Craft comes alive in No. 7 OSU's 65-50 win
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Lenzelle Smith Jr. scored 20 points and Aaron Craft had all 10 of his points in a second-half surge to lead No. 7 Ohio State past Wyoming 65-50 on Monday night.
Craft was scoreless and having a forgettable game until he began driving and scored 10 of the Buckeyes' 13 points during an 13-4 run that turned the tide.
Amir Williams added 12 points and a career-high 16 rebounds - six more than his previous best - for Ohio State (5-0).
Larry Nance Jr., son of the former Cleveland Cavaliers star, had 17 points and 12 rebounds despite heavy foul trouble for the Cowboys (4-2).
Wyoming, down as many as 10 points in the first half and 38-34 at the break, went on an 8-0 run to build a 42-39 lead with 15 minutes left.
The Buckeyes stormed back scoring the next six points to take a 45-43 lead on Craft's second consecutive driving layup in traffic.
No. 3 Kentucky rallies past Cleveland State, 68-61
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Andrew Harrison's three-point play broke a 57-all tie before twin brother Aaron followed with a 3-pointer with 1:20 remaining, helping No. 3 Kentucky escape stubborn Cleveland State 68-61 on Monday night.
Trailing 54-44 with 7:41 remaining and needing a breakthrough against the Vikings, the brothers helped the Wildcats close with a 24-7 run including a pair of Aaron Harrison lobs inside to Willie Cauley-Stein for dunks along with a three-point play with 3:55 left to tie it at 54.
After Bryn Forbes' 3-pointer tied it at 57, Andrew Harrison followed with his drive and free throw before Aaron Harrison added a jumper from long range for a six-point lead. Andrew Harrison scored 12 as the brothers combined for 23.
Julius Randle led Kentucky (5-1) with 15 points and 15 rebounds on a night the Wildcats shot just 36 percent.
Forbes' 22 points led the Vikings (3-3).
Smart scores 25, No. 5 Oklahoma State routs USF
TAMPA, Fla. -- Marcus Smart and Markel Brown scored 25 points apiece, leading No. 5 Oklahoma State to a 93-67 victory against South Florida on Monday night.
The Cowboys (5-0) were barely tested in the early-season matchup of unbeaten teams. There were eight lead changes in the opening minutes, however Smart put a big exclamation mark on a 23-point opening-half with a buzzer-beating shot from beyond half-court to put Oklahoma State up by 16 at halftime.
That was as close as South Florida (4-1) would get the rest of the way.
John Egbunu led USF with 15 points and eight rebounds. Victor Rudd had 14 points and Chris Perry finished with 10.
No. 8 Syracuse outlasts Minnesota 75-67 in Maui
LAHAINA, Hawaii -- C.J. Fair scored 16 points and had 10 rebounds as No. 8 Syracuse held off Minnesota 75-67 on Monday in the first round of the Maui Invitational.
The Orange (5-0) pushed through a late run by the Golden Gophers, who pulled within 67-65 with little more than two minutes left.
But Minnesota (5-1) committed four turnovers in the final two minutes, scoring only once more when Austin Hollins hit a meaningless layup in the game's final moments.
Trevor Cooney scored 15 points all on 3-pointers, while Tyler Ennis and Jerami Grant scored 12 points each.
Malik Smith had 16 points for Minnesota.
Syracuse led by only three points at halftime. But the Orange started the second half with a 13-2 run mostly led by Fair, who hit two jumpers, two free throws and a tip-in as Syracuse tallied 10 consecutive points.
Dayton upsets No. 11 Gonzaga in Maui
LAHAINA, Hawaii -- Jordan Sibert scored 23 points, Dyshawn Pierre hit four free throws with less than 30 seconds left and Dayton rallied to knock off Gonzaga 84-79 in the Maui Invitational.
Kyle Dranginis missed an open 3-pointer that could have tied it for the Bulldogs in the final seconds. Gonzaga (4-1) led by as many as 16 in the first half.
Sibert had 16 points in the second half as the Flyers (5-0) came back to give the early-season tournament its first major upset.
Dayton took its first lead during a 7-0 run with less than 12 minutes to play after cutting into Gonzaga's lead as soon as the second half began.
Kevin Pangos led the Bulldogs with 27 points and nearly led a comeback to save his team. But he fouled out in the final minute and was unable to contribute to Gonzaga's last two possessions.
Baker paces No. 12 WSU in 90-72 rout of DePaul
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Ron Baker scored 21 points, Tekele Cotton added 17 and No. 12 Wichita State seized control against DePaul with a big first-half run Monday night before cruising to a 90-72 victory in the semifinals of the CBE Classic.
Cleanthony Early added 15 points for the Shockers (6-0), who knocked off the Blue Demons last year during a tournament in Cancun before marching all the way to the Final Four.
They're proving that inspired NCAA tournament run was no fluke, either. Wichita State has barely been tested this season, though that should change Tuesday night. The Shockers will face BYU, which held off Texas 86-82 earlier in the night, in the other tournament semifinal game.
Brandon Young had 16 points and Tommy Hamilton scored 14 for DePaul (3-2), which has lost 44 consecutive games against top 25 teams since beating Villanova in 2008.
No. 15 Florida handles Jacksonville 86-60
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Casey Prather scored 27 points, Michael Frazier II added 17 and No. 15 Florida handled Jacksonville 86-60 on Monday night.
The Gators (5-1) won their fourth consecutive game following a loss at 10th-ranked Wisconsin two weeks ago. The latest victory was a final tuneup before the team's toughest stretch of the season - games against Florida State, Connecticut, Kansas and Memphis.
It should help that point guard Scottie Wilbekin, who started after being suspended the first five games of the season and an exhibition for an undisclosed violation of team rules, finished with 12 points, seven assists, five rebounds and just two turnovers. Dorian Finney-Smith added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the visitors. Patric Young chipped in 13 points.
Jarvis Haywood led the Dolphins (2-4) with 16 points. Vince Martin added 11 points and 10 boards.
Wilbekin was instrumental in getting Florida's offense in rhythm early. The Gators led 16-5 after Frazier's second 3-pointer and made it 28-10 on Jacob Kurtz's layup. Wilbekin's driving layup with 6:05 remaining in the half was his first bucket of the season. His runner in the lane just before the buzzer put Florida ahead 48-29 at the break.
The Gators started the second half much like they did the first, using a 10-4 spurt to turn a double-digit lead into a lopsided affair.
No. 17 Iowa State thumps UMKC 110-51
AMES, Iowa -- DeAndre Kane had 20 points and eight rebounds, and 17th-ranked Iowa State trounced UMKC 110-51 Monday night for its fifth consecutive win.
Sherron Dorsey-Walker added 17 points for the Cyclones (5-0), who used a 27-0 run midway through the first half to put away the Kangaroos.
Iowa State, which was hosting a game as a ranked team for the first time in eight years, held UMKC scoreless for 7 1/2 minutes and led 52-17 at halftime.
The Cyclones also finished with their most points under fourth-year coach Fred Hoiberg.
Martez Harrison had 14 points to lead UMKC (1-4). The Kangaroos shot just 29.5 percent and lost for the third time in four games.
No. 18 Baylor beats Chaminade 93-77 in Maui
LAHAINA, Hawaii -- Gary Franklin scored 20 points and No. 18 Baylor easily beat Division II Chaminade 93-77 on Monday night at the Maui Invitational.
The Bears overcame a 42-point effort from Chaminade's Christophe Varidel, who fell one point shy of the tournament record of 43 points, scored by Gonzaga's Adam Morrison in a triple-overtime game in 2005. His 10 3-pointers set their own record.
Four players besides Franklin scored in double figures for the Bears (5-0), who put the game away decisively in the second half after going into halftime with a 3-point lead.
Cory Jefferson had 15 points and nine rebounds, including an alley-oop and layup early in the second half that game Baylor its first double-digit lead against Chaminade (2-1).
Baylor shot 50 percent for the game, including just under 61 percent in the first half.
Sun Devils pull out 79-77 win against Marquette
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Jahii Carson scored 23 points and Jordan Bachynski swatted Derrick Wilson's runner at the buzzer for his seventh block, helping Arizona State knock off No. 25 Marquette 79-77 on Monday night to remain undefeated.
The Sun Devils (6-0) led by 15 in the first half, but had to withstand a late rally by the Golden Eagles.
With Arizona State leading 78-77 Jermaine Marshall hit 1 of 2 free throws with 7 seconds left, giving Marquette (3-2) a final shot.
Wilson managed to get into the lane, but the 7-foot-2 Bachynski roamed across the lane to knock the ball away, then was swarmed by teammates as he lied on the floor.
Bachynski had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Marshall had 23 points for Arizona State, off to its best start since opening the 1980-81 season with seven consecutive wins.
