Month: February 2020

Keith Williams scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half and Cincinnati rallied from a 15-point deficit in the second half.

CINCINNATI (AP) Keith Williams scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half and Cincinnati rallied from a 15-point deficit in the second half and beat No. 21 Houston 64-62 on Saturday night.

Williams scored on a floater with 2:02 left, giving Cincinnati (14-7, 7-2 American Athletic Conference) its first lead, 61-59, since the Bearcats led 8-5. Williams followed with two free throws, generating roars from the sellout crowd of 12,189.

Despite massive struggles at the free throw line, Jarron Cumberland finished with 17 points for Cincinnati. Cumberland, hitting free throws at a .743 clip entering the game, went 5 for 12.

Trevon Scott matched his season high with 16 points as the Bearcats won their fourth straight.

The Bearcats capitalized on Houston missing 14 of its last 15 shots from the field.

Marcus Sasser scored 17 points to lead the Cougars (17-5, 7-2), who slipped into second place in the AAC.

Nate Hinton added 16 for the Cougars, who had a five-game winning streak snapped.

BIG PICTURE

Houston: The Cougars slipped to 1-17 in program history in Cincinnati.

Cincinnati: The Bearcats moved into a tie with Houston for second place in the AAC.

UP NEXT

Houston: Will Cougars’ coach Kelvin Sampson pay homage to former Houston coach Guy Lewis and clutch a red-and-white polka dot towel on the bench during Thursday’s ”Throwback Thursday” game against Tulane?

Cincinnati: The Bearcats play the first of two straight AAC road games on Thursday at No. 23 Wichita State.

Joiner hurries, hits late 3, Tulsa tops No. 23 Wichita St

McCallum helps Jacksonville hold off North Alabama, 85-83

Javonte Perkins scored a career-high 33 points and Saint Louis defeated Saint Joseph’s 78-73 for the Billikens’ third straight win

Brandon Battle and Jeremy Hamilton scored 14 points apiece and Alabama State closed the game with an 8-0 run to rally past Prairie View A&M 52-49

No. 24 Penn St. rides 2nd-half run to 76-64 win over Huskers

Kameron Edwards scored six of his 27 points after regulation and Pepperdine beat Loyola Marymount 68-67 in overtime

The Tigers hadn’t played a ranked team all season but face league leader No. 22 LSU next Saturday.

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) Samir Doughty scored 23 points while making 14 of 15 free throws and No. 17 Auburn finished strong in a 75-66 win over 13th-ranked Kentucky on Saturday in an NCAA Tournament rematch.

Isaac Okoro made a key 3-pointer and scored 14 points for the Tigers (19-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference), who dominated the final four minutes.

It wasn’t nearly as big as their 77-71 overtime victory over the Wildcats (16-5, 6-2) that vaulted Auburn to its first Final Four last season, but it moved the Tigers into a tie for second place in the SEC.

The Tigers hadn’t played a ranked team all season but face league leader No. 22 LSU next Saturday.

Immanuel Quickley led Kentucky with 23 points before fouling out in the final minute, taking away the Wildcats’ top 3-point shooter with point guard Ashton Hagans already on the bench with five fouls. Tyrese Maxey added 22 points while stars Hagans and Nick Richards struggled.

Hagans fouled out on a steal attempt with 3:36 left and Auburn leading 62-60. He had five points – his second lowest total of the season – and three assists while committing six turnovers.

Richards had seven points, half his season average, and seven rebounds.

Auburn outscored foul-plagued Kentucky 16-6 down the stretch after trailing much of the way. Danjel Purifoy started that hot streak with a 3-pointer and Okoro buried another for a 68-62 lead with 2:36 left.

Kentucky didn’t make a field goal over the final 2:15.

Auburn capped a drama-filled week after rallying from 19 points down in the second half for an 83-82 overtime win over Mississippi.

BIG PICTURE

Kentucky: Fell to 3-2 against ranked teams and forced only seven turnovers.

Auburn: Has won 15 straight home games. The Tigers overcame a poor shooting night after hitting 18 of 51 shots (35.3%).

ESPN GAMEDAY

The disparity in the programs’ history was amplified by ESPN College GameDay’s airing from Auburn for the first time. It was Kentucky’s 19th appearance on the show, second most among programs.

DOUGHTY’S START

Doughty scored 10 points during Auburn’s early 12-1 run, making all seven free throw attempts and a 3-pointer.

UP NEXT

Kentucky hosts Mississippi State on Tuesday night.

Auburn visits Arkansas on Tuesday night.

Vinnie Shahid scored 22 points and Cameron Hunter 20 and North Dakota State pulled away from Purdue Fort Wayne late with a 71-60 win

Darius Quisenberry scored 10 of his 22 points in the final five minutes, leading five into double-figure scoring and Youngstown State defeated IUPUI 91-76