Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The Associated Press
SPOKANE, Wash. - Elias Harris had 20 points and nine rebounds as No. 2 Gonzaga beat Portland 81-52 on Saturday to stake a claim to its first-ever No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press' Top 25.
Kelly Olynyk added 15 points and 11 rebounds for Gonzaga (29-2, 16-0 West Coast), which had already clinched the West Coast Conference regular-season title and the top seed in next weekend's tournament. Gary Bell Jr. added 14 points.
Gonzaga, winner of 12 consecutive games since a last-second loss at Butler, has escaped the losses that have afflicted other teams at or near the top of the poll in recent weeks. That included a loss by top-ranked Indiana to Minnesota earlier this week that opened the door for the Bulldogs.
The Zags have never been ranked higher than their current No. 2 position. But because of their lightly regarded conference schedule, there is a chance a lower team could leapfrog them in the poll.
Gonzaga's only other loss was at home to Illinois in December.
(1) INDIANA 73, IOWA 60: Cody Zeller overcame a sluggish start to score 22 points and Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell added a career-high 19 as the Hoosiers (25-4, 13-3 Big Ten) got a win at Bloomington, Ind.
The Hoosiers rebounded from this week's loss to Minnesota, but it was not a typical night for Indiana's shooters, who were just 39 percent from the field and didn't hit a 3-pointer until the final minute.
(3) DUKE 79, MIAMI 76: Ryan Kelly scored a career-high 36 points in his return from a foot injury that had sidelined him since January, helping the Blue Devils win at Durham, N.C.
Kelly knocked down 10 of 14 shots -- including 7 of 9 3-pointers -- for the Blue Devils (25-4, 12-4 ACC), who avenged a blowout road loss in January. Shane Larkin had 25 points for the Hurricanes (23-5, 14-2).
(6) KANSAS 91, WEST VIRGINIA 65: Ben McLemore scored a Kansas freshman-record 36 points, and Jeff Withey came within one block of a triple-double as the Jayhawks (25-4, 13-3 Big 12) won at Lawrence, Kan.
McLemore, a 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman, hit 12 of 15 shots from the field, including 5 of 6 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Withey's nine blocks ran his Big 12 and Kansas career record to 281.
(8) FLORIDA 64, ALABAMA 52: Casey Prather had 10 points and nine rebounds, most of them in the second half, and the Gators (23-5, 13-3 SEC) rallied from an eight-point deficit to win at Gainesville, Fla.
The Gators used a 15-0 run late in the second half -- fueled by Prather -- to pull away from the Crimson Tide (19-10, 11-5) and remain unbeaten at home.
(10) LOUISVILLE 58, (12) SYRACUSE 53: Luke Hancock hit a 3-pointer from the corner to break a tie with 1:39 left, and the visiting Cardinals (24-5, 12-4 Big East) beat the Orange (22-7, 10-6), exacting a measure of revenge for a loss earlier this season.
It was the third straight loss for Syracuse, which was humbled 57-46 in a loss to No. 7 Georgetown a week ago before a record Carrier Dome crowd of 35,012.
(13) KANSAS STATE 64, BAYLOR 61: Rodney McGruder hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer and Kansas State (24-5, 13-3 Big 12) pulled out a victory after a failed desperation inbound pass by Baylor (17-12, 8-8) gave McGruder one last shot in a win at Waco, Texas.
(Continued on page 2)
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