Syracuse rallies by Rutgers; Sooners slips past Cowboys

Published 12:00 am Friday, January 28, 2005

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) - Terrence Roberts' three-point play with 7.2 seconds left capped No. 4 Syracuse's comeback from an 18-point halftime deficit and gave the Orange an 86-84 victory over Rutgers on Monday night.

The win wasn't secure until Quincy Douby's 3-point shot with just over a second left rolled around the rim and out at the buzzer. The Orange are the first Division I team to reach 20 victories this season.

It was the 13th consecutive win for Syracuse (20-1, 7-0 Big East) and gave coach Jim Boeheim 20 victories for the 27th time in his 29 seasons at his alma mater. He moved into a tie with Texas Tech's Bob Knight for second place among coaches with 20-win seasons, three behind former North Carolina coach Dean Smith.

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Gerry McNamara and Hakim Warrick each had 21 points for Syracuse. Ricky Shields had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Rutgers (7-9, 1-5), which has lost six of seven.

Rutgers led 54-36 after closing the first half with a 21-3 run.

No. 13 Oklahoma 67, No. 9 Oklahoma St. 57

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - Kevin Bookout scored 23 points and Taj Gray added 22 as Oklahoma exploited a weakness up front with its talented tandem and beat Oklahoma State.

The Sooners (16-2, 5-0 Big 12) gave back most of an early 17-point lead before taking over again in the second half and giving coach Kelvin Sampson his 250th win at Oklahoma.

Gray and Bookout scored the first 19 points for Oklahoma, and the big men were there with the game on the line, too.

After Oklahoma State (14-3, 4-2) pulled within 33-27, Bookout scored six points during a 10-0 run that put the Sooners back in control.

Ivan McFarlin finished with 16 points to lead Oklahoma State.

No. 25 Utah 63,

Air Force 51

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Andrew Bogut scored 25 points on 11-of-12 shooting to lift Utah over Air Force.

Utah (17-3, 5-0 Mountain West Conference) entered the Top 25 on Monday for the first time since being ranked for two weeks in 2002-03. The Utes, playing under first-year coach Ray Giacoletti, have won 12 straight since losing at Arizona on Dec. 11.

Bryant Markson and Mark Jackson each scored 11 points, and Jackson tied a career-high with 10 assists for the Utes, who shot a school-record 80 percent from the field (24-of-30) against the nation's No. 1 defense.

Utah's previous best shooting game was 73.7 percent against Air Force in 1987.

Nick Welch had 15 points to lead the Falcons (12-7, 3-1), who lost for just the second time in eight games.