College Basketball -- Kentucky Trounces Syracuse In Rematch

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Kentucky-Syracuse game was more mismatch than rematch.

Senior Derek Anderson scored a career-high 25 points as eighth-ranked Kentucky turned the rematch of April's NCAA championship game into a laugher with an 87-53 rout of No. 12 Syracuse last night in the Great Alaska Shootout.

Jamaal Magloire added 16 points for the Wildcats (1-1), who handed the Orangemen their worst loss in 33 years and the worst ever under Coach Jim Boeheim.

"They're one of the four or five best teams in the country. We're not there yet," Boeheim said.

Boeheim thought a loss to Clemson in their season opener fired up the defending national champion Wildcats.

"Obviously they weren't happy with their first game," Boeheim said. "They came back ready to play. We didn't."

Kentucky Coach Rick Pitino said his squad refused to get outworked like it did in against Clemson. Pitino, though, refused to put much into the first meeting between the schools since April's title game.

"It wasn't a rematch at all. It was a made-for-TV game," Pitino said. "We're two totally different basketball teams, and we're both going to grow. It was just our night tonight."

Otis Hill had 17 points and a game-high 16 rebounds for the Orangemen. Syracuse forward Todd Burgan, playing while appealing a seven-game suspension imposed for violating student conduct rules, scored three points.

Magloire, Jared Prickett and Ron Mercer each pulled done eight

rebounds for Kentucky.

Leading by 22 points at halftime, the Wildcats pushed their lead to 38 points late in the second half, long after most of the starters had been pulled by Pitino.

Syracuse (1-1) finished with 22 turnovers.

Women's top 25

No. 4 Alabama 102, Arizona State 74 - Dominique Canty scored 24 points, Shalonda Enis had 19, and Alabama used a big scoring spree in the second half to coast to the victory in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Five players scored in double figures for Alabama as Leah Monteith added 18, and Nartausha Mills and Yolanda Watkins had 12 each. Losing 40-38 at halftime, Alabama overwhelmed Arizona State by 64-34 in the second half. Christine Garner scored 16 points to lead three double-figure scorers for Arizona State.

No. 13 North Carolina State 104, Syracuse 69 - Jennifer Howard scored 31 points and Chasity Melvin had 28 to lead North Carolina State in San Juan. Howard didn't shoot a free throw in amassing her game-high point total, which included nine of 16 three-point shots. North Carolina State virtually had the game won by halftime, leading 57-38. Peace Shepard added 12 points and Constance Poteat had 10 for the winners. Annetta Davis was the only double-figure scorer for Syracuse with 25.