NO. 6 KANSAS 75, NO. 10 WEST VIRGINIA 65
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Perry Ellis had 21 points, Landen Lucas pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds and No. 6 Kansas beat No. 10 West Virginia 75-65 on Tuesday night to forge a three-way tie atop the Big 12.
Frank Mason III added 14 points for the Jayhawks (20-4, 8-3), who handled the Mountaineers' pressure well in avenging a loss lost month in Morgantown that had them playing catch-up in the league race.
Now, they are tied with the Mountaineers (19-5, 8-3) and No. 3 Oklahoma (20-3, 8-3) as they pursue their 12th consecutive championship. All three teams have seven games remaining.
Devin Williams had 14 points and nine rebounds, and Jaysean Paige also had 14 points for the Mountaineers -- though their leading scorer was just 5 of 16 from the field.
Williams in particular had a hard time with Lucas, who had nine points but was ferocious on the defensive end. Along with his rebounding, the junior forward had a career-high four blocks.
Unlike their meeting in Morgantown, the Jayhawks were the ones who dominated the first half Tuesday night. They committed six turnovers -- they had 22 total in the first game -- and shut down West Virginia at the other end, which prevented the Mountaineers from getting into their pressure defense.
In fact, it was Kansas that tried to push the tempo.
Quickly out-letting the ball after every defensive rebound, the Jayhawks rushed up court before the Mountaineers could retreat, often with Mason and Devonte Graham taking it all the way to the rim.
Kansas had built a 36-24 lead by the closing minutes, but Tarik Phillip threw in a prayer off his own miss and Paige curled in a three-pointer at the buzzer to slice into the Mountaineers' deficit.
The Jayhawks used a 13-2 run early in the second half to take a 53-40 lead, their biggest of the game. But the Mountaineers finally got some traction with their press, forcing turnovers on four consecutive possessions, and slowly trimmed the lead to 54-50 with about 8 minutes left in the game.
The decisive point may have come moments later, when Phillip was fouled while driving to the basket. He whipped an elbow that clipped Mason in the chin and was assessed a flagrant foul. So after Phillip air-balled his free throw, Mason made one at the other end to start another Kansas run.
Ellis finished it off with a three-pointer that made it 70-58 with 3:21 to go.
Despite a couple of sloppy moments down the stretch, the Jayhawks were able to coax the final couple minutes off the clock to remain perfect against West Virginia in four games at Allen Fieldhouse.
In other games involving top 25 men’s teams, Josh Hart scored 18 points and No. 1 Villanova celebrated its first game as the nation’s top team with an 86-59 victory over DePaul. Kris Jenkins made 3 three-pointers and finished with 13 points as the Wildcats (21-3, 11-1 Big East) rolled to their 13th victory in their past 14 games. ... No. 2 Maryland got 16 points from Rasheed Sulaimon and cruised past Bowie State 93-62 for its school-record 27th consecutive home victory. Maryland Coach Mark Turgeon went to his bench early and received a solid performance from backup center Michal Cekovsky, who scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half to help the Terrapins take a 47-29 lead. … Maurice Watson scored a career-high 32 points and Creighton rode a fast start to a 70-56 upset of No. 5 Xavier. The Bluejays (16-9, 7-5 Big East) used an early 16-0 run to take a 17-point lead 9 minutes into the game and then held off the Musketeers after they pulled within five with 6 minutes left. … Anthony Gill scored 16 points and No. 7 Virginia turned the tables on state rival Virginia Tech with a 67-49 victory, the Cavaliers’ seventh consecutive. Isaiah Wilkins added a career-best 14 points and Malcolm Brogdon had 12 for the Cavaliers (20-4, 9-3 ACC). ... Raphael Davis made one of two free throws with 4.6 seconds left in overtime to help No. 18 Purdue pull off an 82-81 upset over No. 8 Michigan State. Davis had 24 points and A.J. Hammons had 19 points, 13 rebounds and 8 blocks. … Playing most of the second half without Coach Roy Williams, who left the bench after complaining of vertigo, No. 9 North Carolina rallied to beat Boston College 68-65 thanks to 20 points from Justin Jackson. The Tar Heels (20-4, 9-2 ACC) snapped a two-game losing streak. ... Guard Angel Rodriguez scored on an offensive rebound with 1.4 seconds left, and No. 12 Miami edged Pittsburgh 65-63. With the game tied, the Hurricanes missed two shots in the final 6 seconds and a Pitt player batted the ball before Rodriguez slapped it in the basket from the left side with his left hand. ... Scoochie Smith hit a three-pointer that put No. 19 Dayton ahead to stay as the Flyers overcame a late 12-point deficit and beat Duquesne 76-74. Smith’s three-pointer from the top of the arc put Dayton ahead 73-70 with 46 seconds left, and the Dukes (15-9, 5-6) never pulled even again. Smith hit a free throw with 2.7 seconds left. … Ron Baker and Shaq Morris had 11 points each and No. 25 Wichita State pounded Drake 74-48 for its 12th victory in 13 games. Thirteen players scored for the Shockers (18-5, 12-1 Missouri Valley), who moved within two victories of clinching at least a share of its third consecutive league title.
SEC MEN
NO. 22 KENTUCKY 82,
GEORGIA 48
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Jamal Murray scored 24 points, Tyler Ulis added 14 and No. 22 Kentucky held Georgia to a season-low 22 percent shooting to coast to a victory.
Picking up where he left off after a career-best 35 points on Saturday against Florida, Murray made 8 of 14 from the field including 6 of 10 from three-point range. His accuracy helped spur the Wildcats (18-6, 8-3 SEC) to 52 percent shooting and a surprisingly easy victory over a Bulldogs team that entered as the nation’s No. 6 team and SEC leader in field goal defense.
Georgia (13-9, 6-5) just couldn’t make shots as its two-game winning streak ended. The Bulldogs closed the first half on a 0-for-17 drought and weren’t much better in the second half as they trailed by 37 points in the final minutes.
Yante Maten’s 16 points led the Bulldogs.
In other games involving SEC men, Robert Hubbs III scored 20 points and Devon Baulkman added 14 to end their personal slumps as Tennessee defeated Auburn 71-45 to hand the Tigers their sixth consecutive loss. Auburn (9-14, 3-8) posted its lowest point total of the season and shot a season-low 23.7 percent against a Tennessee (12-12, 5-6) team that entered the night allowing a league-high 78.2 points per game in SEC competition. … Dorian Finney-Smith scored 16 points, leading five Florida players in double figures, and the Gators beat Mississippi 77-72. The game was a nail-biter until the final minute. Florida’s Kasey Hill hit a circus shot with 1:19 remaining and KeVaughn Allen (North Little Rock) followed with a deep three-pointer from the wing that put the game out of reach.
TENNESSEE 71, AUBURN 45
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Robert Hubbs III scored 20 points and Devon Baulkman added 14 to end their personal slumps as Tennessee defeated Auburn to hand the Tigers their sixth consecutive loss.
Hubbs had totaled 12 points and had shot 4 of 17 from the floor over the three games leading up to this one. Baulkman had scored a total of 12 points and had shot a combined 5 of 25 over his last five games.
Auburn (9-14, 3-8) posted its lowest point total of the season and shot a season-low 23.7 percent against a Tennessee (12-12, 5-6) team that entered the night allowing a league-high 78.2 points per game in SEC competition.
The Tigers were playing a second consecutive game without leading scorer Kareem Canty, who is indefinitely suspended.
Sports on 02/10/2016