GAME OF THE NIGHT: Richmond 98, George Washington 90 (2OT)
After losing games against VCU and Davidson, Richmond picked up a much-needed win at George Washington. ShawnDre’ Jones scored 29 points and Marshall Wood 22 for the Spiders, who outscored the Colonials 13-5 in the second overtime period. Kevin Larsen and Patricio Garino scored 17 points apiece for George Washington, which is now three games behind first-place VCU in the Atlantic 10 standings.
IMPORTANT OUTCOMES
No. 8 Maryland 74, No. 3 Iowa 68: The Terrapins added a quality win to their résumé while also closing the gap atop the Big Ten standings with a win over the previously undefeated(in league play) Hawkeyes in College Park. Robert Carter Jr. and Rasheed Sulaimon scored 17 points apiece to lead the way, and defensively Maryland limited Iowa to 37.5 percent shooting in the second half.
And as Rob Dauster notes, Maryland managed to get the win despite a quiet night from their best player.
No. 23 Oregon 83, No. 18 Arizona 75: Thanks to the Ducks, Wichita State now has the nation’s longest home win streak (42 games). Oregon ended Arizona’s 49-game streak in impressive fashion, with Dillon Brooks leading five in double figures with 24 points. Oregon proved tough for the Wildcats to defend, and Arizona’s 19 turnovers didn’t help matters either. This is quite the shift from last season, when Arizona won all three meetings by large margins with the closest being an 18-point in in Eugene.
Washington 86, UCLA 84: Two Andrew Andrews free throws with 3.4 seconds remaining ensured that the Huskies wouldn’t lose a game they led by as much as 17 in the first half. Noah Dickerson led six Huskies in double figures with 15 points, and as a result of the win Washington remains tied for first in the Pac-12 with Oregon. Bryce Alford (28 points) got hot in the second half for UCLA, but the Bruins were unable to complete the comeback at Pauley Pavilion.
STARRED
Matt Scott, Niagara: Scott scored 32 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out five assists in the Purple Eagles’ win at Marist.
Brandon Peel, Central Connecticut State: 22 points, 18 rebounds and five assists in the Blue Devils’ win over Bryant.
Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga: Wiltjer scored 35 points, shooting 10-for-15 from the field, in the Bulldogs’ win over Santa Clara.
Eastern Washington: The Eagles shot 20-for-31 from three in a 112-83 home win over Portland State.
STRUGGLED
Quinnipiac: The Bobcats shot 21.7 percent from the field in their 66-51 home loss to Monmouth.
Gary Payton II, Oregon State: Payton dished out seven assists but had as many turnovers as points (two), shooting 1-for-7 from the field in an 86-68 loss at Arizona State.
Kavon Steward, Robert Morris: Five points on 1-for-8 shooting and five turnovers in the Colonials’ 70-49 loss at Mount St. Mary’s.
THE REST OF THE TOP 25
- No. 12 Michigan State took care of business at Northwestern, shooting 16-for-26 from three in their 76-45 beating of the Wildcats. Denzel Valentine scored 19 points and Matt McQuaid 17 for the Spartans, who have won two straight.
- No. 25 Notre Dame played without the injured Demetrius Jackson and struggled, as they shot 41.8 percent from the field in an 81-66 loss at Syracuse. Trevor Cooney scored 22 points and Malachi Richardson and Tyler Lydon added 15 apiece for the Orange, who have won four of their last five games.
OTHER NOTABLE RESULTS
- Gary Clark’s three-point play with 10.4 seconds remaining gave Cincinnati a 58-57 win at UConn. Clark and Farad Cobb scored 13 apiece to lead the Bearcats, but they now have to figure out the status of senior Shaq Thomas. Thomas left the game in the second half with a foot injury and did not return.
- In a matchup of two teams tied atop the CAA, UNCW won at James Madison 78-73. Kevin Keatts’ team is now tied atop the CAA standings with Hofstra, which held off Elon at home.
- College of Charleston came back from a 20-point second half deficit to beat Northeastern 68-63 in overtime. Cameron Johnson scored 21 points for the Cougars in the win.
- Wofford knocked off ETSU 87-73 at home, dropping the Pirates out of a tie for first in the SoCon with Chattanooga. Spencer Collins led the way for the Terriers with 24 points, six rebounds and four assists.
- Monmouth picked up a 66-51 win at Quinnipiac, with the home team grabbing a staggering 22 offensive rebounds. The problem for QU: they shot 21.7 percent, which is why they had so many offensive rebound opportunities.
- UTEP’s road struggles continued as they lost 71-58 at Southern Miss. Tim Floyd’s Miners are now 0-6 in true road games this season.
- Belmont moved to 8-0 in the OVC with a 72-63 win at Jacksonville State. Evan Bradds scored 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Rick Byrd’s Bruins.
- In a matchup of two of the best teams in the WAC, Grand Canyon beat CSU Bakersfield 70-64 in Phoenix. Grandy Glaze led the Antelopes with 24 points and 13 rebounds.
- Little Rock moved to 8-1 in the Sun Belt with an 80-67 win over Georgia Southern. Marcus Johnson scored 24 for Chris Beard’s Trojans, who are now 18-2 on the season.
- Weber State moved into a tie for first in the Big Sky with a 76-66 win over Northern Arizona. Joel Bolomboy finished with 17 points and 15 rebounds.
- Ohio State outlasted Illinois 68-63 in overtime in Champaign. Trevor Thompson scored 16 points off the bench and Keita Bates-Diop tallied 15 points, ten boards and three blocks.
- Kyle Wiltjer scored 35 points and Domantas Sabonis added 12 and 17 boards as Gonzaga beat Santa Clara, 84-67.
- Pepperdine, which started WCC play 0-2, has now won seven of its last eight games after beating San Diego 75-65 with Stacy Davis IV scoring a season-high 25 points.
- USC remained undefeated at home as they beat Washington State 81-71. Katin Reinhardt led five Trojans in double figures with 18 points, with Wazzu’s Ike Iroegbu leading all scorers with 21 while also dishing out six assists.
- BYU rolled to an 87-62 win over Loyola Marymount, rebounding from a slow start. Kyle Davis scored 19 points and Chase Fischer 17 for the Cougars, who had five players score in double figures.
- Nick Faust scored a career-high 34 points as Long Beach State beat UCSB 80-70 in overtime. Next up for the 49ers is an important Big West matchup at Hawai’i, which is tied with UC Irvine atop the conference standings.