Lafayette

EASTON, Pa. - Although Penn looked solid in the first half of its game against Lafayette, the Quakers' first win of the new year did not come as easily as they might have liked. After a back-and-forth second half in which Penn was not able to establish a significant lead, the Quakers finally got past the Leopards, 78-73, at the Kirby Sports Center. Once again, senior guard Zack Rosen set the tone for the Quakers (7-8). At the end of the first half, he had accounted for 13 of Penn's 33 points.

EASTON - Although Penn looked solid in the first half of its matchup against Lafayette last night, the Quakers' first win of the New Year did not come as easily as they may have liked. After a second half in which neither team was able to establish more than an eight-point lead, the Quakers emerged victorious at the Kirby Center, 78-73. Once again, senior guard Zack Rosen set the tone for the Quakers (7-8). At the end of the first half, he had accounted for 13 of the Red and Blue's 33 points, and netted a game-high 24. With his four second-half assists, Rosen also broke Penn's all-time assist record with 506, previously held by none other than current coach Jerome Allen.

Fab Melo had 12 points and 10 blocks, both career highs, and No. 1 Syracuse stifled visiting Seton Hall at every turn in a 75-49 victory Wednesday night in the Big East opener for both teams. Syracuse (14-0 overall) gained control with a staunch defensive performance in the opening half in building a 34-15 lead. Melo, who had his first career double-double, pulled in seven rebounds. Dion Waiters had 15 points and Brandon Triche added 11 for Syracuse, which won easily despite a subpar performance by leading scorer Kris Joseph.

Ryan Lindley's third touchdown pass to Colin Lockett came just a few seconds too soon. San Diego State celebrated the 12-yard scoring strike with 35 seconds left, only to watch an even bigger celebration when Louisiana-Lafayette kicker Brett Baer hit a 50-yard field goal as time expired, sending the Aztecs to a 32-30 loss in the New Orleans Bowl on Saturday night. "Thirty seconds on the clock? You'd like to think [the game was over]," Lindley said. "It was a hard-fought game and you have to tip your caps to them.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Seth Hinrich and Jim Mower tallied 14 points each and Lafayette held off a late surge to beat Penn State, 61-57, on Wednesday night. Nick Petkovick added 13 points off the bench for the Leopards (4-5), who hit nine three-pointers and stymied Penn State's offense. The Leopards led by as many as 10 in the second. The Nittany Lions (6-4) shot just 33 percent (19 of 58) including a 3-of-23 performance from beyond the three-point arc. Jermaine Marshall tallied 20 points for Penn State, which lost its first-ever game against a Patriot League team.

Harrison Barnes scored 10 of his 20 points during the decisive second-half surge to help No. 5 North Carolina rally past No. 9 Wisconsin, 60-57, on Wednesday night in Chapel Hill, N.C. Tyler Zeller added 12 points for the Tar Heels (6-1), who had to show plenty of fight and toughness to outlast the Badgers in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Coming off its first loss of the season, North Carolina trailed by five points midway through the second half before going on an 18-5 run that finally put the Tar Heels ahead for good.

IT TOOK OVERTIME, but Villanova responded with a solid defensive effort to earn a 62-54 victory over Lehigh in women's basketball action at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem last night. Laura Sweeney led the Wildcats (5-2) with 27 points and 11 rebounds and Lauren Buford added 12 in a game in which Lehigh outrebounded Villanova, 44-40. Sarah Pearce led the Mountain Hawks (2-6) with 12 points. In other women's games: * At the Palestra, Penn's Renee Busch (15 points)

The efficient Delaware Valley rushing attack produced seven touchdowns on the ground as the Aggies pounded visiting Norwich University, 62-10, in the opening round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. The win in Doylestown improved undefeated Delaware Valley to 11-0 and sent the Aggies to a second-round game against St. John Fisher at noon on Saturday. The site will be announced Sunday. St. John Fisher advanced with a 23-12 victory over Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. The Aggies' Isiah Hall, a player who lines up at receiver, tailback, and Wildcat quarterback, carried the ball seven times for career highs of 128 yards and three touchdowns.

La Salle's Ramon Galloway has a concussion and will miss Tuesday's game at Villanova, the university announced Saturday. Galloway was injured in the Explorers' season-opening win over Lafayette on Friday night. The junior guard, a Philadelphia native who transferred from South Carolina, was playing in his first game for the Explorers when he was hurt with 2 minutes, 7 seconds remaining in the first half while defending against Ryan Willen. He was immobilized in a neck brace and body straps and taken to a local hospital.