Associated Press ADVERTISING Associated Press HARTFORD, Conn. — Shabazz Napier scored a career-high 34 points and No. 24 UConn beat No. 20 Memphis 86-81 in overtime Saturday to sweep the season series from the Tigers. Ryan Boatright added 21 points
Associated Press
HARTFORD, Conn. — Shabazz Napier scored a career-high 34 points and No. 24 UConn beat No. 20 Memphis 86-81 in overtime Saturday to sweep the season series from the Tigers.
Ryan Boatright added 21 points for UConn (20-5, 8-4 American Athletic Conference), including eight in overtime and added six assists.
Joe Jackson had 24 points to lead the Tigers (19-6, 8-4). Geron Johnson added 15 points and eight rebounds before fouling out and Chris Crawford chipped had 12.
The game was tied at 69 at the end of regulation and UConn opened the extra period on a 7-2 run. But Memphis cut it to 76-74 after a Michael Dixon hit a 3-pointer.
Napier responded with one of his five 3-pointers and the Huskies held on.
The UConn senior had a shot to win the game in regulation, but his fallaway jumper rolled around the rim and out.
No. 7 KANSAS 95, TCU 65
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Perry Ellis scored a career-high 32 points, Andrew Wiggins added 17 and Kansas overcame a sluggish start to get the win.
Ellis also had eight rebounds and five assists, and Wayne Selden Jr. scored 15 points for the Jayhawks (19-6, 10-2 Big 12), who actually trailed by as many as six in the first half.
Playing without injured center Joel Embiid and suspended forward Brannen Greene, Kansas still managed to build a 47-40 lead by the break. The Jayhawks then used a 13-1 charge out of the locker room to put away the Horned Frogs (9-15, 0-12) for the sixth time in seven meetings.
TCU still has not won since knocking off Texas Southern on Dec. 29. Kyan Anderson did all he could, scoring 21 of his 25 points in the first half. Amric Fields added 12 points.
No. 10 CINCINNATI 73
HOUSTON 62
CINCINNATI — Sean Kilpatrick scored 28 points and Justin Jackson overcame foul problems to add 13 points and Cincinnati shook off Houston.
Shaquille Thomas added 11 for the Bearcats (23-3, 12-1 American Athletic Conference), who were playing their first game since having a 15-game winning streak snapped with a 76-55 loss at SMU on Feb. 8.
Danrad Knowles scored 11 points to lead Houston (12-13, 4-8), which has lost six of its past seven and eight of its past 10 games, led Houston with 11 points. L.J. Rose, Danuel House and TaShawn Thomas each added 10 for the Cougars.
No. 11 IOWA STATE 70
TEXAS TECH 64
AMES, Iowa — DeAndre Kane had 17 points with nine assists and Iowa State won after blowing an 18-point lead in the second half.
Georges Niang also had 17 points for the Cyclones (19-5, 7-5 Big 12), who survived an impressive rally from the Red Raiders to win for the fourth time in five games.
Matt Thomas and Niang hit layups that put Iowa State ahead 67-62 with 1:27 left. Niang’s wide-open dunk with 7.2 seconds sealed the win for the Cyclones, who missed 8 of 12 free throws in the second half.
Jaye Crockett had 19 of his 23 points in the second half for the Red Raiders (13-12, 5-7), who outrebounded Iowa State 40-30.
No. 12 SAINT LOUIS 64
VCU 62
ST. LOUIS — Dwayne Evans had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Saint Louis broke a late tie with seven straight points for its 17th straight victory.
The Billikens (23-2, 10-0 Atlantic 10) blew a 12-point second-lead before finally putting away VCU (20-6, 8-3) in a matchup of the Atlantic 10’s top two teams. Jordair Jett and Rob Loe had 14 points apiece for Saint Louis, which beat VCU for a third straight time.
Mike McCall Jr. and Jordair Jett drove for layups and Rob Loe hit a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down for a seven-point lead with 36 seconds to go. VCU cut the deficit to three before Loe hit the second of two free throws for a four-point gap with 8 seconds left.
Treveon Graham had 16 points and eight rebounds for VCU.
No. 16 IOWA 82
PENN STATE 70
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Melsahn Basabe scored 16 points and Iowa pulled away in the second half.
Roy Devyn Marble added 15, Aaron White 14 and Mike Gesell 13 as the Hawkeyes (19-6, 8-4) won their fourth Big Ten road game of the season. Iowa’s three-game road winning streak in the Big Ten is its longest since 1998.
Penn State (13-13, 4-9) was led by D.J. Newbill, who scored 22 points, but Tim Frazier was held to 11.
The game was tied four times in the second half before Iowa stretched it out with a 14-4 run.
Marble, the team’s leading scorer at 16.5 points per game coming in, pumped in seven of those and Mike Gesell converted on a 3-pointer from the corner to help the Hawks pull away.
No. 17 VIRGINIA 63
CLEMSON 58
CLEMSON, S.C. — Joe Harris scored 16 points, including a critical 3-pointer with about three minutes left, and No. 17 Virginia won its ninth straight Atlantic Coast Conference game for the first time in 32 years.
The Cavaliers (21-5) moved to 12-1 in ACC play, also for the first time since Ralph Sampson patrolled the middle in the 1981-82 season. Not that it came easily as Virginia’s No. 1 defense was matched up against a team in Clemson that ranked second nationally in fewest points allowed.
Clemson (15-9, 6-6) closed to 59-58 on K.J. McDaniels’ 3 with 20.7 seconds left, but Malcolm Brogdon made two foul shots as the Cavaliers held on.
McDaniels had 24 points before fouling out in the final seconds for Clemson.
NORTH CAROLINA 75
No. 25 PITTSBURGH 71
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — James Michael McAdoo had 24 points and 12 rebounds to help North Carolina to its sixth straight victory.
Marcus Paige added 18 points for the Tar Heels (17-7, 7-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who extended the season’s longest winning streak three days after their rivalry game against Duke was postponed due to a winter storm. They shot 48 percent after halftime and led by 12 with about 9 minutes left, but had to fight off a late push from the Panthers (20-6, 8-5).
Pitt fought back to within three with the ball in the final 10 seconds. But Lamar Patterson missed a 3-pointer for the tie, and then Talib Zanna missed a putback attempt before Patterson fouled on the rebound with 2.8 seconds left. UNC’s Brice Johnson hit his second free throw to make it a two-possession game and clinch the win.
