No. 8 Florida routs SE Louisiana

Thursday, December 20, 2012

— Mike Rosario scored a season-high 20 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists as No. 8 Florida routed Southeastern Louisiana 82-43 on Wednesday night.

The Gators (8-1) bounced back from a loss at No. 4 Arizona four days earlier, winning their only home game over a 40-day span.

Rosario made 8 of 13 shots, including 4 of 8 from three-point range, and enjoyed his best game since transferring to Florida from Rutgers after the 2009-2010 season. It came on the heels of a 16-point night against the Wildcats.

It’s a big swing for a senior guard Coach Billy Donovan criticized earlier in the season. Donovan called Rosario soft before the season, and then ripped him for turnovers and a lack of defensive effort last month.

Rosario responded well against the Lions (1-8), who have lost five in a row. Rosario hit consecutive three-pointers late in the first half, turning an eight-point game into a 10-point lead. He followed with two more baskets, giving him 10 consecutive points.

Pat Young and Michael Frazier II were the only other Florida players with 10 or more points. Young had 10 points and 5 rebounds; Frazier had 12 points and 6 rebounds.

Scottie Wilbekin added 9 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for Florida. Casey Prather and Will Yeguete chipped in eight points each.

Brandon Fortenberry ledSoutheastern Louisiana with 15 points.

In other games involving top 25 teams, Seth Curry scored 20 points, Mason Plumlee added 18 and No. 1 Duke (10-0) reeled off 23 consecutive points in an 88-47 rout of Cornell (4-7) in Durham, N.C. ... Peyton Siva’s career highs of five three-pointers and 12 assists helped No. 5 Louisville (10-1) roll past Florida International 79-55 in Louisville, Ky. It was the first meeting between Cardinals Coach Rick Pitino and Richard Pitino, his son and Panthers counterpart. The younger Pitino, 30, served two stints as a Louisville assistant before taking over for Isiah Thomas at FIU (3-5) this season. ... Cody Zeller finished with 16 points and six rebounds, and Christian Watford added 15 points and eight rebounds, leading No. 6 Indiana to a 93-54 rout of Mount St. Mary’s in Bloomington, Ind.The Hoosiers (10-1) looked like a team ready to make amends four days after its first loss of the season. Mount St. Mary’s (4-5) was led by Rashad Whack with 17 points. ... Sean Kilpatrick scored 25 points and led a second-half surge that carried No. 11 Cincinnati (1--0) to a 60-45 victory over visiting Xavier (7-3), renewing their crosstown rivalry amicably one year after it was marred by a brawl. ... Jack Cooley scored 14 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to lead No. 22 Notre Dame (11-1) to an 85-57 victory over Kennesaw State (1-9) in South Bend, Ind. ... Avery Dingman had 14 of his career-high 21 points in the second half, and Doug McDermott overcame a slow start to score 16 in No. 17 Creighton’s 71-54 victory over Tulsa in Omaha, Neb. Gregory Echenique added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Bluejays (11-1), who won their fifth in a row. James Woodard had 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead Tulsa (6-5), which shot 38 percent and committed a season-high 25 turnovers. ... Forward Elias Harris had 11 points and a careerhigh six assists as No. 14 Gonzaga (11-1) cruised into the holiday break with a 74-52 victory over Campbell (3-8) in Spokane, Wash. ... Sheldon McClellanscored 18 points and struggling Texas upset No. 23 North Caorlina 85-67 in Austin, Texas. Julien Lewis added 16 points for the Longhorns (7-4), who are off to their worst start since Coach Rick Barnes’ first season in 1999 while playing without guard Myck Kabongo. Reggie Bullock led the Tar Heels (8-3) with 18 points and 13 rebounds. ... Kendall Williams tied a career high with 24 points, including nine during a first-half run that brought New Mexico back from a double-digit deficit, and the No. 16 Lobos beat rival New Mexico State for the second time in a week with a 68-63 victory in Las Cruces, N.M. Tony Snell added 11 points for New Mexico (12-0). Daniel Mullings scored 13 points to lead the Aggies (5-6). ... Markel Brown scored 17 points and Phil Forte added 13 to lead No. 24 Oklahoma State to a 69-44 victory over Texas-Arlington in Stillwater, Okla. Le’Bryan Nash and Marcus Smart had 10 points each for the Cowboys (9-1). Reserve Jamel Outler had 14 points and Kevin Butler 11 for the Mavericks (5-3).

SEC MEN South Carolina survives

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Lakeem Jackson scored a season-high 16 points to help South Carolina pull away late for a 74-69 victory over Appalachian State.

Appalachian State pulled within two points on a layup by Jay Canty with 21 seconds remaining, but Eric Smith connected on one free throw for the Gamecocks (7-3) and LaShay Page made two with 4 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

Jackson and Page combined for nine of South Carolina’s final 16 points, beginning with seven in a row to start a 9-0 run that broke open a tight game.

Tevin Baskin, Mike Neal and Canty each scored 16 points to lead the Mountaineers (2-8).

In another game involving a SEC team, Trevor Lacey scored 21 points and grabbed six rebounds to help Alabama (7-3) hold off Texas Tech (5-3) for a 66-62 victory in Lubbock, Texas.

SEC WOMEN

Gamecocks fall short

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Chiney Ogwumike had 21 points and 15 rebounds, Mikaela Ruef had a tiebreaking basket with 53 seconds left and No. 1 Stanford held on to beat No. 21 South Carolina 53-49.

The Cardinal (10-0) came cross-country to face the Gamecocks (10-1) and found themselves in a tough matchup. The game was tied 45-45 with 1:14 to go after Aleighsa Welch’s free throw. That’s when Ruef drove left and put up a shot that barely caught the rim and fell in for the lead.

South Carolina had a chance to tie on its next possession, but Ieasia Walker made just 1 of 2 free throws.Walker’s three-pointer with 3 seconds left drew the Gamecocks within 51-49, but that was as close as it would get.

Tami Kokenis had 15 points for Stanford, including six free throws in the final minute to maintain control.

In other Top 25 games involving SEC teams, Erika Ford scored 10 of her 13 points in a span of just more than 6 1/2 minutes midway through the first half to lead No. 6 Georgia (12-0) to a 72-59 victory over TCU (5-4) in Fort Worth. Anne Marie Armstrong and Jasmine Hassell added 14 points each for Georgia, while Natalie Ventress had 19 points to lead TCU, which had won five consecutive home games. ... Kelsey Bone scored 22 points, hitting 11 of her 13 shots, to lift No. 22 Texas A&M (7-3) to an 83-60 victory over Kansas State (7-2) as part of a three-day tournament in Las Vegas.

Sports, Pages 22 on 12/20/2012