No. 14 North Carolina beats Davidson 97-85 in OT
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Marcus Paige scored 11 of his 17 points in overtime to help No. 14 North Carolina hold off Davidson 97-85 on Saturday.
Paige missed his first six shots and didn't score until the 8:17 mark of the second half, but took control late to help the Tar Heels (8-3) bounce back from Wednesday's loss to Texas and avoid another surprising home defeat.
J.P. Tokoto posted career-highs of 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead North Carolina, which needed two free throws from Paige with 29.3 seconds left to force the extra session. The Tar Heels dominated the extra period, with Paige scoring in the lane to open the overtime and hitting his only 3-pointer of the game moments later to put UNC in control.
Brian Sullivan had career-highs of 33 points and seven 3-pointers for the Wildcats (4-8), who shot just 2-for-10 in overtime to fade late.
Sullivan had a chance to win it in regulation after Paige's tying free throws but missed a contested 3 over Nate Britt just before the horn. The Tar Heels took control from there, with Paige assisting on Britt's jumper early in the overtime and hitting two free throws before knocking down the 3 that pushed UNC to an 88-80 lead.
No. 3 Ohio State beats Notre Dame 64-61
NEW YORK -- Lenzelle Smith Jr. scored seven of his nine points in the final 33 seconds and No. 3 Ohio State rallied from an eight-point deficit with 1:54 to play to beat Notre Dame 64-61 on Saturday night in the BlackRock Gotham Classic at Madison Square Garden.
The Buckeyes (12-0), who had a woeful second half from the field, closed the game on a 14-3 run and Smith was the key to the closing spurt.
Jerian Grant hit a 3-pointer as the shot clock was expiring to give the Fighting Irish (8-4) a seemingly comfortable 58-50 lead with 1:54 to play.
But the Buckeyes turned up the defensive intensity and they converted consecutive steals into a 58-56 deficit with 40 seconds to go.
No. 5 Michigan State beats Texas 92-78
AUSTIN, Texas -- Adreian Payne scored a career-high 32 points and No. 5 Michigan State dominated the final 11 minutes of a 92-78 victory against Texas on Saturday.
The Spartans (10-1) led for only 56 seconds in the first half as Texas (10-2) controlled the game early.
Michigan State used a 9-2 run to take a 52-50 lead about halfway through the second half. Following two quick buckets by Jonathan Holmes, six Spartans scored during a 14-2 run that put the game away.
Payne made two free throws during that run and went 10 of 13 from the field and 11 of 12 from the free throw line. Gary Harris, who missed three recent games with an ankle injury, scored 19 points while Travis Trice, battling a foot blister, contributed 13 points and was 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
No. 6 Louisville rolls past FIU 85-56
MIAMI -- Russ Smith scored 18 points, Wayne Blackshear added 13 and No. 6 Louisville won its sixth in a row, easing past FIU 85-56 on Saturday night.
Smith had 12 in the first half for the Cardinals (11-1), who never trailed and were rarely threatened, outside of a couple brief early stretches where the game was tight.
Tymell Murphy scored 16 points and former Louisville player Rakeen Buckles added 13 for FIU (8-5), which was coached last season by Richard Pitino, the son of Louisville coach Rick Pitino.
Rick Pitino decided to honor the contract and play FIU, offering to do so in Miami even after his son left the Panthers to take the head coaching job at Minnesota after last season. When Richard Pitino left FIU, Louisville had the option of canceling the series.
Brown scores 23, leads No. 7 Oklahoma St. past No. 20 Colorado
LAS VEGAS -- Markel Brown scored 23 points and had 11 rebounds to lead No. 7 Oklahoma State past No. 20 Colorado 78-73 at the MGM Grand Showcase benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer on Saturday night.
Marcus Smart had 18 points, and Phil Forte added 16 points -- making 4 of 7 from 3-point range -- for Oklahoma State (11-1), which shot 52 percent from the field overall and 62 percent in the second half.
Le'Bryan Nash had 15 points, six rebounds, and three blocked shots as the Cowboys' win snapped Colorado's 10-game winning streak. Brown scored 11 points from the free-throw line to lift Oklahoma State to its fourth consecutive win.
Josh Scott led Colorado (10-2) with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and three steals. Askia Booker scored 19 points and Spencer Dinwiddie added 18.
Hart scores 19, No. 8 Villanova beats Rider 88-67
VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Freshman Josh Hart came off the bench to score 19 points and No. 8 Villanova stayed perfect with an 88-67 rout of Rider on Saturday.
One of 12 unbeaten teams remaining in Division I, the Wildcats (11-0) are off to their best start since the 1961-62 team won its first 12.
JayVaughn Pinkston added 14 points for Villanova, which shot 50 percent from the field in its final non-conference home game of the season.
Anthony Myles, Rider's top scorer had 22 points. Jimmie Taylor added 15 points for Rider (5-5) and Daniel Stewart scored 13.
Villanova's pressure rattled Rider as the Wildcats began to pull away in the second half. With just under 15 minutes to go, Darrun Hilliard picked the pocket of Shawn Valentine in the backcourt and finished with a slam to give Villanova a 56-35 lead.
Hilliard finished with 13 points and has scored in double figures in all but one game this season.
Calliste scores 31, No. 13 Oregon beats BYU in OT
EUGENE, Ore. -- Jason Calliste scored a career-high 31 points and No. 13 Oregon stayed unbeaten, topping BYU 100-96 in overtime on Saturday night.
Joseph Young added 25 points for the Ducks (11-0).
Tyler Haws led the Cougars (8-5) with 32 points and Kyle Collinsworth added 15 points, five rebounds and eight assists.
Both teams went into the game averaging nearly 90 points. Oregon had a chance to win in regulation, but Elgin Cook missed two foul shots with 1.8 seconds, sending it into overtime tied at 84.
Damyean Dotson scored on a drive in the final minute, putting the Ducks ahead for good at 96-94.
Goodwin has 20, No. 15 Memphis tops SE Missouri St
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Shaq Goodwin scored 20 points, Joe Jackson added 16 and No. 15 Memphis pulled away for a 77-65 win against Southeast Missouri State on Saturday night.
Goodwin made 10 of 12 shots and had eight rebounds as the Tigers (8-2) recovered from Tuesday night's 77-75 loss to No. 16 Florida at Madison Square Garden.
Geron Johnson finished with 10 points for Memphis. The Tigers shot 50 percent despite going 2 of 17 from outside the arc.
Tyler Stone led the Redhawks (7-4) with 23 points. Jarekious Bradley added 19 points, while Antonius Cleveland gave Southeast Missouri a second-half push, scoring 11 of his 14 points after the break.
Southeast Missouri stayed close to the Tigers and still was within seven points with under 8 minutes left before the Tigers finally broke away.
The Redhawks had 19 turnovers that led to 24 Memphis points. The Tigers, meanwhile, limited their turnovers to eight.
Gators beat Fresno State 66-49
SUNRISE, Fla. -- Will Yeguete led a strong rebounding effort Saturday by the 16th-ranked Florida Gators, who pulled away in the second half to beat Fresno State 66-49 in the Orange Bowl Classic.
Yeguete had five offensive rebounds and a season-high 10 total for the Gators, who had a 47-24 advantage on the boards, by far their largest this season. Florida won easily despite shooting only 42 percent.
Casey Prater scored 16 points for the Gators (9-2), who won away from Gainesville for the third time this season. Prater was voted the game's most outstanding player.
Scottie Wilbekin added 11 points and Yeguete nine. Patric Young had eight points and nine rebounds.
Fresno State (6-6) lost its third game in a row and fell to 1-5 away from home.
Black, Embiid lead No. 18 Kansas past Hoyas 86-64
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Tarik Black came off the bench to score 17 points, Joel Embiid also had 17 and No. 18 Kansas bludgeoned Georgetown 86-64 on Saturday in the Hoyas' first visit to Allen Fieldhouse.
Andrew Wiggins added 12 points and Naadir Tharpe had 10 for the Jayhawks (8-3), who proved once more why the Phog is such a hostile venue. Kansas pushed its non-conference home winning streak to 67 games by pounding one of the nation's premier programs.
The Hoyas (7-3) tried to use the kind of muscle that has suited them so well in the rough-and-tumble Big East, but all they did was get into debilitating foul trouble.
Markel Starks scored 19 points and D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera had 12 to lead the Hoyas, but they were forced to carry the burden almost entirely by themselves. Bruising big man Josh Smith, who had been averaging 14.1 points, scored just five before fouling out.
The game was so physical that Jayhawks forward Perry Ellis left early in the second half after taking an elbow to the back of his head. Ellis tried to stay in the game but missed a free throw so badly that he took himself out. He never returned from the locker room.
No. 19 Kentucky overcomes Belmont 93-80
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Julius Randle scored a career-high 29 points and led a second-half rally that pushed No. 19 Kentucky past stubborn Belmont 93-80 on Saturday.
A week after a season-worst performance in a loss at North Carolina, Randle, a 6-foot-9 freshman forward, was 8 of 10 from the field and grabbed 10 rebounds. More importantly, he asserted himself late in the first half and throughout the second for the Wildcats (9-3), who found themselves in a battle against the team that upset the Tar Heels earlier this season.
Kentucky trailed until the 16:21 mark of the second half and constantly had to fight off challenges from the Bruins (8-5).
Aaron Harrison added 23 points for the Wildcats while 7-footer Willie Cauley-Stein had 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
The Wildcats finished 32 of 58 from the field (55 percent), outrebounded the Bruins 42-25 and made 26 of 36 free throws.
Craig Bradshaw had 22 points while Drew Windler added 21 on five 3-pointers for the Bruins, who shot 47 percent from the field and were 11 of 30 from behind the arc but still lost their third in a row and fourth in five.
Kansas State beats No. 21 Gonzaga 72-62
WICHITA, Kan. -- Thomas Gipson scored eight of his 14 points in the game's decisive minutes and freshman Marcus Foster also had 14 points as Kansas State outlasted No. 21 Gonzaga 72-62 on Saturday at Intrust Bank Arena.
Wesley Iwundu scored 13 points for the Wildcats (8-3) while Shane Southwell had 11.
Kevin Pangos had 14 points for Gonzaga (10-2) while reserve Drew Barham added 13 and David Stockton and Przemek Karnowski both scored 10.
The Bulldogs entered the game averaging 87.5 points and had not scored fewer than 68 this season.
Gonzaga played the second half without second-leading scorer Sam Dower, who took a hard fall late in the first half and did not return.
Florida State hands No. 22 UMass first defeat, 60-55
SUNRISE, Fla. -- Florida State scored the game's final six points Saturday, including two free throws by Ian Miller with 1:06 left that put the Seminoles ahead, and they handed No. 22 Massachusetts its first defeat of the season 60-55 in the Orange Bowl Classic.
Aaron Thomas scored 18 points for Florida State and was voted the game's most outstanding player. His two free throws with 2 seconds left sealed the victory.
Florida State (8-3) beat a ranked team for the second time this season. UMass (10-1) had been off to its best start since 1995.
Chaz Williams' driving layup put UMass ahead 55-54 with 1:51 to go, but the Minutemen failed to score on their final four possessions while committing two turnovers, including one when Cady Lalanne was called for hanging on the rim.
Abrams, Illinois edge No. 23 Missouri 65-64
ST. LOUIS -- Tracy Abrams scored a season-best 22 points and made two free throws with 4.6 seconds to lift Illinois past No. 23 Missouri 65-64 Saturday in the annual Braggin' Rights game.
Rayvonte Rice added 14 points for Illinois (9-2), which snapped a four-game losing streak in the 33rd renewal of the annual neutral-court matchup.
Jordan Clarkson had 25 points and Earnest Ross added 13 for Missouri (10-1), which entered the game as the lone unbeaten school in the SEC.
Illinois scrambled on its final possession but got a bit of a break when Abrams was fouled by Johnathan Williams III driving the lane.
Shepard leads No. 24 Aztecs to 65-36 victory
SAN DIEGO -- Winston Shepard returned from a one-game suspension to score seven consecutive points during a 13-0 run midway through the second half that helped No. 24 San Diego State pull away from McNeese State for a 65-36 victory Saturday night.
Shepard finished with 14 points while Josh Davis had 12 points and 17 rebounds for SDSU (9-1), which won its eighth game in a row. Aqeel Quinn had 12 points and Matt Shrigley 11.
Ledrick Eackles scored 13 points for McNeese State (2-9), which is in a stretch of nine games away from home in a span of 46 days.
After leading just 21-18 at halftime, the Aztecs finally came to life in the second half.
With the Aztecs trailing 25-23, Aqeel Quinn hit a 3-pointer from the left corner, SDSU's first shot from beyond the arc in 14 tries, to start the 13-0 run with 14:56 to go. Shepard then scored the next seven points, on a free throw, a runner in the lane, a layup and two more free throws.
Xavier Thames ended the run with a 3-pointer for a 36-25 lead with 11:28 to go.
