Dotson scores 22, leads No. 3 Kansas past Tennessee 74-68
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Devon Dotson scored 22 points, Udoka Azubuike added 18 and No. 3 Kansas beat Tennessee 74-68 Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
Azubuike was the lone big man for the Jayhawks (16-3) after Silvio De Sousa was suspended 12 games and David McCormack banned five for their roles in a brawl Tuesday against Kansas State.
After Azubuike went to the bench with two fouls early, Yves Pons hit consecutive 3-pointers to put the Volunteers (12-7) on a 14-2 run for a 20-13 lead. Kansas answered when Azubuike checked back in, stringing together a 12-0 run en route to a 37-30 lead at halftime.
Azubuike finished with 11 rebounds and four blocks.
Pons led the Volunteers with 24 points, and Jordan Bowden knocked down three 3-pointers and finished with 19 points after a scoreless first half.
NO. 6 LOUISVILLE 80, CLEMSON 62
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Darius Perry set career highs with 19 points and five 3-pointers, and Louisville beat Clemson for its sixth straight win.
The Cardinals (17-3, 8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) pulled away with a 20-0 first-half run and shot 66% before halftime.
Perry finished 7 of 12 from the field and 5 of 6 from deep to eclipse his previous high of 17 points last reached against Vermont on Nov. 16, 2018. The junior point guard also had five rebounds.
Freshman Samuell Williamson scored 14 points off the bench, Steven Enoch had 11 points and seven rebounds, and Jordan Nwora scored 10 points for Louisville.
Clemson (10-9, 4-5) had won four of five, including victories at North Carolina and over then-No. 3 Duke. Clyde Trapp had 11 points for the Tigers.
NO. 9 VILLANOVA 64, PROVIDENCE 60
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Collin Gillespie grabbed a rebound and found Jeremiah Robinson-Earl on the fast break for a dunk as Villanova turned back a Providence rally with 55 seconds left for its sixth straight win.
Gillespie, who also hit a pair of free throws with 28 seconds to play, scored 18 and had eight rebounds for the Wildcats (16-3, 6-1 Big East). Robinson-Earl finished with 17 points, making one of two foul shots with 13 seconds left to keep it a two-possession game.
Nate Watson had 18 points and nine rebounds and David Duke had 11 and 10 for Providence (11-10, 4-4). The Friars have lost four of five — with all of the losses coming against ranked teams.
NO. 14 WEST VIRGINIA 74, MISSOURI 51
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Jermaine Haley had 15 points and nine rebounds, Miles McBride scored 15 points and West Virginia broke open a close game with a huge run early in the second half to beat cold-shooting Missouri.
West Virginia’s Bob Huggins earned his 876th win, tying Adolph Rupp for seventh place on the NCAA Division I coaching list.
Oscar Tshiebwe added 14 points and eight rebounds, Gabe Osabuohien grabbed 12 rebounds and Derek Culver had 11 rebounds for the Mountaineers (16-3).
Torrence Watson scored 19 points to lead Missouri (9-10).
NO. 16 AUBURN 80, IOWA STATE 76
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Isaac Okoro scored 19 points, Samir Doughty had 18 and Auburn held off Iowa State.
Okoro had 10 straight points to help the Tigers (17-2) take a 76-62 lead with under six minutes to play. The Cyclones (9-10) responded with 10 points in a row.
Okoro, a true freshman, hit two foul shots with nine seconds left to seal it.
Rasir Bolton led the Cyclones with 23 points and Tyrese Haliburton, the team’s leading scorer going into the game, added 12.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Kendric Davis had 20 points and five assists, Emmanuel Bandoumel added 14 and SMU used a late run to knock off Memphis.
Isiaha Mike scored 13 points, all in the second half, and Tyson Jolly finished with 10 as the Mustangs (15-4, 5-2 American Athletic Conference) won their third straight.
D.J. Jeffries led Memphis (14-5, 3-3) with 18 points, while Precious Achiuwa had 15 points and nine rebounds. The loss was the Tigers’ second straight and fourth in the last six.
NO. 21 ILLINOIS 64, MICHIGAN 62
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Ayo Dosunmu hit a contested jumper from the free throw line with 0.5 seconds remaining to lift Illinois over Michigan.
The Illini (15-5, 7-2) moved into sole possession of first place in the Big Ten for the moment, and they extended their winning streak to six. Michigan (11-8, 2-6) has dropped four in a row and may have lost forward Isaiah Livers again to an injury.
Dosunmu finished with 27 points.
Livers returned for Michigan after missing six games with a groin injury, but he left in the second half after appearing to hurt himself again.
NO. 24 RUTGERS 75, NEBRASKA 72
PISCATAWAY, NJ (AP) — Geo Baker hit a 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left as Rutgers extended its home winning streak to 14 games with a win over Nebraska.
Rutgers had four double-digit scorers, with Akwaski Yeboah leading the way with 20 points. Caleb McConnell and Jacob Young each had 12 and Montez Mathis 10.
Rutgers (15-5, 6-3 Big Ten) was up by 14 early in the second half before Nebraska (7-13, 2-7 Big Ten) went on a 22-7 run for a short-lived lead.
Nebraska, down 38-33 at the half, was led by Cam Mack with 19 points while Thorir Thorbjarnarson had 17 points and eight rebounds.
