Unbeaten Va. Tech Defeats Fairfield

A.D. Vassallo had 24 points in his return to his homeland and Jeff Allen scored 18 as Virginia Tech beat Fairfield, 74-57, yesterday at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan.

Vassallo, a native of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, made 9 of 16 shots.

Virginia Tech (3-0) bolted to a 24-11 lead before Fairfield (1-2) closed to within 40-31 by halftime. The Stags later got within 51-47 with 12 minutes 38 seconds to play, but the Hokies scored 23 of the next 29 points.

Allen, who was 4 for 5 from three-point territory, added eight rebounds and five blocked shots, and Malcolm Delaney scored 10 points, all after halftime. Victor Davila, another Puerto Rico native, had nine points in 17 minutes.

Herbie Allen had 11 points, and Anthony Johnson scored 10 for the Stags.

· HAMPTON 50, GEORGE MASON 44: Kwame Morgan led the Pirates with nine points, as nine players scored for Hampton in its win over the visiting Patriots.

Michael Freeman and Donte Harrison each scored eight points to lead the Pirates (1-1), who hit 11 of 22 free throws and capitalized on 23 turnovers en route to victory.

Louis Birdsong led George Mason (2-1) with 15 points, and Darryl Monroe chipped in 11 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. The Patriots were 2 of 17 from behind the three-point line.

· DUKE 83, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 58: Gerald Henderson scored all 20 of his points in the second half, helping the No. 10 Blue Devils find some offensive rhythm in a victory over the Salukis in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic in New York.

Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler each added 13 points for Duke (4-0), which advanced to play either No. 4 UCLA or Michigan tomorrow night for the championship of the tournament benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.

Carlton Fay had 17 points to lead Southern Illinois (2-1), which spent most of the game in foul trouble. Nick Evans fouled out with 7:59 left, and Tony Boyle was gone with just less than seven minutes to go.

The Salukis pulled to within 55-47 with about 9 1/2 minutes left before Singler hit a three-pointer. A couple of minutes later, Duke's stellar sophomore was fouled on a breakaway dunk and crashed to the floor in a heap.

A referee came from the other end of the court to call an intentional foul on Boyle, even though it appeared the Southern Illinois forward was going for the ball.

· MEMPHIS 83, CHATTANOOGA 71: Doneal Mack scored 19 points and Shawn Taggart notched a double-double for the No. 13 Tigers in a win over the Mocs at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

Mack was 5 for 9 from three-point range, and Taggart scored 16 points and 11 rebounds for Memphis (3-0). Mack and Taggart also added two blocked shots and three steals each. Robert Dozier added 18 points and eight rebounds.

Stephen McDowell led the Mocs (0-3) with a game-high 27 points, including a 7-for-12 mark on three-pointers. Nicchaeus Doaks added 15 points and 16 rebounds.

· FLORIDA 64, SOUTHERN UTAH 50: In Gainesville, Fla., Nick Calathes had 18 points and seven rebounds, leading the No. 18 Gators over the Thunderbirds despite one of the worst three-point shooting performances in Florida history.

Calathes was the only Florida player to score in double figures. The Gators (3-0) went 1 for 16 on three-pointers and barely extended their school-record streak of consecutive games with at least one three-pointer to 546.

Dan Werner made the only three-pointer for Florida, and it came with 22.1 seconds to play from the top of the key.

The last time the Gators failed to make a three-pointer was Jan. 11, 1992, against Kentucky.

· SETON HALL 63, USC 61: Jeremy Hazell scored 17 points and Eugene Harvey sank a free throw with five seconds remaining to help the Pirates defeat the No. 19 Trojans at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

After Harvey missed his second free throw, USC's Daniel Hackett missed a three-pointer at the buzzer to seal the win for Seton Hall.

Harvey scored 16 and added a team-high five assists for the Pirates (3-0), who overcame a 43-28 halftime deficit to pull off the upset.

Taj Gibson led the Trojans (2-1) with 19 points and 18 rebounds.