College basketball roundup
Alabama-Birmingham topples 8th-ranked Marquette LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Eric Bush scored 17 points and tied a Conference USA tournament record with six steals to lead Alabama-Birmingham to an 83-76 upset of No. 8 Marquette in the tournament quarterfinals.
Morris Finley scored 23 points and Demario Eddins added 16 points and five steals for the Blazers (18-11), who set a tournament record with 20 steals.
The Blazers also went 29-of-57 from the field (51 percent), the best shooting performance against Marquette this season.
Conference USA Player of the Year Dwyane Wade set a tournament record with 10 turnovers as Marquette (23-5) lost for just the second time in 17 games.
Travis Diener scored 19 and Robert Jackson had 18 to lead the Golden Eagles.
No. 10 Xavier 78, GW 73
DAYTON, Ohio – David West scored 27 points and No. 10 Xavier set a school record with its 16th straight win in advancing to the Atlantic 10 tournament quarterfinals.
West, the conference’s only three-time player of the year, controlled the game from the inside out as Xavier (25-4) beat the team that came closest to ending its streak. The 6-foot-9 forward also had 13 rebounds and a team-high four assists.
George Washington (12-17) has dropped five in a row against Xavier, including a 71-70 loss that provided the most dramatic finish in the A-10 this season.
Chris Monroe scored 21 for George Washington, which had 18 turnovers and shot 39 percent from the field.
No. 11 Syracuse 74, Georgetown 69
NEW YORK – Carmelo Anthony, Billy Edelin and Gerry McNamara made six straight free throws down the stretch and No. 11 Syracuse held off Georgetown to advance to the semifinals of the Big East tournament.
Anthony’s two free throws gave Syracuse a 64-63 lead and Edelin’s pair made it 68-65. The Hoyas were still just one point back when Kueth Duany hit a foul shot and then made a steal that resulted in two more free throws by McNamara – his only points of the second half.
Anthony led Syracuse (24-4) with 21 points while Duany added 16 and Warrick 14. Sweetney had 29 and 13 rebounds for Georgetown (15-14) and Brandon Bowman scored 18.
No. 16 Memphis 62, So. Florida 56
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Chris Massie had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 16 Memphis overcame poor shooting to beat South Florida in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA tournament.
Rodney Carney scored 18 points and Antonio Burks added eight assists for the Tigers (23-5), who won their 12th straight and advanced to the tournament semifinals for the third time in four seasons.
Will McDonald had 16 points and nine rebounds for South Florida (15-14), which lost for the sixth time in nine games.
No. 20 Louisville 82, Tulane 66
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Reece Gaines scored 15 points and Luke Whitehead had 11 points and 11 rebounds as No. 20 Louisville beat Tulane in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA tournament.
Francisco Garcia scored 15 and Otis George added 14 for the Cardinals (22-6), who will play No. 16 Memphis (23-5) in Friday’s semifinals.
Waitari Marsh scored 17 and Brandon Brown and Nick Sinville added 12 points each for Tulane (16-15), which committed a season-high 25 turnovers.
No. 25 St. Joseph’s 68, La Salle 48
DAYTON, Ohio – Delonte West returned from his leg injury Thursday night, and Pat Carroll hit several pivotal 3-pointers as No. 25 St. Joseph’s pulled away and reached semifinals of the Atlantic 10 tournament for the 11th time in 20 seasons.
Carroll, one of the nation’s most accurate 3-point shooters, made three of them during a 15-3 spurt that put the Hawks (23-5) in control early in the second half.
La Salle (12-17) shot only 33 percent from the field as St. Joseph’s held an opponent under 50 points for the eighth time this season.
The Hawks, who are the conference’s top defense, give up an average of only 59 points per game.
Jameer Nelson led the Hawks with 15 points, and Carroll added 14. Gary Neal and Jermaine Thomas had 13 apiece for La Salle.