6B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2009
Up and over
Brad Jones, Topeka graduate students, tips the ball over the net Tuesday night during the men's intamural volleyball championship at the Ambler Student Recreation Fitness Center. Jones and his team, Attemond Deloitte, defeated dominated the Hardwood in two straight sets.
NBA
Player sets game record in 107-90 Cavalier victory
The Phoenix Suns' Jarron Collins, top, fouls the Cleveland Cavaliers' Shaquille O'Neal in the second quarter in an NBA basketball game Wednesday in Cleveland. O'Neal had nine rebounds in 21 minutes.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CLEVELAND — Shaquille O'Neal scored 12 points, LeBron James just missed a triple-double and the Cleveland Cavaliers opened a 30-point lead in the third quarter and dismantled Shaq's former team with a 107-90 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night.
O'Neal added nine rebounds in 21 minutes, and Cleveland center Zydrunas Ilgauska scored 14 points while setting the club record for games played.
James finished with 12 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and another chase-down block of Suns guard Jason Richardson, who he victimized last season. The Cavs had seven players in double figures.
It was the second straight blowout loss for the Suns, whom were throttled 126-99 by the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
Channing Frye scored 22 points, and Steve Nash had 14, but five assists and six turnovers for Phoenix, which was held to a season-low in points.
Wearing throwback uniforms from the 1980s, the Cavaliers gave the Suns an old-school thumping.
O'Neal's basket to open the second half put Cleveland up 59-29, and Phoenix could only get as close as 12 during garbage time in the fourth.
O'Neal spent 1½ seasons with the Suns, who believed he was the missing piece to lead them to an NBA title. Instead, the All-Star center most slowed their high-octane offense and Phoenix won just one playoff game during O'Neal's stay in the Southwest.
Cleveland acquired Shaq for the same reason, and to this point, he has improved the Cavs, who have
won 13 of 16 since an 0-2 start.
While O'Neal was reunited with his old teammates, the Cavaliers finally got a chance to recognize Ilgauskas.
Ilgauskas, whose career was nearly ended by severe foot injuries, became the team's career leader with 724 games played — finally. The beloved big man, known simply as 'Z' to Cleveland fans, had been expected to surpass general manager Danny Ferry on Saturday, but was never put in the
game by coach Mike Brown.
The snub angered James, who called out Brown in support of his teammate. Brown declined to discuss the situation before the game and the team curiously made no acknowledgment of Ilgausks' record when he checked in with 3:50 left in the first quarter.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
However, Igauskas, also the team's career leader in rebounds and blocks, received an extended standing ovation from the sellout crowd.
Illini fight for victory; come back from 23-point deficit
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CLEMSON, S.C. — Mike Tisdale hit the go-ahead jumper with 41 seconds left, then blocked David Potter's driving shot on No. 18. Clemson's next possession as Illinois rallied from 23 points down for a 76-74 victory Wednesday night.
The Illini (5-2) looked finished, down 51-28 early in the second half and with leading scorer Demetri McCamey saddled with three fouls and two points.
But Illinois finally got going with
a 35-10 run to move in front in the school's biggest comeback ever.
Demontez Still missed a driving shot at the buzer for Clemson (6-2).
Illinois broke a three-game losing streak in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Mike Davis led the IIIini with 22 points. He set a career high with 28 a year ago when Clemson defeated Illinois in a challenge game by the same score, 76-74.
Brandon Paul had 20 points for Illinois, whose biggest previous
rally came in 2000 when it came from 21 points down to defeat Seton Hall, 87-79.
Still led the Tigers with 15 points. Leading scorer Trevor Booker had just three of his 12 points in the second half.
Jeral Grant's dunk gave Clemson a 51-28 lead with 19 minutes to go.
Then Illinois got going. Davis had nine points and Paul and D.J. Richardson hit two 3-pointers apiece in a 35-10 run.
When Paul stole Potter's pass and went in for a layup, Illinois was
ahead 63-61 with 8:47 to go.
it's the third time in the past four seasons Clemson has lost a sizable lead at Littlejohn Coliseum. In 2007, Virginia used a 19-2 run to win 64-63. Then last February, Florida State went on a 23-4 second-half spurt to defeat the Tigers 65-61.
The illini, who lost their past two games to Utah and Bradley, were crisp at the start and hit their first four shots.
They tied the game at 19 on Paul's jam with 10:19 to go in the
first half. Then it all fell apart for Illinois as Clemson closed the half with a 28-8 run.
With Tigers up 23-19, McCarney picked up his third foul and went to the bench.
When 5-foot 9 Andre Young squeezed past Tisdale, Illinois' 7-1 center, for a layup, a loud noise that sounded like a coach's clipboard hitting the floor came from the Illini bench. Illinois coach Bruce Weber was quickly called for a technical foul by official Bryan Kersey.
Weber was stunned.
"I didn't do anything. What did I do?" he shouted as Kersey moved to the other side of the court.
Moments later, Booker collected a loose ball and was yanked to the ground by Dominique Keller, who drew an intentional foul. Keller quickly helped Booker to his feet.
When Booker made his free throws, Clemson was ahead 39-25. The 'Tigers eventually led 47-27 at halftime, a lead that seemed safe until Illinois' second-half surge.
A steal and a fastbreak layup by ETSU's Justin Tubbs with 15:52 left cut the Vols' lead to 42-39. Tennessee (6-1) answered with an 11-2 run capped by a layup by Wayne Chism that boosted the lead to 53-41.
Coach Bruce Pearl warned his players that ETSU could give them as much trouble as they had in a loss to No. 4 Purdue last month. The Buccaneers last week beat Arkansas on the road and gave top-seeded Pittsburgh fits in the opening round of the NCAA tournament last season.
Tubbs led the Buccaneers (4-1)
with 22 points.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tyler Smith scored 15 points and No. 11 Tennessee held off scrappy East Tennessee State for a 78-66 victory Wednesday night.
ETSU used its pressure defense to slow down the Vols' fast-paced style, frustrating Pearl, who was charged with a technical while complaining to the referees about a foul on Scotty Hopson and the lack of calls against the Bucs.
Tennessee had held a 26-12 lead midway through the first half, but Tubbs hit two of the four free throw shots rewarded for Pearl and Hopson's fouls. He followed it up with a layup to cut Tennessee's lead to 36-31 at halftime.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Tennessee holds off ETSU in highly contested game
}
Associated Press