No. 2 Syracuse rallies past No. 8 Villanova 78-62
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Trevor Cooney scored 21 points, Tyler Ennis had 20 and C.J. Fair added 17 Saturday, rallying No. 2 Syracuse past No. 8 Villanova 78-62 in a game between two of nine unbeaten teams left in Division I.
Syracuse (12-0) was the third unbeaten ranked team the Wildcats (11-1) had faced this season. Villanova handed then-No. 2 Kansas its first loss of the season a month ago in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis and came back the next night and defeated No. 23 Iowa in overtime.
Villanova dropped to 13-16 against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome, the best mark of any team that's played 10 games under the Orange's Teflon roof, and 4-5 since Jay Wright took over as coach of the Wildcats in 2001.
James Bell hit a career-high six 3-pointers and matched his career high with 25 points to lead Villanova before fouling out with 1:42 left.
Dekker helps No. 4 Wisconsin rout Prairie View A&M
MADISON, Wis. -- Sam Dekker had 16 points and 11 rebounds for his third career double-double as No. 4 Wisconsin cruised past Prairie View A&M 80-43 on Saturday.
The Badgers (13-0) closed out their nonconference schedule with their best start since the 1913-14 squad went 15-0.
Ben Brust scored 11 for Wisconsin, while Frank Kaminsky and Nigel Hayes added 10 points apiece.
Montrael Scott scored 14 to lead the Panthers (2-10), who finished 1-8 on a nine-game road swing.
Playing for the first time in two weeks, the Badgers were a little rusty from 3-point range. Averaging 40 percent coming in, they finishing 9 for 27 from beyond the arc. However, everything else was working as they dominated at the free-throw line and in rebounding while committing just two turnovers.
No. 5 Michigan State routs New Orleans 101-48
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Keith Appling scored 16 of his career-high tying 27 points in the first half to help No. 5 Michigan State pull away and rout New Orleans 101-48 on Saturday.
The Spartans (11-1) struggled for several minutes before taking control with a 12-0 run midway through the first half. They led 44-27 at halftime and easily added to their comfortable cushion in the second half, finishing with their highest-scoring game since beating Nebraska-Omaha 110-68 two years ago.
The Privateers (3-5) had won two in a row, including its previous game at UTEP.
New Orleans' Matt Derenbecker scored 16 and Cory Dixon had 11 points.
No. 9 Duke rolls past Eastern Michigan, 82-59
DURHAM, N.C. -- Jabari Parker scored 23 points and No. 9 Duke beat Eastern Michigan 82-59 on Saturday.
Andre Dawkins added 20 points with a season-high six 3-pointers as a late replacement for an ill Rodney Hood in the starting lineup.
Rasheed Sulaimon added 13 points and came up with the key hustle play during the decisive second-half run that helped the Blue Devils (10-2) polish off their fourth consecutive win.
They shot 40 percent against Eastern Michigan's tough matchup zone defense with 10 3-pointers, built a 47-32 advantage on the boards and wrapped up the pre-ACC home schedule with their 101st consecutive nonconference win at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Mike Talley scored 20 points to lead the Eagles (7-4). They went 6 minutes between field goals during the critical stretch when Duke pulled away.
No. 15 UConn beats E. Washington 82-65
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- Shabazz Napier had 15 points and nine assists Saturday to lead No. 15 Connecticut to an 82-65 win against Eastern Washington in a UConn home game played 80 miles from campus.
Napier led a balanced attack in which five Huskies reached double figures. Ryan Boatright had 14 points and Niels Giffey, making his first start this season, added 13 for UConn (11-1).
Tyler Harvey scored 19 points to lead Eastern Washington (5-6), which trailed by just six points midway through the second half. Ognjen Miljkovic added 15 points and Drew Brandon 13 for the Eagles, who took 28 shots from 3-point range and made nine.
The game at the Webster Bank Arena marked the first time the Huskies played in Bridgeport.
Dixon leads No. 15 Memphis past Jackson State
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Michael Dixon Jr. scored 14 points, Shaq Goodwin had 13 points and seven rebounds, and No. 15 Memphis never trailed in a 75-61 victory against Jackson State on Saturday.
David Pellom had 12 points with all five of his field goals coming off dunks from fast-breaks and rebounds. Joe Jackson scored 11 for Memphis (9-2).
Julysses Nobles led Jackson State (4-8) with 20 points, despite going 6 of 16 from the field.
Brandon West scored 14, connecting on 7 of 10 shots and was instrumental in keeping Jackson State in the game during the first half.
Memphis led by as many as 19 before the break, then eased to its eighth win in nine games.
No. 18 Kentucky tops No. 6 Louisville 73-66
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky guards Andrew and Harrison combined for 28 points, including 11 during a critical second-half stretch with star Julius Randle sidelined by cramps, helping the 18th-ranked Wildcats beat No. 6 Louisville 73-66 on Saturday.
Randle's 17 first-half points staked Kentucky (10-3) to a 41-36 halftime lead before the 6-foot-9 forward went to the locker room early in the second with leg cramps. He returned but cramped again and spent the rest of the game on the bench.
The Harrison twins amply filled the void, turning a 52-51 deficit with 11:01 remaining into a 68-58 lead with four minutes left. Andrew Harrison and James each scored 18 points with Young adding a key 3-pointer during the 17-6 run that helped Kentucky beat its in-state archrival for the fifth time in six meetings.
Russ Smith scored 19 points but was just 5 of 10 from the foul line for Louisville (11-2).
Gordon lifts No. 23 UMass past Providence in OT
AMHERST, Mass. -- Derrick Gordon's put-back with 1.1 seconds left in overtime lifted 23rd-ranked Massachusetts to a 69-67 victory against Providence on Saturday night.
Gordon grabbed the rebound after a 3-point attempt by Trey Davis came up short. The Friars' Bryce Cotton had tied the score at 67 after connecting from beyond the arc with 37 seconds remaining in the extra session.
Cady Lalanne led UMass (11-1) with 14 points and 11 rebounds with Davis and Sampson Carter each scoring 12 points. Senior point guard Chaz Williams finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out with 1:36 remaining in regulation.
Cotton finished with 24 points, five rebounds and five assists for Providence (10-3). Tyler Harris had 16 points and nine rebounds, and LaDontae Henton added 13 points and seven rebounds.
The Friars forced regulation on the strength of a 13-3 run during the final 4:01 of the second half.
Booker's 19 points lead No. 21 Colorado to win
BOULDER, Colo. -- Askia Booker scored 12 of his 19 points in the second half, and No. 21 Colorado finished strong to beat Georgia 84-70 on Saturday night.
Spencer Dinwiddie added 17 points for Colorado and Josh Scott had 14 points and 13 rebounds for his sixth double-double this season and eighth of his career.
Colorado, which opens Pac-12 play next Thursday against Oregon State, made all 26 of its free throws, including an 8-for-8 from the line by Scott. All five starters for Colorado (11-2) scored in double figures, helping the Buffaloes remain unbeaten at home and match their best start since 1979-80, when they also began the season 11-2.
Nemanja Djurisic and Kenny Gaines had 12 points apiece for Georgia (6-5), which had its five-game winning streak snapped. Brandon Morris and Charles Mann each scored 11 points for the Bulldogs, who started the season 1-4.
Stockton lifts No. 24 Gonzaga past Santa Clara
SPOKANE, Wash. -- David Stockton scored a season-high 21 points as injury-plagued No. 24 Gonzaga beat Santa Clara 74-60 in the teams' West Coast Conference opener on Saturday night.
Kevin Pangos had 17 points on 5-for-8 shooting for the Bulldogs (11-2, 1-0), who have won 12 of the previous 13 conference titles.
Gonzaga was without starting forward Sam Dower Jr., the team's second-leading scorer and rebounder, who was out with a back injury caused by a fall in a recent loss against Kansas State. Pangos, who was averaging a team-high 18.3 points despite dealing with a toe injury, also missed a stretch of the second half while receiving treatment.
Brandon Clark scored 22 points as the Broncos (7-7, 0-1) lost for the seventh consecutive time in Spokane.
No. 25 Missouri beats NC State 68-64
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Jabari Brown hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 55.1 seconds left to help No. 25 Missouri beat North Carolina State 68-64 on Saturday night.
Brown's 3 over Wolfpack freshman Anthony ''Cat'' Barber was the biggest shot in a back-and-forth final 4 minutes that saw the teams trade the lead three times before Brown's shot made it 63-62.
Jordan Clarkson scored 21 points to lead the Tigers (11-1), including two free throws with 20.1 seconds left that pushed the lead to 65-62.
Brown finished with 17, helping Missouri hold on in its first true road game this year. Johnathan Williams hit a free throw with 3.7 seconds left to make it a two-possession game and effectively seal the win.
T.J. Warren scored 24 points to lead the Wolfpack (9-3), but didn't score for the final 12 minutes as N.C. State lost despite twice leading by 10 points.
