Friday, December 1, 2017
Top 25 roundup: No. 3 Michigan St. routs No. 5 Notre Dame
Joshua Langford contributed 17 points, while Miles Bridges tossed in 14 points with six rebounds for Michigan State (6-1). Nick Ward added 12 points and five rebounds.
Bonzie Colson led Notre Dame (6-1) with 17 points and six rebounds. Rex Pflueger had 15 points and T.J. Gibbs added 11, while Matt Farrell supplied 10 -- all in the second half -- for the Fighting Irish.
The Spartans controlled the first half from the opening tip and led 46-26 at halftime. Notre Dame could only get within seven in the second half.
NO. 9 TEXAS A&M 78, TEXAS-RIO GRANDE VALLEY 60
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- DJ Hogg had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Admon Gilder also scored 17 to lead Texas A&M to victory over Texas-Rio Grande Valley.
Hogg made two 3-pointers and Gilder had eight points as the Aggies (7-0) scored the first 16 points and 20 of the first 25 while cruising to their best start in 10 seasons. Tyler Davis finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, Tonny Trocha-Morelos had nine points, and Robert Williams totaled 14 rebounds for Texas A&M.
Nick Dixon, who averages 22.5 points, had 13 points and six rebounds for the Vaqueros (3-6). Texas-Rio Grande Valley shot 31.4 percent from the field.
NO. 19 WEST VIRGINIA 102, NJIT 69
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Jevon Carter scored 16 of his 25 points in the first half and became West Virginia's career steals leader in the victory over NJIT.
Carter made 5 of 11 shots from 3-point range, sank all six free throws and finished with a team-leading nine rebounds, six assists and five steals. Carter broke Greg Jones' career steals mark with No. 252 late in the first half, leading to a transition dunk by Teddy Allen. Allen finished with 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the Mountaineers (7-1).
Anthony Tarke scored 13 points and Diandre Wilson added 12 for the Highlanders (4-3).
SETON HALL 89, No. 22 TEXAS TECH 79
NEW YORK -- Desi Rodriguez had 24 points, Myles Powell added 19 and Seton Hall used a strong second half to defeat Texas Tech in the Under Armour Reunion at Madison Square Garden.
Khadeen Carrington scored 16 points and Angel Delgado had 12 points for the Pirates (6-1), who outscored the Red Raiders 49-31 in the second half. Powell had 17 in the second half, including all four of his 3-pointers.
Keenan Evans scored 21 points and Zach Smith added 12 for Texas Tech (6-1), which entered the AP poll this week and was in the Top 25 of both polls for the first time since Dec. 28, 2009.
Friday, November 24, 2017
Top 25 roundup: Arizona falls again in Bahamas
It was the second consecutive upset defeat in the Bahamas for the No. 2 Wildcats (3-2). Arizona fell 90-84 to North Carolina State on Wednesday.
The Mustangs (5-1) caused 20 turnovers that resulted in 19 points. SMU's Shake Milton had 14 points and freshman Ethan Chargois added 12.
Allonzo Trier led Arizona with 22 points. Deandre Ayton had 17 points and 15 rebounds for his fifth consecutive double-double. The two combined for Arizona's final 20 points, but it was hardly enough.
NO. 1 DUKE 99, PORTLAND STATE 81
PORTLAND, Ore. -- After receiving a wake-up call in the first half, the Blue Devils began the Phil Knight 80 Invitational with a first-round victory over the Vikings.
Duke (5-0) went into the half trailing 49-45 but after a short discussion with coach Mike Krzyzewski at the half came out much more disciplined to slow the game down. Marvin Bagley III led Duke with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Trevon Duval added 22 points.
Deontae North scored 24 points for Portland State (4-1).
NO. 4 MIVHIGAN 73, DePAUL 51
PORTLAND, Ore. -- With star guard Miles Bridges sidelined due to a sprained ankle, the Spartans got 20 points from Matt McQuaid in a victory over the Blue Demons in the Phil Knight Invitational's Victory Bracket.
Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Joshua Langford added 10 points for Michigan State (3-1). Cassius Winston was solid all around with 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Eli Cain and Max Strus led DePaul (1-3) with 12 points apiece. Michigan State faces Connecticut on Friday, while DePaul plays Oregon.
NO. 5 VILLANOVA 85, TENNESSEE 76
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas -- Jalen Brunson scored 18 of his 25 points in the second half, helping the Wildcats overcome a 12-point halftime deficit to post an victory over the Volunteers in a semifinal game of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Villanova (5-0) will play in the championship game on Friday against Northern Iowa, a 64-60 winner over North Carolina State. Tennessee (3-1) will play the Wolfpack in the third-place game.
Villanova was also led by 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting by Bridges, and 13 points each by Eric Paschall and Donte DiVincenzo. Tennessee's Grant Williams scored 20 points before he fouled out.
NO. 7 FLORIDA 108, STANFORD 87
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Egor Koulechov led all scorers with 26 points in the Gators' rout of the Cardinal in an opening-round Motion Bracket game of the PK80 Invitational.
Jalen Hudson had 17 points for Florida (4-0). Mike Okauru had 15 points, Chris Chiozza contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Deaundrae Ballard scored 13 points. The Gators next play Friday against No. 17 Gonzaga.
Stanford (3-3) was led by Reid Travis' 23 points. Robert Cartwright had 17 points and Michael Humphrey 10.
NO. 9 NORTH CAROLINA 102, PORTLAND 78
PORTLAND, Ore.-- The Tar Heels needed a full half to put away the Pilots as Luke Maye led North Carolina to a victory in the first round of the Phil Knight 80 Invitational.
Maye finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds while Joel Berry II added 18 points for North Carolina (4-0). Theo Pinson did a bit of everything, finishing with 11 points, a game-high seven assists and nine rebounds.
Portland (2-2) got a team-high 19 points from Franklin Porter. Leading scorer Josh McSwiggan, who entered the game averaging 14.3 points, was held in check by the Tar Heels' length and finished with six points.
NO. 15 XAVIER 83, GEORGE WASHINGTON 64
LAS VEGAS -- Trevon Bluiett had a game-high 20 points with seven rebounds to lead the Musketeers to a victory over the Colonials in a semifinal game of the Las Vegas Invitational.
Xavier (5-0) will play Arizona State on Friday in the championship game. George Washington (2-3) will play Kansas State in the third-place game.
The Musketeers also got 16 points from Quentin Goodin. Terry Nolan Jr. led the Colonials with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while Jair Bolden and Yuta Watanabe each had 16 points.
NO. 17 GONZAGA 86, OHIO STATE 59
PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Bulldogs held the Buckeyes scoreless and forced six turnovers over the final 7:48 of the first half and pulled away for a win in the opening round of the PK80 tournament.
Both teams shot better than 60 percent from the floor during the game's first 10 minutes. The Buckeyes started the game 5 of 7 from 3-point range.
Johnathan Williams scored 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting for Gonzaga, and Josh Perkins finished with 20 points. Jae'Sean Tate and C.J. Jackson scored 12 points each to lead Ohio State, and Kaleb Wesson added 10 points.
WESTERN KENTUCKY 77, NO. 18 PURDUE 73
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas -- Justin Johnson scored 17 points, and Jake Ohmer and Taveion Hollingsworth each scored 15 to lead the Hilltoppers to an upset of the Boilermakers in the Battle 4 Atlantis consolation bracket.
Western Kentucky (4-2) built an 11-point halftime lead and held on. It was the Hilltoppers' first victory over a power-conference opponent in eight years.
Purdue (4-2) got a game-best 22 points from center Isaac Haas and 19 from point guard P.J. Thompson but could never pull even or take the lead in the second half.
RHODE ISLAND 75, NO. 20 SETON HALL 74
NEW YORK -- Jared Terrell scored a career-high 32 points and made the winning basket with five seconds to play, leading the Rams past the Pirates in an NIT Season Tip-Off semifinal in Brooklyn.
With the Rams down by one, Terrell dribbled down the clock before driving to his right and lofting a tough, running shot that kissed off the backboard and in for the winning bucket in a tight, back-and-forth tilt. Stanford Robinson finished with 15 points for Rhode Island (3-1).
Seton Hall (4-1) couldn't get off a shot off in the final seconds. Myles Powell finished with 21 points, and senior Angel Delgado finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Pirates.
NO. 21 SAINT MARY'S 89, HARVARD 71
FULLERTON, Calif. -- Jock Landale had 26 points and seven rebounds and the Gaels remained unbeaten by cruising past the Crimson in a first-round game of the Wooden Legacy.
Saint Mary's (5-0) used runs of 9-0 and 11-0 early in the first half en route to a 26-point halftime advantage. Cullen Neal added 15 points and Jordan Ford had 12 points and nine rebounds for Saint Mary's.
Bryce Aiken finished with 22 points to lead Ivy League favorite Harvard (2-3). Chris Lewis chipped in with 18 points.
NO. 23 WEST VIRGINIA 84, MARIST 78
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Mountaineers blew a 15-point, second-half lead and narrowly averted a major upset, edging the Red Foxes in the first round of the AdvoCare Invitational.
Jevon Carter led West Virginia (4-1) with a game-high 20 points, snapping a 67-67 tie with 5:22 left by canning a 3-pointer. Sagaba Konate added a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Daxter Miles Jr. stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
David Knudsen paced the winless Red Foxes (0-4) with 19 points, converting 5 of 9 3-point attempts. Brian Parker chipped in 14, and Isaiah Lamb came off the bench to score 10 points.
Thursday, November 23, 2017
Top 25 roundup: N.C. State topples No. 2 Arizona
North Carolina State (5-0) went on a 15-3 run in the final minutes of the game to secure the win. It held its biggest lead of the game at 87-77 with 1:48 left.
Arizona (3-1) made it close -- 88-82 -- on Allonzo Trier's two free throws with 15.1 seconds left, but that is as close as it could get. A big difference was the bench. North Carolina State had 39 bench points to Arizona's six.
Trier, the leading scorer in the country after three games at 30 points per game, finished with 27 points. Teammate Deandre Ayton had 27 points and 14 rebounds.
NO. 13 NOTRE DAME 67, NO. 6 WICHITA 66
LAHAINA, Hawaii -- Martinas Geben made two free throws with 2.3 seconds to play, capping a second-half comeback and lifting the Fighting Irish to a thrilling win over the Shockers in the championship game of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.
Notre Dame (6-0) trailed by as many as 16 points but found its shooting touch in the second half to get back in the game. The Fighting Irish took its first lead since early in the game on Geben's free throws.
Bonzie Colson had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Matt Farrell added 15 points and came up with a huge steal for the Irish in the final minute. Zach Brown led Wichita State (4-1) with 14 points.
NO. 5 VILLANOVA 66, WESTERN KENTUCKY 58
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas -- Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges combined for 35 points on 14-of-24 shooting to lift the Wildcats to a win over the Hilltoppers in a first-round game of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
The Wildcats (4-0) face Tennessee in a semifinal game Thursday. The Hilltoppers (2-2) will face Purdue in a consolation-bracket game.
Brunson finished with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Bridges had 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting, and he produced eight rebounds and five steals. Western Kentucky was led by former Kansas player Dwight Coleby, who finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
NO. 8 KENTUCKY 86, FORT WAYNE 67
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Freshman Nick Richards had 25 points and 15 rebounds as the Wildcats concluded their run of three games in six days before the Thanksgiving break with a victory over the Mastodons.
Three other players scored in double figures for Kentucky (5-1) -- freshmen Quade Green, Kevin Knox and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, each with 11 points.
Fort Wayne (3-2) got 19 points from John Konchar, while Bryson Scott added 18 and Kason Harrell had 12.
NO. 10 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 88, LEHIGH 63
LOS ANGELES -- Jonah Mathews made four 3-pointers, pacing the Trojans to a rout of the Mountain Hawks.
Mathews scored 18 points, while Bennie Boatwright topped USC with 19 points. Boatwright also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, and Chimezie Metu had 15 points and nine boards for the Trojans (4-0).
Lehigh (3-2) got a game-high 24 points from Kahron Ross, while Lance Tejada added 19 points.
NO. 11 MIAMI 57, LA SALLE 46
READING, Pa. -- Dewan Huell scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Hurricanes to a nonconference win over the cold-shooting Explorers.
The game was played on a neutral court about an hour away from La Salle's campus in Philadelphia as Miami coach Jim Larranaga followed through on a promise to recruit Lonnie Walker. He was able to recruit Walker with the promise he would play a game in his hometown -- and the building was full of Walker's family and friends.
Walker scored just five points, grabbed two rebounds and dished out two assists for the Hurricanes (4-0). Pookie Powell led La Salle (3-3) with 17 points, and B.J. Johnson posted 16 points and 16 rebounds in the loss.
NO. 12 CINCINNATI 78, WYOMING 53
GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands -- Gary Clark scored 17 points and Kyle Washington added 16 points and 11 rebounds in the Bearcats' victory over Wyoming in the championship game of the Cayman Islands Classic.
Cincinnati (6-0) made 50 percent of its shots from the field, including 7 of 14 from 3-point range compared to 31.3 percent from the field for Wyoming (4-1).
Hayden Dalton had 15 points and five rebounds for the Cowboys, while Alan Herndon and Louis Adams each had 12 points.
TENNESSEE 78, NO. 18 PURDUE 75 (OT)
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas -- Grant Williams scored with 14.5 seconds remaining in overtime, and James Daniel sank two free throws with two seconds to go as the Volunteers upset the Boilermakers in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Williams scored all 22 of his points after halftime, and Lamonte Turner added 17 for the Volunteers (3-0), who outscored Purdue 8-2 in the final 1:31. Turner forced overtime with a tying 3-pointer with 5.1 seconds remaining in regulation.
Purdue (4-1) got 21 points from Carsen Edwards, 15 from Dakota Mathias, 13 from Isaac Haas, and 11 each from Vince Edwards and P.J. Thompson.
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Top 25 roundup: No. 3 Kansas sets 3-pointer record
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Third-ranked Kansas set a school record with 19 3-pointers Tuesday night while routing road-weary Texas Southern 114-71 in Allen Fieldhouse.
Svi Mykhailiuk didn't score a point in the first 10 minutes but poured in 13 in a five-minute span in the first half and finished with 21 points in 26 minutes for the Jayhawks (4-0). He hit 7 of 9 field-goal attempts, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range.
The previous school record of 15 3-pointers was set Jan. 25, 2005, against Baylor. Kansas was within three of that mark at halftime, which was another school record.
The Tigers (0-5), in the midst of a 13-game road trip, jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead but was buried after that under an avalanche of hot Jayhawks shooting. Kansas reeled off runs of 17-3, 18-2 and 15-0 to lead 66-30 at halftime.
NO. 6 WICHITA STATE 80, MARQUETTE 66
LAHAINA, Hawaii -- Landry Shamet paced a balanced attack, and Wichita State pulled away from Marquette in the second half in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational.
Shamet led four Shockers in double figures with 19 points. Conner Frankamp added 13 points, and Shaquille Morris had 11 points for Wichita State (4-0), which advanced to face No. 13 Notre Dame in Wednesday's championship game.
Andrew Rowsey had 26 points, and Markus Howard finished with 25 points to lead the Golden Eagles (2-2), who appeared to wear down late in the second half.
NO. 12 CINCINNATI 75, RICHMOND 48
GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands -- Cincinnati advanced to the championship game of the Cayman Islands Classic behind a fine all-around performance from forward Gary Clark in a rout of Richmond.
Clark finished with eight points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Reserve Cane Broome added 13 points and Jacob Evans had 12 in the win for the Bearcats (5-0), who play Wyoming in the title game Wednesday at the 2,000-seat John Gray Gymnasium.
The cold-shooting Spiders (1-3) did not have a double-figure scorer until Jacob Gilyard made two free throws with 1:29 remaining. He finished with 12 points.
NO. 13 NOTRE DAME 92, LSU 53
LAHAINA, Hawaii -- T.J. Gibbs scored 26 points and Notre Dame blew past LSU in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational.
Matt Farrell added 17 points and seven assists, and Bonzie Colson finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and five steals for the Fighting Irish (5-0). Gibbs hit six of Notre Dame's 15 3-pointers and also had four assists and three rebounds.
Duop Reath scored 17 points to lead the Tigers (3-1), who will face Marquette in Wednesday's consolation game. Reath was the only LSU player who wound up with double-figure points.
NO. 14 MINNESOTA 100, ALABAMA A&M 57
MINNEAPOLIS -- Jordan Murphy continued his run of double-doubles with 20 points and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes as Minnesota routed Alabama A&M.
Davonte Fitzgerald had 13 points to lead a strong performance from the Golden Gophers bench. Nate Mason scored 12 points and Reggie Lynch added 11 for Minnesota (5-0). Murphy, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week, has posted a double-double in every game this season.
The Golden Gophers shot 61.4 percent from the field. Mohamed Sherif led the Bulldogs (0-4) with 10 points.
NO. 16 TEXAS A&M 98, PENN STATE 87
NEW YORK -- Duane Wilson scored 22 points and Robert Williams added 21 as Texas A&M defeated Penn State in the final of the Legends Classic.
Wilson and Williams were nearly perfect from the field and played a big role in the Aggies (4-0) knocking off the previously unbeaten Nittany Lions (5-1). Wilson made 7 of 10 shots from the field and all seven free throws. Williams hit 10 of 12 from the field and added nine rebounds.
Tony Carr finished with a game-high 31 points while Lamar Stevens added 25 for Penn State.
NO. 19 LOUISVILLE 84, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 42
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Louisville started slowly but used a 20-2 first-half run and a dominant second half to crush visiting Southern Illinois.
Jordan Nwora led the Cardinals (3-0) with 18 points. Deng Adel finished with 16 points and seven rebounds while Darius Perry had 10 points and seven assists for Louisville.
The Salukis (2-1) were led by Armon Fletcher's 11 points and seven rebounds.
NO. 22 BAYLOR 65, CREIGHTON 59
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Tournament MVP Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. recorded 15 points and 15 rebounds as Baylor defeated Creighton in the championship game of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic.
King McClure scored 15 of his game-high 19 points in the second half for the Bears (5-0). Terry Maston added 15 points and eight rebounds while leading scorer Manu Lecomte was held to nine points for Baylor.
The Bluejays (4-1) were led by Khyri Thomas with 15 points. Marcus Foster added 12, Martin Krampelj had 11 and Ty-Shon Alexander had 10.
NO. 23 UCLA 72, WISCONSIN 70
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Aaron Holiday hit a layup as time expired to lift UCLA past Wisconsin in the consolation game of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic.
Holiday led the Bruins (4-1) with 18 points. He was joined in double figures by Gyorgy Goloman and Thomas Welsh with 11 points apiece, and Jaylen Hands and Prince Ali with 10 each.
The Badgers (2-3) were led by Ethan Happ with 19 points. Dmitrik Trice, Khalil Iverson and Brad Davison each had 14.
NO. 25 ALABAMA 77, TEXAS-ARLINGTON 76
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama turned up its defensive pressure in the second half to make its return to the Top 25 a successful one -- barely -- with a narrow victory over Texas-Arlington.
The Crimson Tide forced 14 turnovers and held the Mavericks to 39 percent shooting after halftime, and Arlington's Erick Neal missed a potential game-winning shot as time expired.
Collin Sexton, the only player in double figures for Alabama (4-0), scored a game-high 29 points. Kevin Hervey led the Mavericks (2-1) with 24 points. Neal added 16 points and dished out 12 assists.