Hawkins scores 22 as No. 2 UConn beats Villanova 74-66
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Jordan Hawkins scored 22 points to help No. 2 UConn edge Villanova 74-66 on Wednesday night.
Freshman Alex Karaban added 15 points and Andre Jackson Jr. had 10 for the Huskies (14-0, 3-0 Big East).
Hawkins scored in double figures for the sixth straight time and had his fourth 20-point game of the season.
Caleb Daniels led Villanova (7-6, 1-1) with 23 points. Eric Dixon had 18 and Brandon Slater finished with 10.
A 16-3 run early in the second half helped the Huskies create some separation, taking a 49-39 lead with 12:13 left.
NO. 3 HOUSTON 89, TULSA 50
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — J’Wan Roberts scored 15 points, and Houston routed Tulsa in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
Tramon Mark and Emanuel Sharp each had 14 points for the Cougars (13-1), who shot 59% (36 of 61) from the field.
Mark left with 17:51 remaining because of an apparent leg injury and did not return.
Bryant Selebangue led Tulsa (4-8) with 13 points.
Houston used a couple of big runs to pull away to a 43-26 halftime advantage, then opened the second half with a 12-2 burst.
NO. 7 TENNESSEE 63, MISSISSIPPI 59
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Santiago Vescovi scored 22 points and combined with Zakai Zeigler to convert six free throws in the final 1:09, helping Tennessee to the win in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.
Vescovi converted two free throws to make it 63-57 with 19 seconds remaining. Zeigler added 13 points as Tennessee (11-2) rallied from an early 10-point hole and a 34-28 halftime deficit.
Ole Miss (8-5) was led by Jaemyn Brakefield with 18 points, including four 3-pointers in the second half. Matthew Murrell, averaging 15.6 points per game, was held to five points on 1-for-11 shooting.
Jonas Aidoo had a game-high 13 rebounds as the Vols outrebounded Ole Miss 38-28.
NO. 8 ALABAMA 78, NO. 21 MISSISSIPPI STATE 67
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Mark Sears scored 20 points and Alabama pulled away in the second half.
Freshman Brandon Miller added 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Crimson Tide (11-2, 1-0 Southeastern Conference).
D.J. Jeffries had 11 points and 15 rebounds, and Keshawn Murphy also scored 11 for Mississippi State (11-2, 0-1), which shot 18 of 36 (50%) from the free-throw line.
Alabama steadily put the game out of reach in the second half, leading by as many as 17 points.
Noah Clowney had 12 points for the Crimson Tide and Nick Pringle finished with 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting.
LSU 60, NO. 9 ARKANSAS 57
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — KJ Williams made a key steal and Adam Miller sank two free throws with 2 seconds left to lead LSU to the win.
Arkansas had a chance to pull out the victory when Makhi Mitchell blocked Derek Fountain’s shot with about eight seconds left. But Williams stripped the ball from Anthony Black as he drove to the basket. Miller was fouled and made two foul shots.
Trae Hannibal led LSU (12-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) with 19 points. Derek Fountain finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Devonte Davis scored 16 points for the Razorbacks (11-2, 0-1). Ricky Council and Jordan Walsh each had 13.
NO. 10 GONZAGA 120, EASTERN OREGON 42
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Drew Timme had 18 points and seven rebounds in 17 minutes, and Gonzaga raced past NAIA member Eastern Oregon for a program record for the largest margin of victory.
It was Gonzaga’s first time beating an opponent by 70-plus points. Gonzaga’s previous best was a 61-point victory against Denver in the 2018-19 season, and the Zags also beat Eastern Oregon by 60 points in 2001.
All five Gonzaga starters finished in double figures — with each playing less than 21 minutes.
Gonzaga (11-3) also extended the nation’s longest home winning streak to 73 games.
Malachi Afework had 11 points for Eastern Oregon, which played the game as an exhibition.
NO. 12 BAYLOR 85, NICHOLLS STATE 56
WACO, Texas (AP) — Keyonte George scored 21 points, and Baylor pulled away for the win.
George and Adam Flagler both made four 3-pointers for the Bears (10-2), who never trailed in their final game before opening Big 12 play.
Flagler had 20 points and Langston Love finished with 17 on 5-of-6 shooting. Freshman Josh Ojianwuna added 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Latrell Jones scored 18 points for Nicholls (6-7). Caleb Huffman had 11 points and eight rebounds.
NO. 13 VIRGINIA 66, ALBANY 46
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Armaan Franklin scored 20 points, Jayden Gardner had 16 and Virginia ended a two-game skid.
Coming off losses at home to Houston and on the road to Miami that sent it tumbling from the No. 2 spot in the AP Top 25, Virginia (9-2) went on a 30-4 run spanning the halves to pull away in its final nonconference game.
The Cavaliers played without starting guard Reece Beekman, who is battling a right hamstring injury.
Da’Kquan Davis led the Great Danes (5-10) with 11 points. They shot 31% overall (16 of 52).
NO. 18 TCU 103, CENTRAL ARKANSAS 57
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Emanuel Miller had 20 points with 10 rebounds, and TCU extended its winning streak to nine games.
Mike Miles Jr. added 21 points as the Horned Frogs (11-1) hit triple digits in scoring for the first time since a 100-63 win over Tennessee Tech on Nov. 13, 2017. Damion Baugh had 13 points, while Shahada Wells and JaKobe Koles each had 12.
TCU, which outscored the Bears 40-0 on fast-break points, hit the century mark on Eddie Lampkin’s layup with 3:37 left that made it 100-56.
Eddy Kayouloud had 14 points and Carl Daugherty 10 for Central Arkansas (5-8), which shot a season-low 29% (20 of 69) while losing its fourth game in a row.
MISSOURI 89, NO. 19 KENTUCKY 75
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Kobe Brown scored 30 points in a dominant performance, and Missouri earned the win in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.
D’Moi Hodge added 15 points for the Tigers (12-1), who roared past then-No. 16 Illinois 93-71 last week and are off to their best start since the 2013-14 season. DeAndre Gholston and Sean East II had 12 points apiece.
Missouri led by 12 at halftime and stretched it to more than 20 down the stretch, handing Kentucky coach John Calipari just his third loss in 14 SEC openers. The Wildcats had been 306-58 against unranked teams under him.
Oscar Tshiebwe led Kentucky (8-4) with 23 points and 19 rebounds. Cason Wallace added 19 points.
NO. 20 AUBURN 61, FLORIDA 58
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Chris Moore got a steal in the final seconds and Wendell Green Jr. made a layup at the buzzer to cap Auburn’s victory in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.
Moore stole the ball from Gators star Colin Castleton, who was attempting to get away a potential game-winner before Jaylin Williams got in his way in the paint. He passed to Green to set up the uncontested final basket for the Tigers (11-2).
Johni Broome’s layup gave Auburn a 59-58 lead with 1:16 left and Myreon Jones’ missed 3-point attempt went out of bounds for the Gators (7-6).
Kowacie Reeves led Florida with 15 points. Castleton finished 1-of-6 shooting for six points, 10 below his season average.
NO. 22 XAVIER 84, ST. JOHN’S 79
NEW YORK (AP) — Jack Nunge had 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Xavier won its seventh straight game.
The Musketeers (11-3, 3-0 Big East) built an 18-point cushion midway through the second half before fending off a late comeback attempt, setting up a showdown at home against No. 2 UConn on Saturday. Souley Boum had 17 points and six assists, and Zach Freemantle added 14 points and nine rebounds.
David Jones had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Red Storm (11-3, 1-2), who lost for the first time in nine games this season at Carnesecca Arena on campus.
NO. 22 NEW MEXICO 88, COLORADO STATE 69
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Jaelen House scored 26 points and Jamal Mashburn Jr. added 19, sending New Mexico over Colorado State in the Mountain West opener for both teams.
Morris Udeze had 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Lobos (13-0), who remained one of three unbeaten teams in the country.
John Tonje and Patrick Cartier each scored 16 for the Rams (8-6).
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