SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Rasir Bolton scored 24 points, Drew Timme added 22, and No. 2 Gonzaga beat cold-shooting No. 4 Kentucky 88-72 on Sunday night in the off-campus Spokane Arena.
Julian Strawther had 20 points and 14 rebounds for Gonzaga (3-1).
Oscar Tshiebwe had 20 points and 15 rebounds for Kentucky (3-2), but was in foul trouble much of the second half.
Kentucky shot just 39% in the game, compared to 56% for Gonzaga.
The Bulldogs led 25-15 with less than eight minutes left in the first, thanks to holding the Wildcats to 4-of-22 shooting. But Gonzaga committed eight turnovers to help keep Kentucky in the game.
Gonzaga went on a 14-3 run to expand its cushion to 41-25 by halftime. Tshiebwe, the reigning player of the year, had 14 points in the first half to lead all scorers.
NO. 5 BAYLOR 80, NO. 8 UCLA 75
LAS VEGAS (AP) — LJ Cryer scored 28 points in a potential March preview to lead Baylor over UCLA in the consolation game of the Continental Tire Main Event.
The top-10 teams know what it’s like to go deep into the NCAA Tournament, with Baylor winning the national championship two seasons ago and UCLA making the Final Four the same year.
This game had postseason intensity with 13 lead changes until the Bears (4-1) took the lead for good at 61-53 with an 11-point run midway through the second half. UCLA (3-2) stayed within range, but didn’t catch Baylor.
Cryer helped make sure of that, as did Adam Flagler, who scored 22 points.
NO. 1 NORTH CAROLINA 80, JAMES MADISON 64
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — RJ Davis scored 21 points, Armando Bacot had 19 points and 23 rebounds and North Carolina defeated James Madison to improve to 4-0.
Pete Nance added 11 points and Leaky Black had 12 rebounds as the Tar Heels concluded a four-game homestand.
Takal Molson scored 19 points in James Madison’s first game against a top-ranked team in nearly 32 years. Mezie Offurum had 12 points, Julien Wooden added 11 and Vado Morse finished with 10 for the Dukes (4-1).
North Carolina built a 21-point first-half lead to take control early before holding a 45-26 advantage at halftime.
The Dukes, who averaged 105.1 points in four romps, didn’t reach the 50-point mark until less than 7 1/2 minutes remained in the game.
NO. 3 HOUSTON 66, OREGON 56
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Senior point guard Marcus Sasser scored 16 points to lead Houston over Oregon.
Freshman Terrance Arceneaux scored a career-high 15 points while Jamal Shead added 13 for Houston, which made 11-of-22 3-pointers. Jarace Walker scored 10 as the Cougars improved to 5-0.
Senior center N’Faly Dante led Oregon (2-2) with 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. Will Richardson added 13 points and Quincy Guerrier scored 10 points.
Oregon lost junior guard Keeshawn Barthelemy to a left leg injury in the first half. The 6-foot-2 transfer from Colorado was averaging 10.7 points and 2.7 assists in the first three games.
NO. 16 VIRGINIA 70, NO. 19 ILLINOIS 61
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Reece Beekman and his Virginia Cavaliers capped an emotional week by going on a late 13-point run to defeat Illinois and win the Continental Tire Main Event.
The Cavaliers (4-0) trailed 58-56 with 3 1/2 minutes left when they broke away from Illinois (4-1).
Beekman scored 17 points and was the tournament MVP. Kihei Clark and Jayden Gardner each had 12 for Virginia.
Jayden Epps had 14 points and Coleman Hawkins 10 for the Illini.
The game was played exactly a week after Virginia football players Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry were fatally shot after a field trip to see a play in Washington. Former Virginia football player Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. faces three counts of second-degree murder and other charges.
Virginia players wore shirts to honor those killed and locked arms in tribute before the game.
NO. 12 INDIANA 86, MIAMI (OHIO) 56
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Senior All-American center Trayce Jackson-Davis scored nine of a game-high 17 points for Indiana, which closed the first half on a 22-6 run and cruised to a victory over Miami (Ohio) in the Hoosier Classic.
The Hoosiers were clinging to a 21-20 lead with 7:43 remaining when Jackson-Davis threw down an alley-oop dunk. Tamar Bates added another one, then Jackson-Davis converted a three-point play.
Indiana (4-0) led 43-26 at half, a margin that grew to 34 at one point in the second half.
Jackson-Davis finished with 16 rebounds for the 33rd double-double of his career. Jalen Hood-Schifino added 12 points for the Hoosiers.
Julian Lewis and Mekhi Lairy each had 12 points for the Redhawks (1-3).
NO. 20 MICHIGAN 70, OHIO 66, OT
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Hunter Dickinson scored 24 points and had 14 rebounds to help Michigan beat Ohio in overtime.
Michigan’s Kobe Bufkin hit a pair of free throws with 2.1 seconds left in regulation, then the Bobcats’ Dwight Wilson tied the game at the buzzer. After a video review, the basket stood. The Wolverines ended up outscoring Ohio 7-3 in overtime.
Jett Howard added 13 for the Wolverines (4-1).
Wilson had 21 points to lead Ohio (1-3), while Jaylin Hunter had 14 points and Miles Brown 11.
Ohio led most of the first half, but Michigan went on a 15-4 run to end the half to take a 33-31 lead. Dickinson scored Michigan’s last eight points, ending the run with a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
NO. 24 TEXAS A&M 67, LOYOLA CHICAGO 49
CONWAY, S.C. (AP) — Backup Henry Coleman III scored 13 points and Julius Marble scored 11 points in Texas A&M’s win over Loyola Chicago in the Myrtle Beach Invitational.
Tyrece Radford made a layup to break a 9-all tie and the Aggies led the rest of the game. Texas A&M built a 33-22 halftime lead and extended it to 52-32 on Marble’s layup with 9:53 remaining.
Despite shooting 4 for 17 from beyond the 3-point line, Texas A&M (3-2) went 18 for 32 inside the arc.
Philip Alston scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Loyola Chicago (2-3).
NO. 25 UCONN 95, DELAWARE STATE 60
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Adama Sanogo scored 26 points to lead UConn over Delaware State.
Donovan Clingan had 16 points and three blocked shots, Jordan Hawkins finished 11 points and nine rebounds, Joe Calcaterra added 11 points, five rebounds and five assists and Alex Karaban scored 10 points for unbeaten UConn (5-0).
Jevin Muniz scored 21 points and Kyle Johnson added 15 for Delaware State (1-4).
The Hornets played without leading scorer Brendon Stone, who is averaging 15.8 points and 7.8 rebounds. That left Raymond Somerville as the only Delaware State player to start every game this season.
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