AMES, Iowa — Jameel McKay scored 18 points with eight rebounds, and No. 4 Iowa State held off Arkansas-Pine Bluff 78-64 Sunday for its ninth consecutive victory.
Matt Thomas had 17 points in his first start of the season for the Cyclones (9-0). They rested guard Naz Mitrou-Long, who is still working his way back from offseason surgery to repair both hips.
The Golden Lions (2-8) hangs awhile for about 35 minutes against an Iowa State team three days removed from an 83-82 victory over rival Iowa. But Monte Morris’ alley-oop to McKay gave the Cyclones a 70-54 lead with just more than five minutes left.
Ghiavonni Robinson scored 15 points for UAPB, which lost its third consecutive.
This was Iowa State’s second-to-last game against a low-major opponent. UAPB caused more problems for the Cyclones than most thought it could.
Iowa State was sloppy from the outset, turning the ball over seven times in the first 10 minutes. It didn’t take its lead of 10 or more points until late in the first half, when two free throws by Abdel Nader put the Cyclones up 33-23.
The Golden Lions played at times as well as they have all season, and some defensive lapses kept Iowa State from making the kind of big run that would’ve put them away earlier. The Cyclones also committed 13 turnovers, but the game was never really in doubt.
Morris, whose floater with 9 seconds left beat the Hawkeyes, had 12 points and 11 assists for his third double-double this season.
NO. 9 VILLANOVA 76,
LA SALLE 47
VILLANOVA, Pa. — Josh Hart scored 18 points and Ryan Arcidiacono had 14 to lead No. 9 Villanova past La Salle. The Wildcats (8-1) bounced back from their first loss of the season, 78-55 to No. 7 Oklahoma on Monday. They hit 13 three-pointers and had 24 assists on 28 baskets and again flexed their muscle as the class of Philadelphia basketball.
The Wildcats have won 12 consecutive games in the Big 5, round-robin play among five Philadelphia Division I basketball teams that dates to 1955. Hart connected on two consecutive three-pointers midway through the first half to open a double-digit lead, and Villanova dominated from there.
NO. 13 ARIZONA 88,
MISSOURI 52
TUCSON, Ariz. — Mark Tollefsen scored 17 points, Gabe York added 16 and No. 13 Arizona jumped on Missouri early in a rout.
Arizona (9-1) made easy work of Missouri (5-4), racing out to an 11-point lead in the opening minutes and pushing it to 19 by halftime
Ryan Anderson had 14 points and nine rebounds, Allonzo Trier added 15 points and Arizona shot 56 percent.
Freshmen Kevin Puryear and Terrence Phillips, Missouri’s two leading scores, combined for 11 points on 4-of-19 shooting.
NO. 14 WEST VIRGINIA 100, LOUISIANA-MONROE 58
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Jevon Carter scored 21 points and No. 14 West Virginia reached triple digits for the third time in nine games this season, rebounding from its first loss with a victory over Louisiana-Monroe.
Daxter Miles Jr. added 18 points for the Mountaineers (8-1), who set a season high with 15 three-pointers following a 70-54 loss to No. 10 Virginia on Tuesday night at the Jimmy V Classic in New York.
Devin Williams had 12 points and 10 rebounds for West Virginia. Paige scored 14, and Tarik Phillip added 10.
Jamaal Samuel scored the first 15 points for the Warhawks (4-5) and finished with 19.
Sports on 12/14/2015