Top-25 College Basketball Game Capsules
Syracuse, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Trevor Cooney scored 21 points and No. 2 Syracuse withstood an early barrage from Villanova before pulling away for a 78-62 victory in a top-10 matchup of former conference rivals from the Carrier Dome. The Orange (12-0) fell behind 25-7 nine minutes in after the Wildcats sank five of their first seven attempts from 3-point range, but used an improved defensive effort and big performances from Cooney and Tyler Ennis to overcome their early deficit and remain unbeaten while dealing Villanova its first loss of the season. Cooney knocked down 5-of-8 shots from beyond the arc and Ennis tallied 20 points to aid the rally. C.J. Fair helped Syracuse’s cause as well by posting 17 points and six rebounds. Villanova (11-1) went just 5-of-24 on 3-point tries after its early success and shot only 38 percent overall for the contest. James Bell netted a game- high 25 points in a losing cause, accounting for six of the Wildcats’ 10 makes from long distance.
Final Score: (4) Wisconsin 80, Prairie View 43
Madison, WI (SportsNetwork.com) – Sam Dekker scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the fourth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers to an 80-43 victory over the Prairie View A&M Panthers. Ben Brust netted 11 points while Frank Kaminsky and Nigel Hayes added 10 apiece for Wisconsin (13-0), which is off to its best start in school history. Montrael Scott scored 14 points for the Panthers (2-10), who have now lost five straight.
Final Score: (5) Michigan State 101, New Orleans 48
East Lansing, MI (SportsNetwork.com) – Keith Appling poured in a game-high 27 points and added eight assists and five rebounds to lead fifth-ranked Michigan State to a 101-48 win over New Orleans. Gary Harris had 19 points, nine rebounds, five assists and five steals for Michigan State (11-1), which has won four straight. Adreian Payne scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Denzel Valentine added 10 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Matt Derenbecker netted 16 points and Cory Dixon contributed 11 points and seven rebounds for the Privateers (3-5), who had a two-game win streak snapped.
Final Score: (18) Kentucky 73, (6) Louisville 66
Lexington, KY (SportsNetwork.com) – James Young and Andrew Harrison each totaled 18 points, as No. 18 Kentucky used a second-half surge to pull away from No. 6 Louisville and post a 73-66 victory in the 46th revival of an intra-state rivalry on Saturday. Julius Randle had 17 points before departing with an injury in the second half, and Aaron Harrison poured in 10 points for the Wildcats (10-3), who have taken three of their last four outings. Young and Willie Cauley-Stein pulled down a game-best 10 rebounds apiece. A game- high 19 points by Russ Smith wasn’t enough for the Cardinals (11-2), who suffered their first loss since a 93-84 setback to North Carolina on Nov. 24. Chris Jones was the only other Louisville player in double digits, tallying 18 in defeat.
Final Score: (9) Duke 82, Eastern Michigan 59
Durham, NC (SportsNetwork.com) – Freshman Jabari Parker scored 23 points to lead the ninth-ranked Duke Blue Devils to an 82-59 victory over Eastern Michigan at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Andre Dawkins nailed six 3-pointers and finished with a season-high 20 points for Duke (10-2), which extended the longest active home winning streak in the nation against non-conference opponents to 109 games. Mike Talley paced the Eagles (7-4) with 20 points. Eastern Michigan has lost four of its last six games.
Final Score: (15) Connecticut 82, Eastern Washington 65
Bridgeport, CT (SportsNetwork.com) – Shabazz Napier recorded 15 points and nine assists and No. 15 Connecticut pulled away in the second half for an 82-65 victory over Eastern Washington at Webster Bank Arena. Ryan Boatwright contributed 14 points and Niels Giffey finished with 13 to help the Huskies successfully tune up for Tuesday’s American Athletic Conference opener at Houston. Connecticut (11-1) also utilized some sharp free throw shooting to prevail, making good on 25-of-27 attempts from the charity stripe for the contest. Tyler Harvey posted a game-high 19 points in the loss, the fourth in a row for Eastern Washington (5-6). Ognen Miljkovic and Drew Brandon had 15 and 13 points, respectively, for the Eagles.
Final Score: (17) Memphis 75, Jackson State 61
Memphis, TN (SportsNetwork.com) – Michael Dixon Jr. had 14 points and 17th- ranked Memphis beat Jackson State by a 75-61 margin on Saturday. Shaq Goodwin added 13 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals for Memphis (9-2), which has won two in a row. David Pellom and Joe Jackson tallied 12 and 11 points, respectively. Julysses Nobles ended with 20 points for Jackson State (4-8), which had a two-game winning streak snapped. Brandon West had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Final Score: (21) Colorado 84, Georgia 70
Boulder, CO (SportsNetwork.com) – Askia Booker led a balanced Colorado scoring attack with 19 points, as the 21st-ranked Buffaloes bested the Georgia Bulldogs, 84-70, on Saturday at Coors Event Center. All five Colorado starters finished in double figures, with Spencer Dinwiddie supplying 17 points and Josh Scott posting a 14-point, 13-rebound double- double for the Buffaloes (11-2), who went a perfect 26-of-26 from the free throw line. Xavier Johnson added 13 points and Wesley Gordon netted 10 points to help Colorado bounce back from a 78-73 setback against Oklahoma State on Dec. 21 that snapped the team’s 10-game win streak. Kenny Gaines and Nemanja Djurisic each scored 12 points to lead Georgia (6-5), which had won five straight games.
Final Score: (23) Massachusetts 69, Providence 67 (OT)
Amherst, MA (SportsNetwork.com) – Derrick Gordon’s put-back in the paint with 1.1 seconds remaining in overtime lifted No. 23 UMass to a 69-67 decision over plucky Providence at Mullins Center. Bryce Cotton had evened the score on a triple from the left side with 36 seconds to go. Holding the ball for the final shot of the extra session, Trey Davis’ pull-up jumper fell off the front of the rim, but right into the hands on Gordon, who laid it in. Cady Lalanne paced the attack with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Minutemen (11-1), who were finally able to shake off the rust of a week-long layoff and put their lone loss of the season — at Florida State — behind them. Sampson Carter added 12 points and 12 boards, Maxie Esho posted 11 points, while Chaz Williams scored 10 points and dished out 10 assists. Cotton ended up with a game-high 24 points for the Friars (10-3), whose three- game win streak came to an end. Tyler Harris contributed 16 points and nine rebounds, while LaDontae Henton scored 13 in the narrow setback.
Final Score: (24) Gonzaga 74, Santa Clara 60
Spokane, WA (SportsNetwork.com) – David Stockton netted 21 points to lead No. 24 Gonzaga to a 74-60 win over Santa Clara on Saturday. Kevin Pangos scored 17 and Przemek Karnowski added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Bulldogs (11-2, 1-0 WCC), who have won seven of their last eight. Brandon Clark scored a game-high 22 points for Santa Clara (7-7, 0-1), which has lost two of its last three. Jared Brownridge and Evan Roquemore added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Final Score: (25) Missouri 68, NC State 64
Raleigh, NC (SportsNetwork.com) – Jabari Brown nailed a go-ahead 3-pointer with 55.1 seconds remaining and No. 25 Missouri defeated NC State, 68-64, on Saturday night. After Brown’s left wing triple gave Missouri a 63-62 lead, Anthony Barber drew a foul on Jordan Clarkson with 26.8 seconds to go, but he missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and Earnest Ross pulled down the rebound. The 86-percent foul shooter Clarkson sank a pair of foul shots to put the Tigers up three with 20.1 ticks left and Ralston Turner airballed a well contested three-pointer by Brown at the other end from the right wing. Tony Criswell then made two free throws with 7.4 seconds on the clock to seal the outcome. Clarkson had 21 points and four assists, Ross tallied 11 points and 13 rebounds and Brown netted 17 points for Missouri (11-1), which was coming off its first loss last Saturday against Illinois.
Categorized in: NCAA Basketball