College basketball: No. 12 Oklahoma tops No. 14 West Virginia in two OTs
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Austin Reaves scored four of his 28 points in the final minute of the second overtime, and No. 12 Oklahoma held off No. 14 West Virginia 91-90 on Saturday.
Umoja Gibson added 21 for the Sooners (13-5, 8-4 Big 12), who had relinquished a nine-point lead in regulation.
Derek Culver had his 10th double-double of the season with a career-high 29 points and 14 rebounds for the Mountaineers (14-6, 7-4). Sean McNeil added 21 points, all after halftime, and Miles McBride scored 19.
“Just a heck of a ballgame,“ Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said. “There wasn’t much margin either way throughout. Guys on both teams were fighting like crazy, making big-time plays, big-time stops.”
Culver scored seven points in the second overtime to put West Virginia ahead 88-85 with 2:12 left. De’Vion Harmon’s layup and two free throws by Reaves gave the Sooners the lead before McBride’s layup with 41 seconds left put the Mountaineers ahead 90-89.
Reaves capped the scoring with a floater in the lane over McBride with 27 seconds left.
USC gets big nights from Tahj Eaddy and Evan Mobley but needs free throws by Isaiah Mobley to hold off Washington State 76-65 for its sixth straight win.
“Austin’s a big-time competitor,“ Kruger said. “He wants the ball in late-game situations. He doesn’t shy away from anything.”
Culver’s layup attempt with seven seconds left was blocked by Oklahoma’s Kur Kuath, and the ball went out of bounds back to the Sooners. West Virginia got it right back on a tie-up during the ensuing inbounds pass.
After the ball went out of bounds again and West Virginia kept possession, McBride lofted a pass underneath the basket to Culver. But Culver missed a pair of rushed shots in a crowd as time ran out.
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said his players were tired after returning late from a win at No. 7 Texas Tech on Tuesday and never fully regained their focus and concentration.
“We have to play with an edge, and we didn’t,” Huggins said.
No. 19 Creighton 86, No. 5 Villanova 70
OMAHA — Marcus Zegarowski scored a season-high 25 points, Mitch Ballock had 17 of his 20 points in the second half, and Creighton’s offense was at its high-tempo best in a rout of Villanova.
The Bluejays (16-5, 12-4 Big East) won for the sixth time in seven games and knocked off a top-five opponent for the first time since they beat Villanova in February 2018.
The Wildcats (13-3, 8-2) sustained their most lopsided loss since a 25-point defeat to Ohio State in November 2019.
Creighton pulled away early in the second half of the meeting of the Big East’s top two teams. The Bluejays had their best shooting first half of the season (65.4%) and finished at 59.3%.
Johnny Juzang finished with a career-high 32 points, making five three-pointers, to help UCLA win 64-61 at Washington and end its two-game skid.
No. 1 Gonzaga 100, San Francisco 61
SAN FRANCISCO — Drew Timme scored 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as top-ranked and undefeated Gonzaga blasted San Francisco, lifting the Bulldogs to at least 20 wins for the 24th consecutive season.
Aaron Cook, Joel Ayayi and Corey Kispert each scored 12 points for Gonzaga (20-0, 11-0 West Coast Conference), which won its 24th consecutive game dating to last season. This was the Bulldogs’ fifth straight road game.
Khalil Shabazz and Jamaree Bouyea each scored 14 points for the Dons (10-10, 4-6), who lost for the 21st consecutive time to Gonzaga since their last victory in 2012.
Earlier Saturday, the Bulldogs were the No. 1 overall seed in rankings released by the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee. Selection Sunday is a month away. They played like the top seed against San Francisco.
Timme, who made 11 of his 12 shots in the game, scored 15 of Gonzaga’s first 17 points as the Bulldogs jumped to a 17-3 lead.
No. 4 Ohio State 78, Indiana 59
COLUMBUS, Ohio — E.J. Liddell scored 19 points and Justice Sueing had 16 as Ohio State pulled away to rout Indiana for its sixth consecutive victory.
The Buckeyes (17-4, 11-4 Big Ten) have won nine of their last 10 and have settled into a style of play that has become their identity — good shooting, timely three-pointers, multiple contributors and fewer mistakes than their opponents. They shot 48% against Indiana and had 21 points on the Hoosiers’ 15 turnovers.
Trace Jackson-Davis scored 23 points and Jerome Hunter added 10 to pace Indiana (11-9, 6-7), which saw its two-game winning streak end.
No. 9 Virginia 60, North Carolina 48
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Jay Huff had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Virginia took control early and beat North Carolina for the seventh consecutive time.
Sam Hauser added 17 points for the Cavaliers (15-3, 11-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), and Trey Murphy III had 12 as the ACC-leading team won its fourth in a row.
Virginia led 21-4 midway through the first half as the Tar Heels missed 13 of their first 15 shots. North Carolina (12-7, 7-5) closed to within 27-18 by halftime but never threatened. The Tar Heels finished just two for 16 from three-point territory.
Huff, who also blocked four shots, hit three of the Cavaliers’ 12 three-pointers
Arkansas 86, No. 10 Missouri 81 (OT)
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Justin Smith scored 19 points to lead Arkansas to an overtime victory over Missouri.
Smith, who had missed the Razorbacks’ loss to Missouri last month with an injury, led a balanced attack. Moses Moody scored 15 and Jalen Tate added 14 for Arkansas (16-5, 8-4 Southeastern Conference).
Xavier Pinson led Missouri (13-5, 6-5) with 23 points, and Dru Smith added 15.
Tigers standout forward Jeremiah Tilmon missed the game because of a death in the family.
No. 11 Alabama 115, Georgia 82
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Herbert Jones scored 17 of his career-high 21 points in the first half, and Alabama had a blistering shooting night over Georgia.
Freshman Josh Primo scored 19 points, all after the half, for the Crimson Tide (17-5, 12-1 SEC), which had five players score in double figures and reached a season high in points. It was the most points Alabama has scored in an SEC game.
The Bulldogs (12-8, 5-8) have dropped the first two of a three-game string of games against the SEC’s ranked teams.
No. 13 Texas 70, Texas Christian 55
AUSTIN, Texas — Andrew Jones scored 19 points to lead Texas to a victory over Texas Christian as the Longhorns got their first home win in nearly a month.
Texas (13-5, 7-4 Big 12) started sloppy with three turnovers in three possessions but soon cleaned up those problems. Jones found it easy to create just about any shot he wanted on his way to 13 points in the first half.
R.J. Nembhard scored 15 points to lead TCU (11-8, 4-6).
No. 15 Iowa 88, Michigan State 58
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Joe Wieskamp scored 21 points to lead Iowa’s balanced offense in a win over Michigan State.
The Hawkeyes (15-6, 9-5 Big Ten) had three players score in double figures, and Luka Garza wasn’t one of them. Garza had a season-low eight points on three-for-11 shooting from the field, but his teammates more than made up for the star senior being held well below his 20-point average.
The staggering Spartans (10-8, 4-8) are in danger of missing the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1997.
Louisiana State 78, No. 16 Tennessee 65
BATON ROUGE, La. — Cam Thomas scored 25 points, JaVonte Smart added 20, and Louisiana State beat Tennessee.
The Volunteers (14-5, 7-5 SEC) trailed for most of the game but were within 50-46 nearly midway through the second half. Tennessee made just six field goals over the final 12 minutes, though, and the Tigers stretched their lead to as big as 17 points.
Thomas missed 10 of 16 field-goal attempts, but he was 11 for 11 at the foul line. Smart knocked down eight of 13 field-goal tries, and Darius Days contributed 14 points for LSU (13-6, 8-4).
No. 17 Florida State 92, Wake Forest 85 (OT)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — RaiQuan Gray scored 24 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as Florida State defeated Wake Forest in overtime in the Seminoles’ first game in two weeks.
The Seminoles tied it at 80 with under a second to go in regulation when Scottie Barnes drove the length of the floor and made a reverse layup. That set up Florida State in the extra period; the Seminoles (11-3, 7-2 ACC) have won 11 straight overtime games.
Jonah Antonio scored a career-high 23 points, drilling seven of eight shots from three-point range, for Wake Forest (6-9, 3-9).
No. 22 Loyola Chicago 81, Drake 54
DES MOINES, Iowa — Aher Uguak scored 20 points while leading Loyola Chicago to a win over Missouri Valley Conference rival Drake.
The Ramblers (18-3, 13-1) extended their winning streak to 11 and gained sole possession of first place in the standings. The Bulldogs (19-2, 10-2) were led by Darnell Brodie’s 12 points.
No. 23 Oklahoma State 67, Kansas State 60
STILLWATER, Okla. — Cade Cunningham scored 15 points to help Oklahoma State defeat Kansas State.
Rondel Walker had 10 points in his first start of the season and Bryce Williams added 10 for the Cowboys (13-6, 6-6 Big 12).
Antonio Gordon scored 15 points and Nijel Pack added 14 for Kansas State (5-17, 1-12), which lost its 12th in a row. The Wildcats haven’t won since Dec. 29.
No. 25 Rutgers 64, Northwestern 50
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Ron Harper Jr. had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Myles Johnson controlled the paint with 12 points and 14 rebounds, and Rutgers beat Northwestern.
Johnson scored all 12 of his points in the first half on five-for-six shooting. Jacob Young added 13 points for the Scarlet Knights (12-7, 8-7 Big Ten), and Caleb McConnell had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Anthony Gaines and Chase Audige each scored scored 11 points for Northwestern (6-12, 3-11) . The Wildcats have lost 11 games in a row after a 6-1 start.
Oregon 63, Arizona 61
TUCSON — Chris Duarte hit a three-pointer with 15.6 seconds left, Eugene Omoruyi scored 19 points, and Oregon held on to beat Arizona.
Trailing 61-60, the Ducks (12-4, 7-3 Pac-12) worked the ball around to the wing, where Duarte knocked down a three-pointer. Oregon intentionally fouled with 1.1 seconds left, and Arizona got the ball to Kerr Kriisa, who missed a three-point try after being harassed by LJ Figueroa.
Azoulas Tubelis had 20 points to lead the Wildcats (14-7, 8-7).
Stanford 73, Utah 66
PALO ALTO — Spencer Jones made a career-high five three-pointers and scored 17 points, and Stanford held off Utah.
Jones helped the Cardinal (13-8, 9-6 Pac-12) hold off a late challenge with a pair of his three-pointers in the final 5:02. Jones was five for nine from three-point range and six for 11 overall in the game.
The Utes (9-8, 6-7) closed the deficit to five in the final minute after trailing by double digits for most of the second half.
Oscar da Silva added 13 points on six-of-nine shooting, and Michael O’Connell and Jaiden Delaire added 11 points each for Stanford.
Timmy Allen scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half, and Branden Carlson had 12 points and 11 rebounds for Utah.
California 71, Colorado 62
BERKELEY — Matt Bradley scored a career-high 28 points, and his three-pointer with 40 seconds left helped seal California’s win over Colorado.
The victory snapped the Bears’ seven-game losing streak that resulted in losses that only averaged seven points a contest.
California improved to 8-15 overall and 3-13 in the Pac-12 Conference. The Buffaloes fell to 16-6, 10-5.
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