CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jeremiah Fears buried a 3-pointer with 11.5 seconds left and drew a foul, then calmly sank the ensuing free throw for a four-point play as No. 14 Oklahoma edged 24th-ranked Michigan 87-86 on Tuesday night in a wild finish at the Jumpman Invitational.
Fears finished with 30 points on 8-of-12 shooting as the Sooners (11-0) remained unbeaten. Duke Miles had 17 points, including two big 3s in the second half.
Vladislav Goldin finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Danny Wolf had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolverines (8-3).
The Wolverines were in control most of the game and had a three-point lead and the ball with 30 seconds left before a turnover gave the Sooners a chance.
After several passes around the perimeter, Fears broke free and made a 30-footer from the left wing and fell back as he was fouled by Roddy Gayle Jr. The Wolverines still had a chance to win the game on their final possession, but Tre Donaldson missed a 3-pointer and Wolf couldn’t get the offensive rebound off before the clock expired.
NO. 6 ALABAMA 97, NORTH DAKOTA 90
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — Grant Nelson had 23 points and 10 rebounds in his return to his home state and No. 6 Alabama overcame Treysen Eaglestaff’s big night to hold off North Dakota.
Mark Sears had 23 points and Labaron Philon added 16 for the Crimson Tide (9-2) Alabama rebounded from a sloppy start to shoot 59% and commit just one turnover in the second half.
Alabama coach Nate Oats scheduled the game as a favor to Nelson, who grew up 90 minutes away in Devils Lake and is in his second season with the Crimson Tide after transferring from North Dakota State.
Eaglestaff overshadowed Nelson’s homecoming with career highs of 40 points and eight 3-pointers as the 24 1/2-point-underdog Fighting Hawks (4-9) made it a game to the end.
Alabama had 13 turnovers in the opening half and missed nine of its first 12 shots. The Hawks led for 17 of the first 20 minutes, with Amar Kuljuhovic and Eaglestaff hitting back-to-back 3s for a nine-point cushion before the Tide cut it to 38-35 at the half.
NO. 9 MARQUETTE 80, BUTLER 70
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Kam Jones scored 23 points and No. 9 Marquette committed just two turnovers in a victory over Butler in the Big East opener for both teams.
Marquette (10-2, 1-0) had its lowest turnover total since Jan. 8, 2011, when it also had two turnovers in an 89-81 loss at Pittsburgh, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
David Joplin and Stevie Mitchell scored 15 points each for Marquette, which rallied from a 35-32 halftime deficit.
The Golden Eagles bounced back three nights after squandering a 13-point lead in a 71-63 loss at Dayton.
Butler (7-5, 0-1) lost its fourth straight despite shooting 51.1% from the floor.
Jahmyl Telfort and Kolby King scored 16 points each for Butler. Patrick McCaffery had 13.
NO. 11 UCONN 94, XAVIER 89, OT
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Alex Karaban had seven of his 20 points in overtime to lead No. 11 UConn to a victory over Xavier in the Big East opener for both teams.
Solo Ball led the Huskies (9-3) with 22 points and Tarris Reed Jr. had 20, including four in OT. Reed also grabbed 13 rebounds.
Liam McNeeley hit two free throws with 12 seconds to play in regulation after Xavier’s Dante Maddox Jr. tied the game with his fifth 3-pointer of the game. A late foul by UConn allowed Maddox to tie the game again with a pair of foul shots with 9.4 seconds remaining.
Ryan Conwell had 23 points and Maddox finished with 22 for Xavier (8-4).
Both teams were missing key players. A lower-body injury will sideline Zach Freemantle, Xavier’s leading scorer and rebounder, indefinitely. UConn was without starting center Samson Johnson (concussion protocol.)
NO. 13 GONZAGA 102, NICHOLLS 72
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Braden Huff scored 25 points off the bench and No. 13 Gonzaga overcame a slow start to roll past Nicholls.
Graham Ike added 20 points and six rebounds, and Ryan Nembhard had 18 points and 10 assists to help the Bulldogs (8-3) bounce back from a 77-71 loss last week to No. 11 UConn at Madison Square Garden.
Bryon Ireland led Nicholls (7-5) with 16 points, including eight in the first half.
Gonzaga didn’t make a 3-pointer for nearly 15 minutes but surged ahead with a 22-4 run over the final seven minutes of the half. Huff sparked the run with back-to-back layups, followed by Ike’s 3-pointer — the team’s first of the game. Nembhard added another 3-pointer in the final minute, giving the Zags a 43-29 lead at halftime.
NO. 15 HOUSTON 78, TOLEDO 49
HOUSTON (AP) — Terrance Arceneaux had a career-high 16 points and added nine rebounds off the bench, Joseph Tugler scored 13 points and No. 15 Houston beat Toledo.
Emanuel Sharp scored all 13 of his points in the first half, and Milos Uzan and Mylik Wilson had 10 points apiece for Houston (7-3), which won its 28th straight home game. The Cougars shot 45%, but were 4 of 24 on 3-pointers.
Sharp exited the game less than a minute into the contest, hobbling to the bench after appearing to get his feet tangled up with Jaylan Ouwinga. He returned less than five minutes later.
Sam Lewis had 14 points, and Javan Simmons scored nine points for Toledo (6-5). The Rockets shot 30% and were 5 of 18 on 3-pointers.
NO. 21 MEMPHIS 64, VIRGINIA 62
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — PJ Haggety scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half and No. 21 Memphis shook off a slow start to beat Virginia.
The Tigers (9-2) trailed 30-21 at halftime and took their first lead at 39-37 on a goaltending call in what became a 26-7 burst that gave them a 47-39 lead.
Tyrese Hunter and Dain Dainja scored 12 points each for the Tigers. Dainja had 11 rebounds.
Elijah Saunders scored 15 points and Taine Murray 14 for Virginia (6-5). The Cavaliers lost at home for the first time this season.
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