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No. 6 Gonzaga holds off run to beat No. 15 Arizona, 84-80

Associated PressDec 15, 2019, 12:44 AM EST
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TUCSON, Ariz. — Corey Kispert scored 18 points, Filip Petrusev added 16 and No. 6 Gonzaga withstood No. 15 Arizona’s furious late rally for an 84-80 win on Saturday night.

The Zags (11-1) fought through a tense first half and shut down Arizona during two second-half runs to go up 80-65 with 2:12 left.

After struggling most of the night, Arizona (10-2) went on a 15-1 to pull within two, but Gonzaga’s Ryan Woolridge sealed it by hitting two free throws with 1.7 seconds left.

Gonzaga played a crisp offensive game, repeatedly beating the Wildcats with ball screens, and cleaned up the defensive glass in the second half after giving up a rash of second-chance points in the first.

The Zags also shut down Arizona star freshman Nico Mannion, who had seven points on 3-for-20 shooting, including 1 for 10 on 3-point attempts.

Joel Ayayi added 15 points as Gonzaga won its 10th straight road game to extend the nation’s longest active streak.

Gonzaga did it with Killian Tillie in foul trouble most of the night before he limped off to the locker room with about seven minutes left.

The Wildcats started strong with a boost from a boisterous McKale Center crowd and Zeke Nnaji’s early energy.

After that, Arizona struggled from the perimeter and had numerous defensive breakdowns in the second half as Gonzaga pulled away, prompting coach Sean Miller to repeatedly point to his assistants and yell “Get him out of there!”

The Wildcats finally found some cohesiveness at both ends, getting the fans out of their seats during the big late run before falling short.

Nnaji had 14 points and 17 rebounds, and Josh Green added 17 points for Arizona, which shot 8 for 30 from 3-point range.

Two of the West’s best programs agreed to their latest home-and-home series, playing in the desert this year before heading to Spokane next season.

Arizona, led by its fabulous freshman trio, rolled through its early 2019-20 schedule, the only loss coming on Dec. 7 when a big second-half comeback came up short against No. 11 Baylor.

Gonzaga had a similar resume heading into Saturday night’s showdown, losing only to No. 5 Michigan in the Battle 4 Atlantis title game.

Revved up by a the crowd, the Wildcats crushed the Zags on the glass early — a huge point of emphasis by Miller against Gonzaga’s big front line. Arizona had nine offensive rebounds in the first eight minutes to build a nine-point lead and make up for an 0-for-7 start from 3-point range.

The Bulldogs clawed their way back as the Wildcats continued to clank from the perimeter — 1 for 15 from 3 — and led 35-34 at halftime. Arizona had 13 second-chance points on 12 offensive rebounds in the first half.

Gonzaga cleaned up its defensive glass issues to open the second half and used a 12-0 run to go up 54-45. The Zags continued to take advantage of Arizona’s defensive miscues and went on an 8-0 run to push the lead to 69-55.

The Wildcats had one more run left, but ran out of time.

BIG PICTURE

Gonzaga withstood a massive run in one of college basketball’s toughest environments to win a huge road game.

Arizona put itself in a tough spot due to defensive breakdowns and poor perimeter shooting, falling just short despite its big run.

UP NEXT

Gonzaga hosts No. 17 North Carolina on Wednesday.

Arizona plays St. John’s next Saturday in San Francisco.

Myles Powell suffers concussion as Rutgers blows out No. 22 Seton Hall

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Associated PressDec 14, 2019, 7:34 PM EST
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PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Seton Hall star Myles Powell sat out the second half with a head injury, and Rutgers’ Ron Harper Jr. had 18 points and six rebounds to help the Scarlet Knights beat the No. 22 Pirates 68-48 on Saturday in the Garden State Hardwood Classic.

Powell did not return to the Seton Hall bench in the second half.

“He has a pretty bad concussion,” head coach Kevin Willard said. “He got whacked. He took the charge and whacked his head on the floor and then him and Tyrese ran into each other. He asked me during the game, ‘Why are we practicing at Rutgers?’

“I didn’t see him get hit by Tyrese and I kind of looked at him because I was wondering what the heck he was doing out there. We sat down in the timeout and his eyes kind of rolled into the back of his head. It just hit him with a wave.”

Sixth in the country at 22.9 points per game, Powell didn’t score his first points until nearly 10 minutes into the game after six misses and a couple missed free throws. He finished with six points on 3-of-9 shooting, missing four 3-pointers. The loss came on the heels of Sandro Mamukelashvili’s fractured wrist at Iowa State.

Harper won the Joe Calabrese Award — named in honor of the late journalist who covered the rivalry for 38 years — as the most valuable player. He had two early alley-oops dunks. Akwasi Yeboah added 14 points and seven rebounds for Rutgers (8-3).

Rutgers led 14-0 start before Seton Hall’s Anthony Nelson banked a 3-pointer. Rutgers pushed the advantage to 21 in the half and led 36-23 at the break. Rutgers led by 22 in the second half.

Quincy McKnight led Seton Hall (6-4) with 11 points. They have lost two in a row.

BIG PICTURE

Seton Hall: The Pirates struggled in their first full game without big-man Mamukelashvili and will likely fall out of the Top 25 after coming in the season ranked No. 12.

Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights finished a gauntlet four-game stretch 2-2. After coming into the season with the highest expectations in over a decade, they look like a team that can make the postseason for the first time since 2006, when they made the NIT. Rutgers holds the longest active streak for Power Five team not making the NCAA Tournament, with the last appearance in 1991.

SELL OUT

With the game selling out within hours of the tickets being released, the 8,329 packed inside the RAC made for the largest crowd at the Louis Brown Athletic Center since Feb. 23, 2002, when Rutgers beat Seton Hall 66-60.

UP NEXT

Seton Hall: Host No. 4 Maryland on Thursday.

Rutgers: Host Lafayette on Sunday.

Brown’s 26 points leads Wake Forest past No. 23 Xavier

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Associated PressDec 14, 2019, 7:26 PM EST
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Chaundee Brown scored 26 points, Brandon Childress added 22 and Wake Forest beat No. 23 Xavier 80-78 on Saturday in the Musketeers’ first game this season on an opponent’s home court.

Xavier (9-2), which trailed the entire second half, had a chance to win in the final seconds, but Quentin Goodin’s 3-point attempt bounced off the rim as time expired.

Wake Forest (6-5) led by 13 points in the second half. But Childress missed the first of two free-throws attempts to give the Musketeers a final shot for a win.

Wake Forest won despite playing without 7-footer Olivier Sarr, who averaged 15 points and 10.9 rebounds off the bench in the previous seven games. Sarr is in concussion protocol after suffering a blow to the head in the Deacons’ Dec. 7 game against N.C. State.

Paul Scruggs scored 30 points for Xavier. Naji Marshall added 16 before fouling out with 3:45 remaining.

The Deacons never trailed after Ody Oguama’s basket put the ahead with 3:57 left in the first half, triggering a 14-4 run that gave Wake Forest a 39-30 halftime lead.

BIG PICTURE

Xavier: The Musketeers failed their first road test of the season, but almost pulled out a victory in a game in which they trailed for all but a few minutes.

Wake Forest: The Deacons picked up some needed momentum after losing their previous three, winning without Sarr. They have a week to recover before playing region rival North Carolina A&T.

UP NEXT:

Xavier: Host Western Carolina on Wednesday night.

Wake Forest: Host N.C. A&T next Saturday.

Balanced effort leads No. 16 Michigan State past Oakland

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Associated PressDec 14, 2019, 4:46 PM EST
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DETROIT — Michigan State and Oakland have one of the most lopsided rivalries in college basketball. It also is one of the friendliest.

With Saturday’s 72-49 victory at Little Caesars Arena, Tom Izzo and the No. 16 Spartans (7-3) are now 18-0 against Greg Kampe’s Golden Grizzlies, with all 18 games coming in the last 21 years.

“I love this game, but there’s nothing I love about beating a team 18 straight times, especially when it means beating a good friend,” Izzo said. “It’s just so good to come down here, because we get a great crowd of Spartans who don’t usually get to see us play.

“And it is great to see what is happening in this city.”

For Kampe, who started his Oakland (5-6) career when the then-Pioneers were still in Division II, a victory over Michigan State remains one unchecked box on his coaching bucket list.

“I’m not trying to beat Tom — that’s not what these games are all about,” he said. “This is about Oakland trying to beat Michigan State — one of the best programs in the country.”

The game was a defensive struggle, with both teams having offensive troubles. Oakland’s size forced Michigan State into 33 3-point attempts, while the Golden Grizzlies tried and failed to score in the paint.

“Taking 33 3s is a joke, but most of those were because of the way Greg guarded us,” Izzo said. “It was a good idea, because Cassius (Winston) went 1-for-9 and Gabe (Brown) went 0-for-5. We’re not used to that.”

Aaron Henry put up 10 points and six assists but was the only Spartan to reach double figures. Xavier Tillman added nine points and 13 rebounds.

“I never thought I’d lead us with 10 points, but that’s just how it was today,” Henry said. “We couldn’t hit any shots.”

Xavier Hill-Mais led Oakland with 10 points. The Golden Grizzlies, who have come close to upsetting their in-state rivals in past years with a high-speed, 3-point-heavy offense, shot just 26%, including 31% (7-22) on 3-pointers.

“We expected to have two of the top shooters in the country coming back this year, but they didn’t, and they left when it was too late to replace them,” Kampe said. “We’re not a good shooting team and we’re going to have to find a way to win without threes.”

Michigan State took control early, using an 18-3 run to take a 24-9 lead with eight minutes left in the first half. The Spartans led 34-19 at halftime, holding the Golden Grizzlies to 23% shooting, including 1 of 6 on 3-pointers.

The Spartans made only 21% (3 of 14) of their 3s in the first half but hit a pair on their first two possessions of the second half to go up by 21.

Kampe picked up a technical foul with his team down 52-30 midway through the second half, and his team struggled to keep the game from getting out of hand down the stretch.

Izzo put son Steven into the game for the final moments, and he delighted the crowd with three rebounds.

“Those rebounds didn’t mean much in the context of the game, but it meant a lot to see how the fans reacted to them,” Izzo said. “Memories last a lifetime and those memories will last two lifetimes.”

BIG PICTURE

Spartans: Although Michigan State was cheered by most of the 18,145 fans, it was officially a road game for the Spartans. MSU will play Oakland for the next six seasons, with the game alternating between the Breslin Center in Lansing and Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

Golden Grizzlies: The first Michigan State-Oakland game opened the “O”-rena in Rochester in 1998, but the Spartans have never been back. All of Oakland’s subsequent “home” games have been hosted at the Palace of Auburn Hills or Little Caesars Arena.

A LOT OF COACHING EXPERIENCE

Kampe (36 seasons) and Izzo (25 seasons) have combined for 1,263 wins and 61 seasons in the only head coaching jobs they’ve ever held. Izzo, though, wasn’t thrilled when asked about the duo being at their schools for “70 years.”

“I shouldn’t even answer that question, because you made me absolutely terrible when you said I’d been here for 75 years,” he said. “We’ve extended the series contract for six more years, so I guess you’ll say we’ve been here for 90 years by then.”

KAMPE GRUDGINGLY PRAISES OFFICIALS

Oakland’s three post players — Hill-Mais, Daniel Oladapo and Brad Brechting — were a combined 8 of 34 from the floor. Kampe felt it was all due to the good officiating.

“The officials called a good, consistent game, which is what you want,” he said. “But they called a physical game, and we can’t beat that team in a physical game.”

POLL IMPLICATIONS

A comfortable win on national television won’t hurt Michigan State’s No. 16 ranking, but Oakland isn’t a high-caliber opponent. The Spartans will be tested more on Wednesday when they face Northwestern on the road.

UP NEXT

Spartans: At Northwestern on Wednesday.

Golden Grizzlies: At Syracuse on Wednesday.

No. 1 Louisville bounces back 99-67 rout of Eastern Kentucky

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Associated PressDec 14, 2019, 4:43 PM EST
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville rebounded from a lackluster defeat that will end its stay at No. 1 with the offensive patience and accuracy that fueled its rise to the top.

Jordan Nwora scored 26 points, Steven Enoch had a career-high 23 and the Cardinals shot 63% in both halves to blow out Eastern Kentucky 99-67 on Saturday.

After taking their first loss Tuesday against Texas Tech in the Jimmy V Classic behind 34% shooting, the Cardinals (10-1) responded with baskets from all over the floor. They made 17 of 27 from the field before and after halftime, including 9 of 19 from long range, to pull away from their in-state opponent.

That wasn’t easy against an EKU defense that consistently pressed the Cardinals.

“We wanted to make sure we didn’t just settle for the first shot or the quickest shot we could get,” Cardinals coach Chris Mack said. “We weren’t perfect, but thought we made some really good decisions.

Nwora had the hot hand throughout, making 6 of his first 8 to finish 10 of 14 and 3 of 5 from behind the arc. The junior forward certainly sought improvement after a 4-of-16 performance epitomized the Cardinals’ night against the Red Raiders in New York.

“My mindset was just being efficient, getting back in the gym and just continuing to get better,” said Nwora, who also had seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. “Games like that happen. You just have to move on to the next one.”

Enoch, meanwhile, made his first seven attempts to finish 9 of 10 and surpass his previous career best by a point. He was also 5 of 6 from the line, with his miss the only one by Louisville in 23 attempts.

Enoch also grabbed six rebounds as Louisville controlled the Colonels (3-7) 35-24 on the boards and 42-18 in the paint. Malik Williams made a pair of 3s for 11 points with six rebounds.

EKU began 7 of 13 from the field to stay close before several cold spells created a 20-point hole before halftime that steadily grew in the second half. The Ohio Valley Conference school shot just 37% — including 33% in the second half in losing their fifth straight.

Ty Taylor had 13 points, Tre King 12 and Jacquess Hobbs and Jomaru Brown nine each for EKU.

“They made shots and we didn’t shoot the ball well like we should have,” Hobbs said.

MILESTONE

Louisville senior forward Dwayne Sutton had 11 points to surpass 1,000 in his career between the Cardinals and UNC Asheville.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Though Louisville will fall from No. 1 come Monday, this win should minimize its drop in the Top 10.

BIG PICTURE

Eastern Kentucky: The Colonels made nine 3-pointers, but those 18 misses along with struggles inside the arc led to Louisville scoring opportunities. Their trapping defense contributed to 16 turnovers, but their 14 miscues also led to 34 Cardinals points.

“We couldn’t capitalize off some turnovers we forced,” second-year coach A.W. Hamilton said. “We missed some shots we can make. They are hard because there is not a lot of room for error with them. If you make a couple of mistakes, they can go on a 10-0 run on you in a second.”

Louisville: After three games of 36% shooting or worse, the Cardinals got healthy against the Colonels. They worked the ball around for 22 assists, displayed better shot selection and went deep in their bench. They sometimes struggled against the trap, but figured it out often enough to get the ball in the hands of their top two scorers. Allowing 16 offensive rebounds concerned Mack, but his team handled the defensive boards 23-8.

UP NEXT

Eastern Kentucky: Visits Marshall on Thursday to complete a four-game road swing.

Louisville: Hosts Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday in its final game before Christmas and will have 10 days off before visiting rival No. 8 Kentucky.

USC receives notice of allegations from NCAA in federal corruption case

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Associated PressDec 14, 2019, 2:20 PM EST
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California’s basketball program has received a notice of allegations from the NCAA following a federal investigation into corruption and bribery in the sport.

The school said in a statement Friday night it has “cooperated with the NCAA since it first became aware of the issues” raised in the notice, and it “looks forward to an expeditious resolution of this matter.”

The notice had been expected, but the NCAA’s timeline for ruling on USC’s case is uncertain. The NCAA opened similar cases against North Carolina State, Kansas, and Oklahoma State this year.

The university statement referred to a “former coach in the men’s basketball program,” which presumably is former assistant Tony Bland. He was fired by USC in January 2018. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery last January. As part of his plea, Bland acknowledged accepting a $4,100 bribe and received two years’ probation.

Bland said in court he received payments for directing USC players to retain the services of certain financial advisers and business managers.

Bland and nine others were arrested and faced charges of fraud and bribery following the FBI’s investigation into college basketball. USC and several other schools were caught up in the inquiry.