Charging call a game-changer

Sunday, February 23, 2014

DURHAM, N.C. - The rematch of one of college basketball’s best games of the season ended with Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim ejected after he charged onto the court to argue a block/charge call.

Rodney Hood scored 13 points and drew that game-changing charging call that helped No. 5 Duke beat No. 1 Syracuse 66-60 on Saturday night.

Freshman Jabari Parker had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Blue Devils (22-6, 11-4 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Jerami Grant had 17 points and C.J. Fair, the player who was called for the charge, finished with 13 for the Orange (25-2, 12-2).

The first meeting between these teams as ACC opponents was an overtime game considered an instant classic. The rematch was just as close but it will be remembered more for Boeheim’s exit with 10 seconds to play.

Syracuse had the ball down 60-58 when Fair drove for an apparent tying layup.

But official Tony Greene whistled Fair for charging - and Boeheim shot onto the court to argue. Greene slapped him with two technical fouls and ejected him.

Quinn Cook iced it by hitting three free throws with 10.4 seconds left to make it 63-58.

That helped the Blue Devils bounce back from a loss to hated rival North Carolina less than 48 hours earlier. It meant they avoided their first regular-season losing streak since 2009 and it extended their winning streak at Cameron Indoor Stadium to 31 games.

In other ACC games Saturday, Russ Smith’s 18-foot jumper with 2.2 seconds left gave No. 11 Louisville a 58-57 victory over No. 7 Cincinnati, the Cardinals’ sixth consecutive victory and 10th in 11 games. … Rion Brown scored 22 points to lead Miami to a 69-42 victory over Boston College, three days after the Eagles’ upset victory against No. 1 Syracuse. … Leslie McDonald scored 19 points to help North Carolina beat Wake Forest 105-72. … K.J. McDaniel scored 10 of his 16 points in the second half, when Clemson overcame a six-point deficit to win 63-55 at Georgia Tech. … T.J. Warren scored 31 points to lead NC State to a 71-64 victory over Virginia Tech.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC Louisville survives

CINCINNATI - Russ Smith’s 18-foot jumper with 2.2 seconds left gave No. 11 Louisville a 58-57 victory over No. 7 Cincinnati on Saturday, the Cardinals’ sixth consecutive victory.

Louisville (23-4, 12-2 American Athletic Conference) started the winning streak after a last-second 69-66 home loss to the Bearcats (24-4, 13-2) three weeks ago.

Cincinnati fought back from a 10-point second-half deficit to take a 55-52 lead with 90 seconds remaining in the game. Freshman Troy Caupain made two free throws with 12 seconds left to give the Bearcats a 57-56 lead.

Montrezl Harrell, who was 5 of 12 from the free throw line, led the Cardinals with 21 points and Smith finished with 10 on 3-of-10 shooting.

Sean Kilpatrick had 28 points for the Bearcats, who had won 19 consecutive games at home.

In another AAC game Saturday, Danuel House had 18 points, including 8 of 8 from the line, as Houston held on for an 88-84 victory over Central Florida. ... Austin Nichols had 17 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks as No. 22 Memphis beat Temple 82-79 in overtime.

BIG EAST Villanova wins at home

PHILADELPHIA - Darrun Hilliard scored 18 points and Ryan Arcidiacono had 12 for Villanova as it topped St. John’s 57-54.

It was the second consecutive victory for Villanova (24-3, 12-2 Big East) since losing to No. 11 Creighton for a second time.

D’Angelo Harrison had 15 points for St. John’s (18-10, 8-7), Rysheed Jordan scored 13 and JaKarr Sampson had 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Red Storm’s six-game winning streak ended.

Arcidiacono hit a three-pointer from the top of the circle to give Villanova a 53-50 lead with 3:43 left.

In other Big East games Saturday, Markel Starks scored 22 points and guided an efficient Georgetown offense, which shot 52 percent from the floor, as the Hoyas beat Xavier 74-52. … Davante Gardner scored seven of his 22 points in overtime and Marquette held on for a 96-94 victory over DePaul.

Sports, Pages 31 on 02/23/2014