COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Jackson Answers UNLV’s Challenge

Chris Jackson liked the challenge.

Nevada Las Vegas went to a box-and-one defense, putting Greg Anthony on Jackson, and Jackson responded with 35 points, hitting from long range and opening the middle for Shaquille O’Neal, leading 16th-ranked Louisiana State to a 107-105 victory over No. 5 UNLV Sunday at Baton Rouge, La.

“It was tough,” Jackson said. “Anthony is a good player. He anticipated a lot of the things I wanted to do, and he denied me the ball.

“Coach (Dale) Brown told me to turn loose and do the things I like, so I started running the baseline and getting some open shots.”

LSU trailed, 76-70, with 12:24 to play, when Brown inserted a three-guard lineup, subbing Maurice Williamson for one of the forwards.

O’Neal hit two field goals to cut the deficit to two points, then Jackson and Williamson hit three three-pointers to give LSU an 83-79 lead with 8:20 to play.

LSU (14-4) hit 10 of 20 three-point shots, UNLV 14 of 33.

Jackson wound up making five of 10 from three-point range. Williamson had 26 and was four of eight on three-pointers. O’Neal had 17 points and 14 rebounds.

Anderson Hunt led UNLV with 31 points, six of those on three-point goals on his team’s final two possessions.

Larry Johnson had 27 points, and Davis Butler had 22 for UNLV.

UNLV (14-4) played without starting forward Stacey Augmon, suspended for one game by the NCAA for failing to pay some long-distance telephone bills charged to the school.

No. 8 Duke 88, No. 13 Georgia Tech 86--The Blue Devils got a lift from their bench as sophomore Brian Davis scored 16 points and grabbed five rebounds in 21 minutes, and freshman Thomas Hill had six points and four rebounds in 24 minutes at Durham, N.C.

Davis, who had scored 27 points all season, scored nine of the Blue Devils’ final 12 points, including the last five, as Duke overcame a 10-point deficit with 8:29 to play.

Georgia Tech’s Dennis Scott finished with 36 points, 15 on three-pointers. He was 15 of 21 from the field.

Duke (16-3, 6-1) won its fourth consecutive game and 13th of 14 as the Blue Devils remained in first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Georgia Tech (12-4, 2-4) lost its third in a row and fourth of six after starting the season 10-0.

It was another matchup of two of the nation’s top freshman point guards. Georgia Tech’s Kenny Anderson had 19 points and 12 assists, and Duke’s Bobby Hurley finished with eight points and 13 assists.

No. 21 Minnesota 108, No. 12 Indiana 89--Kevin Lynch scored nine of his 17 points during a 32-9 first-half run at Minneapolis as the Gophers beat the Hoosiers for the first time in 16 meetings.

Minnesota (14-4 overall and 5-3 in the Big Ten) last defeated the Hoosiers in 1982, including nine consecutive losses at Williams Arena since 1980.

Willie Burton led six Gophers in double figures with 22 points. Calbert Cheaney had 24 for Indiana (13-4, 3-4).

Virginia 71, Wake Forest 70--Bryant Stith scored a career-high 37 points and hit a jump shot from the baseline with one second left in overtime to give the Cavaliers (12-5, 2-4) an ACC victory over the Demon Deacons (7-11, 0-7) at Winston-Salem, N.C.

Temple 59, St. Bonaventure 46--Sophomore guard guard Michael Harden scored 17 points, including five three-pointers, to lead the Owls (10-7, 8-1) over the Bonnies (6-10, 2-6) in an Atlantic 10 game at Olean, N.Y.