Edey lifts No. 2 Purdue past Northwestern
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Zach Edey scored 10 of his 30 points in overtime and Lance Jones had a season-high 26 to lead No. 2 Purdue past Northwestern 105-96 on Wednesday night.
Edey also grabbed 15 rebounds as the Boilermakers (20-2, 9-2 Big Ten) avoided a third consecutive loss in this series. They have won six straight overall, 12 in a row at home and are the first Division I team with 20 wins this season.
Braden Smith had 11 points and 16 assists – tied for second-most in school history.
Boo Buie and Ty Berry each had 25 points for Northwestern (15-6, 6-4), which led 78-73 with 2:37 left in regulation.
Northwestern coach Chris Collins was ejected with 1.7 seconds to go when he walked onto the court and yelled furiously in the face of an official with the ball still in play.
No. 1 UConn 74, Providence 65
STORRS, Conn. – Freshman guard Stephon Castle scored a season-high 20 points and UConn held off Providence in a foul-filled Big East battle.
Tristen Newton added 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Cam Spencer scored 15 as the Huskies (19-2, 9-1) won their ninth straight in a game that included 48 fouls.
Devin Carter and Josh Oduro each had 20 points for Providence (14-7, 5-5). But like Castle, Oduro fouled out.
UConn led by just a point at halftime. But an offensive foul on Carter and a technical on the Providence bench helped spark a 13-2 run that gave the Huskies a 44-36 lead. That was one of four technicals called in the game.
Florida 94, No. 10 Kentucky 91, OT
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Walter Clayton Jr. made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:42 remaining in overtime and added two insurance free throws with 16.4 seconds left to finish with 23 points, and Florida outlasted Kentucky for its fourth consecutive victory.
Clayton was 7 of 13 overall from behind the arc, with the first of his two clutch makes coming with 3 seconds left in regulation to force the extra five minutes at 84-all.
Zyon Pullin finished with 21 points including three free throws in the final minute of overtime and Tyrese Samuel had 22 for the Gators (15-6, 5-3 Southeastern Conference), who avenged an earlier loss to the Wildcats.
Reed Sheppard had 24 points, Rob Dillingham 20 and Antonio Reeves 19 for Kentucky (15-5, 5-3).
No. 16 Auburn 81, Vanderbilt 54
AUBURN, Ala. – Jaylin Williams scored 21 points, Denver Jones added a season-high 19 and Auburn rebounded from back-to-back road losses with a win over Vanderbilt.
Auburn (17-4, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) took control of the game with dominant defense. Vanderbilt shot only 26.8% from the field, including a 11of-39 shooting on 2-point attempts.
Vanderbilt (5-15, 0-7) was led by VenAllen Lubin, who had 17 points and 12 rebounds. Evan Taylor scored 14 points, and Tyrin Lawrence added 12 points for the Commodores.
Johni Broome keyed the Auburn defense with five blocks to go along with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
No. 18 Baylor 77, UCF 69
ORLANDO, Fla. – Langston Love came off the bench to score 24 points including a 3-pointer with five minutes to play that capped a 7-0 run and gave Baylor the lead for good in a win over UCF.
Jalen Bridges had 12 points for Baylor (15-5, 4-3 Big 12), RayJ Dennis added 11 points and eight assists and Yves Missi scored 11 points.
Darius Johnson scored 23 points and had 10 assists to lead UCF (12-8, 3-5), Marchellus Avery had 16 points making 4 of 8 3-pointers, and Jaylin Sellers scored 11. The Knights shot 54% for the game and 14 for 27 from 3-point range.
Boise St. 86, No. 19 New Mexico 78
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Max Rice scored a career-high 35 points and Boise State handed New Mexico its first home loss of the season.
Chibuzo Agbo added 16 points for the Broncos (15-6, 6-2 Mountain West), and O’Mar Stanley had 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Donovan Dent led New Mexico (18-4, 6-3) with a career-best 31 points. Jamal Mashburn Jr. scored 14 for the Lobos, who fell to 11-1 at home. They had won five straight games overall – each one by at least 18 points.
The game was tied at 67 before a late run bookended by 3-pointers from Rice and Agbo gave Boise State a 77-69 lead it did not relinquish over the final 3:44.
No. 24 Alabama 85, Georgia 76
ATHENS, Ga. – Mark Sears scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 4:09 remaining, and Alabama recovered from a slow start to beat Georgia.
Grant Nelson, who scored 20 points, sank two 3-pointers in the final 2 minutes to help the Crimson Tide (15-6, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) protect the lead.
RJ Melendez and Noah Thomasson each scored 15 points for the Bulldogs (14-7, 4-4).
Alabama, which leads the SEC with its average of 89.7 points per game, started slow and was held to 27 firsthalf points.