also was the athletic director at Cincinnati and Southern California.

Before moving into athletics administration, McGee served stints as head football coach at East Carolina (1970) and Duke (1971-78).

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from Associated Press and other sources. Copyright 2005 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007 12:20 PM