Wash. State upsets Baylor in Hawaii tourney semifinal

Klay Thompson scored 20 points, including two key three-pointers down the stretch, and Washington State held on to upset No. 15 Baylor, 77-71, in the semifinals of the Diamond Head Classic yesterday in Honolulu.

The Cougars (10-1), who nearly squandered a 20-point, second-half lead, withstood a furious rally by the Bears for their fifth straight win. Five players reached double figures for Washington State, which advanced to tomorrow's championship game against Butler.

Thompson, the son of former No. 1 NBA draft pick Mychal Thompson, made a three to give Washington State a 66-64 lead with 4:29 left. He hit another with 1:10 to go and made two free throws with 32 seconds left.

LaceDarius Dunn scored 29 points, all but four in the second half, for the Bears (8-2).

Down by 20 points, the Bears went on a 29-6 run capped by Dunn's off-balance jumper with 6:49 left to give Baylor a 62-61 lead. It was the first time the Bears led since they had an 8-7 advantage in the opening minutes.

Dunn added two free throws, giving Baylor a 64-61 lead. That's when the Cougars took over. Thompson was 5-for-8 from the field, and 5-for-6 from beyond the arc.

Butler (8-4) got 19 points from Matt Howard in a 67-64 win over Florida State.

In other games:

* At Tennessee, Scotty Hopson scored 19 points and drove the lane for a go-ahead layup with 5.7 seconds left as the No. 19 Volunteers (8-3) edged Belmont, 66-65, to end a three-game losing skid.

* At Ohio State, Deshaun Thomas' 17 points lead six players in double figures and the No. 2 Buckeyes (12-0) won easily over Oakland, 92-63 and gave coach Thad Matta his best start in his 7 years with the Buckeyes.

* At Memphis, Austin Freeman scored 24 points and No. 10 Georgetown (11-1) won, 86-69. The No. 16 Tigers (9-2) were led by Will Barton's 18 points.

* At Kansas State, Rodney McGruder hit seven three-pointers and scored a career-high 24 points, helping the No. 11 Wildcats (10-3) beat Missouri-Kansas City, 80-64. K-State played its second game without Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly, suspended for improper benefits.

* At Minnesota, Colton Iverson scored 15 points, 11 in the second half, and had five rebounds and the No. 17 Gophers (11-1) beat South Dakota State, 85-73.

* At BYU, Jimmer Fredette scored 25 points and Jackson Emery added 23 as the No. 23 Cougars (12-1) beat UTEP, 89-63.

* At Cancun, Mexico, Cameron Johnson had 24 points as Texas State (3-8) advanced to the Cancun Governor's Cup final with a 79-68 win over Appalachian State. The Bobcats will play tonight's title game against Colorado State (7-3), which got 21 points from Travis Franklin in a 68-61 win over Mississippi . . . Angelo Johnson scored 21 points and Southern Mississippi (9-1) rallied from a 10-point deficit to defeat Saint Louis, 74-67, in a consolation game.

* At Las Vegas, Dominique Morrison scored 18 points, including the winning basket with 2 seconds left, to lift Oral Roberts (5-8) past Rice, 80-78, in the Holiday Hoops Classic . . . Cory Higgins had 22 points to lead Colorado (8-4) over Indiana, 78-69 . . . Nikola Bundalo's 16 points and 11 rebounds led SIU-Edwardsville (4-11) over The Citadel, 59-55.

* Virginia Tech has lost two more players for the remainder of the season because of foot injuries, guard Dorenzo Hudson and forward Cadarian Raines. Both are eligible for a medical redshirt. Virginia Tech already was without JT Thompson, who is recovering from knee surgery, and Florida transfer Allan Chaney, who is being treated for a viral inflammation of the heart. *