WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Jarace Walker had 15 points, including a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 4:27 left, and No. 3 Houston rallied past Wichita State 70-61 on Thursday night.
Marcus Sasser also scored 15 for the Cougars (21-2, 9-1 American Athletic Conference), who trailed by six midway through the second half before Walker connected on a trio of timely 3s.
Jamal Shead added 13 points and seven assists. All five starters scored in double digits to help Houston win its third straight since a one-point loss to Temple.
Jaykwon Walton equaled his career high with 24 points for the Shockers (11-11, 4-6), who went 3 for 20 from 3-point range and shot 39% overall. James Rojas added 15 points and seven rebounds.
NO. 5 ARIZONA 91, OREGON 76
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Azuolas Tubelis scored 40 points, most by an Arizona player in 28 years, and the Wildcats avenged an earlier loss to Oregon.
The Ducks (13-10, 7-5 Pac-12) manhandled Arizona 87-68 at home last month in Arizona’s biggest loss under coach Tommy Lloyd.
The Wildcats (20-3, 10-3) returned the favor with a dominant performance, riding an early 21-2 run to a 15-point halftime lead. Arizona kept its foot on the gas from there, shooting 54% and dishing out 23 assists on 31 field goals.
The 6-foot-11 Tubelis overpowered and outran the Ducks in transition, hitting 16 of 21 shots. It was the most points by an Arizona player since Damon Stoudamire had 40 against Washington State in 1995.
Tubelis didn’t score in the final 7 1/2 minutes and fell one point shy of the McKale Center record set in 1976 by Al Fleming, who was honored posthumously at halftime.
Will Richardson had 20 points to lead the Ducks, who trailed by 20 before making a late run.
NO. 9 UCLA 70, WASHINGTON 61
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 15 points and 10 rebounds, Amari Bailey scored 13 and UCLA defeated Washington.
UCLA completed a season sweep of the Huskies and stopped a two-game skid that had followed a 14-game winning streak. The Bruins (18-4, 9-2 Pac-12) also remained in first place in the conference standings.
Keion Brooks Jr. led Washington (13-11, 5-8) with 23 points.
NO. 12 GONZAGA 88, SANTA CLARA 70
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Drew Timme scored 15 points and surpassed 2,000 for his career, leading Gonzaga past Santa Clara.
Timme, who also had 10 rebounds, became the third player in school history to reach the milestone. He needs eight points to pass Jim McPhee for second on Gonzaga’s career scoring list. Timme also needs to average 18.9 points over the next 10 games to pass Frank Burgess for the top spot.
After having its 75-game home win streak snapped against Loyola Marymount, the Bulldogs (19-4, 8-1 West Coast Conference) beat Santa Clara at home for the 15th straight time.
Rasir Bolton scored 16 points and Julian Strawther added 12 for Gonzaga.
Carlos Stewart had 22 points for Santa Clara (16-8, 4-5).
NO. 18 SAINT MARY’S 68, SAN FRANCISCO 59
MORAGA, Calif. (AP) — Randy Bennett earned his 500th win as Saint Mary’s coach when the Gaels beat San Francisco 68-59 for their 11th straight victory.
Alex Ducas had 18 points and Aidan Mahaney scored 13 of his 17 in the second half to lead the Gaels (20-4, 9-0 West Coast Conference).
Saint Mary’s has won at least 20 games in 15 of the last 16 seasons — missing out only in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season — and Bennett’s 500 wins are the sixth-most among active coaches at their current school.
Khalil Shabazz scored 16 points and Marcus Williams added 15 for San Francisco (15-10, 4-6).
UAB 86, NO. 19 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 77
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Eric Gaines scored 21 points and UAB ended Florida Atlantic’s 20-game winning streak, which was the longest in the nation.
The Owls (21-2, 10-1 Conference USA) hadn’t lost since falling 80-67 to Mississippi on Nov. 11. They made their debut 2 1/2 weeks ago in the AP Top 25.
Jordan “Jelly” Walker had 13 points and six assists for UAB (16-7, 7-5) in his return from a foot injury that had sidelined him since Jan. 11.
The Blazers closed the first half on a 14-2 run for a 43-30 lead.
Nick Boyd led Florida Atlantic with 18 points, and Johnell Davis had 17 on 5-of-19 shooting.
___
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
