SPORTSWIRE: Williams leads No. 1 UNC past Kittles and 'Nova

Terps romp; Corliss leads Arkansas by SMU; Bullets win; NHL All-Star game put on ice Williams, the MVP of the 1993 Final Four, was 2-for-8 in the first half, but busted the Wildcats' zone with four key baskets over a four-minute span in the second half to keep the Tar Heels (5-0) from becoming the third top-ranked team to fall in as many weeks. After trailing by as many as 13 points in the first half, Villanova (4-2) hit seven straight shots in an 18-4 run to take its first lead, 49-48 with 12:15 left. Neither team led by more than three points over the next eight minutes before Jerry Stackhouse, who was 5-for-13 from the foul line in his last game, made three free throws after being fouled while shooting for a 64-61 lead. Dante Calabria, who scored 16 points, then made a 3-pointer after the Wildcats missed from long range, and Stackhouse converted on a bank shot after a Villanova turnover to put the Tar Heels up by eight with 2:19 left. The Tar Heels then secured the victory from the foul line down the stretch. · No. 11 Maryland 113, Colgate 53 COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Johnny Rhodes scored 11 of his 17 points in a 28-4 first-half run, and Joe Smith had 12 points and 15 rebounds last night as No. 11 Maryland routed winless Colgate 113-53. Maryland (6-1) topped the 100-point barrier in a third straight regular-season game for the first time in school history. Exree Hipp had 17 points for the Terrapins, who will bring a four-game winning streak into Saturday's game against No. 5 Massachusetts. It was the third-biggest blowout in Maryland history. Midway through the second half, many fans in the student section began chanting, ''We Want UMass!'' Rhodes, a junior, had six steals to move into second place on the school's career list. He has 173, two behind Walt Williams. Colgate freshman center Adonal Foyle, coming off a 32-point, 25-rebound effort against Texas Southern, was held to just nine points. Tucker Neale of Colgate scored eight points, 15 below his average, before being ejected with 9:18 left following a minor scuffle with Smith. Neale made only two of nine shots in the decisive first half, when the Red Raiders (0-6) shot just 27 percent. · No. 20 Virginia 109, Bethune-Cookman 49 CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Cory Alexander scored 28 points last night to lead five Virginia players in double figures as the 20th-ranked Cavaliers beat Bethune-Cookman 109-49. Alexander, coming off one of his worst performances as a collegian, scored 15 points in the first half as the Cavaliers (4-2) took a 61-27 halftime lead over the Wildcats (2-2), who were playing their first NCAA opponent of the season. After scoring only four points and committing seven turnovers during a 70-65 loss to Vanderbilt Tuesday night, the senior point guard made his first five shots and finished the game 10-for-14 from the field. He wasn't alone. Junior Burrough scored 19 points, Curtis Staples added 15, Harold Deane 14 and Yuri Barnes 10 for the Cavaliers, who were 21-for-33 in the first half. Latroy Strong scored 15 points for the Wildcats, who played their first three games against NAIA teams. · No. 3 Arkansas 78, Southern Methodist 66 DALLAS -- Third-ranked Arkansas was never in danger of losing, but Southern Methodist had the defending national champions playing like mere mortals. Corliss Williamson scored 21 points and Clint McDaniel and Darnell Robinson had 15 each last night as the Razorbacks held off scrappy SMU 78-66. The Razorbacks (5-1) came in averaging 99 points per game and built a big first-half lead but couldn't shake the Mustangs, who hit 11 three-pointers. SMU (1-4) was led by Troy Matthews, who scored 16 points, 12 on 3-pointers, while Jabari Hearn scored 10 points. Williamson was 9-for-14 from the field and 3-for-6 from the free throw line. Reggie Garrett added 13 points for the Razorbacks, including two treys. SMU closed within 48-44 with 16:31 left in the second half. Arkansas came out of its zone and its full-court press produced four consecutive turnovers as the Razorbacks regained control of the game. McDaniel scored the last eight points for the Hogs. Arkansas forward Scotty Thurman, averaging 15 points in the first four games, was out with an ankle injury sustained Tuesday night against Centenary. Bullets 124, Mavericks 121, OT DALLAS -- Rex Chapman's 18-footer with 29.3 seconds remaining in overtime broke a tie and Scott Skiles added two free throws with 11.4 seconds left to give the Washington Bullets a 124-121 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on last night. Chris Webber had 23 points, including a dunk with three seconds to play that clinched the victory, and 14 rebounds for Washington, which had lost four of five games. Chapman and Kevin Duckworth added 20 points each for the Bullets. Jamal Mashburn scored 45 points and Jim Jackson added 26 for the Mavericks, who had won four of their previous six games. Chapman's jumper gave Washington a 120-118 lead. Mashburn missed a 16-footer with 14 seconds left and Skiles converted his two free throws for a 122-118 advantage. Webber's dunk wrapped up the victory before Mashburn hit a three-pointer at the buzzer. With the score tied 118-118, the Mavericks had a potential go-ahead basket nullified when Jackson was called for an offensive foul with 1:35 to play in overtime. · Rockets 101, Hornets 95 HOUSTON -- Kenny Smith broke out of a shooting slump with seven 3-pointers, including a go-ahead basket with 2:07 remaining, for a season-high 25 points, rallying the Houston Rockets to a 101-95 victory over the Charlotte Hornets last night. Smith, averaging 8.1 points per game, hit his first five three-pointers in a row and made a career-high 7 of 10 from long range. Hakeem Olajuwon, who missed the last game with a wrist injury, scored 21 points and got seven rebounds. The Rockets led by 15 points early in the third quarter but the Hornets -- winless in eight Summit appearances -- took an 81-75 lead early in the fourth quarter on consecutive three-point baskets by Dell Curry. After Smith's go-ahead bucket, the Rockets didn't trail again. The NHL, struggling to salvage its season, was unable to save its All-Star game. Yesterday, for the first time in its history, the NHL canceled its showcase game because of deepening labor problems. The game was scheduled for Jan. 21 in San Jose, Calif. Stephen Solomon, chief operating officer of the NHL, said the labor dispute ''makes it impossible for us to go forward.'' Speaking at a news conference in San Jose, Solomon said the All-Star game will be played in San Jose in 1997. The 1996 game is in Boston. The All-Star game was supposed to be the first NHL telecast by the Fox network under its new contract with the league. Solomon said he did not know what effect the cancellation would have on prospects for reaching a settlement and saving the season. The announcement came with the lockout having completed 69 days and the NHL's board of governors awaiting a critical meeting in New York on Monday. A management source told the AP a ''drop-dead date'' would be set at that time -- a date for reaching a contract agreement or losing the season. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman needs a 75 percent vote from the 26 teams to shut down the season. The owners have said they would need at least 50 games to play a season, meaning training camps would have to open in the next two weeks.