Rhodes, Mississippi State rally past Oregon, 76-69

Barry Stewart was wide open in front of the Mississippi State bench, so Coach Rick Stansbury pointed to him.

Jamont Gordon made the pass, Stewart made the shot and finally the Bulldogs were in control. And, someone besides Charles Rhodes was contributing to the offense.

Rhodes scored a career-high 34 points and the eighth-seeded Bulldogs (23-10) overcame a 13-point, second-half deficit for a 76-69 victory over ninth-seeded Oregon (18-14) Friday night at North Little Rock, Ark. Stewart added 16 points, all in the second half.

Rhodes kept Mississippi State from being blown out. So did Oregon’s shooting. The Ducks were nine of 38 from three-point range, including two of 21 in the second half.

The Bulldogs trailed, 41-28, after Malik Hairston’s three-point basket at the start of the second half, but Oregon didn’t make another three-point shot until the final seconds.

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No. 1 Memphis 87, No. 16 Texas Arlington 63 -- Chris Douglas-Roberts’ layup sparked an early 15-2 run that effectively ended any hopes the Mavericks (21-12) had for a momentous upset, and the Tigers (34-1) cruised at North Little Rock.

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No. 2 Texas 74, No. 15 Austin Peay 54 -- A.J. Abrams scored 26 points, and along with Connor Atchley and Dexter Pittman nearly outscored the Governors (24-10) at North Little Rock. Atchley added 12 points and Pittman had 11. The Longhorns (29-6) are one victory away from matching the school record for wins. The 2005-06 team finished 30-7.

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No. 7 Miami 78, No. 10 St. Mary’s 64 -- Jack McClinton scored a career-high 38 points -- 32 during the second half -- and the Hurricanes (23-10) rallied past the Gaels (25-7) at North Little Rock. Miami went on a 25-5 run early in the second half.