Culpepper leads UTEP to win over Oklahoma

Randy Culpepper scored a season-high 27 points and Christian Polk added a career-high 17 points as UTEP built a big lead in the first half and beat Oklahoma, 89-74, last night at the All-College Classic in Oklahoma City.

The Miners (7-2) scored 14 straight points late in the first half and opened a 19-point lead, then never let the Sooners make a serious charge. Oklahoma (8-4) got within 10 points twice in the second half, including on Willie Warren's free throw with 2:09 to play.

Culpepper answered with a three-point play at the opposite end, and then helped UTEP close the door with four free throws down the stretch.

Warren had 26 points as Oklahoma had its six-game winning streak snapped.

In other games:

* At Penn State, Talor Battle scored 16 points as the Nittany Lions (8-4) won for the third time in four games, beating American, 76-57. Chris Babb scored 13 points and Bill Edwards had 12 for Penn State.

Penn State shot 65 percent in the second half and finished a season-best 52.9 percent (9-for-17) from three-point range. The Nittany Lions have won 24 of their last 28 home games.

* At New York, Jeff Foote had 19 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks to lead Cornell (9-2) to a 71-66 victory over St. John's in the championship game of the Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden . . . Jake Cohen scored 18 points and Davidson (4-8) beat Hofstra, 61-52, in the third-place game.

* At Miami, Malcolm Grant scored 14 points to lead the Hurricanes (12-1) to an 80-59 victory over North Carolina A & T.

* At Providence, Jamine Peterson had 25 points and 13 rebounds to help the Friars (8-) beat Yale, 87-78.

* At South Carolina, Devan Downey and Sam Muldrow scored 16 points each to lead the Gamecocks (8-3) over Furman, 81-57.

* At North Carolina-Asheville, Noah Dahlman had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead Wofford (7-6) to a 68-42 win.

* At Virginia, Jeff Jones scored 11 points to lead the Cavaliers (5-4) over New Jersey Institute of Technology, 68-37.

In women's games:

* At Michigan State, Allyssa DeHaan scored 18 points and the No. 16 Spartans (9-3) handed St. Bonaventure its first loss of the season, 67-59. Megan Van Tatenhove had 19 for the Bonnies (11-1).

* At Maine, Karima Christmas and Bridgette Mitchell scored 16 points each and No. 8 Duke (9-2) cruised to victory, 75-34. *