College basketball: Nick Richards helps No. 15 Kentucky top No. 18 Texas Tech in OT
Nick Richards scored seven of his 25 points in overtime, including the game-deciding free throws with 10 seconds left, and No. 15 Kentucky beat No. 18 Texas Tech 76-74 in Lubbock, Texas, in the only Big 12/SEC Challenge game Saturday featuring two ranked teams.
Richards scored the first five points in overtime for the Wildcats (15-4), who blew a 10-point lead in second half and went the final six minutes of regulation without a field goal. His last two free throws came after he was fouled when Terrence Shannon missed on awkward shot when defended by EJ Montgomery.
While there were a lot of happy players in the Kentucky locker room, only Richards got a kiss on the forehead from coach John Calipari.
“I said there are about three of you in this room that need this, but I will do it for you, so I kissed him on the forehead,” Calipari said of the 6-foot-11 junior forward who also grabbed 14 rebounds. “Nick was unbelievable.”
Texas Tech (12-7), which had won 54 consecutive nonconference home games since December 2013, had one last possession. But Davide Moretti was stripped by Ashton Hagans when starting a drive in the lane.
Immanuel Quickley had 21 points for the Wildcats, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer from half court that put them up 36-34 at halftime.
Kyler Edards scored 18 points for the Red Raiders, while Moretti had 15 and Shannon 12.
Freshman forward Onyeka Okongwu scored 18 points and threw down several highlight-reel dunks in USC’s 75-55 win at Oregon State.
No. 1 Baylor 72, Florida 61: MaCio Teague and Devonte Bandoo scored 16 points apiece, and the Bears (17-1) extended their winning steak to 16 games with a win over the Gators (12-7) in Gainesville, Fla., in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
Baylor improved to 6-1 in the annual inter-conference series, the best record of any team in either conference. The Bears also gave the Big 12 an even split (5-5) in the daylong series.
Keyontae Johnson led Florida with 20 points. Andrew Nembhard added 16 points and eight assists.
at No. 2 Gonzaga 92, Pacific 59: Killian Tillie scored 22 points and blocked four shots to help the Bulldogs (21-1, 7-0 West Coast) beat the Tigers (15-8, 3-4) for their 13th straight victory.
Corey Kispert added 16 points and Filip Petrusev had 15 for Gonzaga. The Bulldogs also won their 35th consecutive home game, the longest streak in the nation.
Jahlil Tripp scored 21 points for Pacific, which is making strides under fourth-year coach Damon Stoudamire. But the Tigers have lost 15 in a row to Gonzaga.
at No. 3 Kansas 74, Tennessee 68: Devon Dotson scored 22 points, Udoka Azubuike added 18, and the Jayhawks (16-3) beat the Volunteers (12-7) in Lawrence, Kan., in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
Azubuike was the lone big man for Kansas after Silvio De Sousa was suspended 12 games and David McCormack banned five for their roles in a brawl Tuesday against Kansas State. Azubuike finished with 11 rebounds and four blocks.
Yves Pons led Tennessee with 24 points, and Jordan Bowden finished with 19 points after a scoreless first half.
Alonzo Verge Jr. made a layup with 10.9 seconds remaining, and Arizona State stormed back to beat No. 22 Arizona 66-65 after trailing by 22 points.
at No. 5 Florida State 85, Notre Dame 84: Wyatt Wilkes scored 19 points, and the Seminoles (17-2, 7-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) held off the Fighting Irish (11-8, 2-6) in Tallahassee, Fla., for their 10th straight victory.
Wilkes drilled five of six from three-point range, and Florida State made 12 of 18 from beyond the arc.
The Seminoles missed their last nine shots from the field, and the Irish nearly took advantage. Notre Dame had a few chances in the final moments, including Rex Pflueger’s desperation three-pointer that fell short at the buzzer.
Trent Forrest and RaiQuan Gray each scored 13 points for Florida State, which has also won 10 consecutive home games.
Prentiss Hubb scored 24 points, hitting five of 11 three-pointers, and John Mooney had 16 points for Notre Dame.
at No. 6 Louisville 80, Clemson 62: Darius Perry set career highs with 19 points and five three-pointers, and the Cardinals (17-3, 8-1 ACC) beat the Tigers (10-9, 4-5) in Louisville, Ky., for their sixth straight win.
Louisville pulled away with a 20-0 first-half run and shot 66% before halftime. Perry finished seven of 12 from the field and five of six from deep to eclipse his previous high of 17 points. The junior point guard also had five rebounds.
Clemson had won four of five, including victories at North Carolina and over then-No. 3 Duke. Clyde Trapp had 11 points for the Tigers.
No. 7 Dayton 87, at Richmond 79: Odi Toppin had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and the Flyers (18-2, 7-0 Atlantic 10) pulled away from the Spiders (15-5, 5-2) after halftime in Richmond, Va., and won their ninth straight game.
Jalen Crutcher added 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Dayton.
Jacob Gilyard scored 27 points and Nick Sherod had 23 points and nine rebounds for Richmond.
No. 9 Villanova 64, at Providence 60: Collin Gillespie grabbed a rebound and found Jeremiah Robinson-Earl on the fast break for a dunk with 53 seconds left, and the Wildcats turned back a Friars rally in Providence, R.I., for their sixth straight win.
Gillespie, who also hit a pair of free throws with 28 seconds to play, scored 18 points and had eight rebounds for Villanova (16-3, 6-1 Big East). Robinson-Earl finished with 17 points, making one of two foul shots with 13 seconds left to keep it a two-possession game.
Nate Watson had 18 points and nine rebounds and David Duke had 11 and 10 for Providence (11-10, 4-4).
UCLA coach Mick Cronin coaches different players differently, and the Bruins will need to take that guidance to heart to have any chance of beating Oregon.
at No. 14 West Virginia 74, Missouri 51: Jermaine Haley had 15 points and nine rebounds, Miles McBride scored 15 points, and the Mountaineers (16-3) broke open a close game with a huge run early in the second half to beat the cold-shooting Tigers (9-10) in Morgantown, W.Va.
West Virginia’s Bob Huggins earned his 876th win, tying Adolph Rupp for seventh place on the NCAA Division I coaching list.
Oscar Tshiebwe added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Mountaineers. Torrence Watson scored 19 points to lead Missouri.
No. 16 Auburn 80, Iowa State 76: In Auburn, Ala., Isaac Okoro scored 19 points, Samir Doughty had 18, and the Tigers (17-2) held off the Cyclones (9-10).
Okoro had 10 straight points to help Auburn take a 76-62 lead with under six minutes to play. Iowa State responded with 10 points in a row.
Okoro, a true freshman, hit two foul shots with nine seconds left to seal it. Rasir Bolton led the Cyclones with 23 points, and Tyrese Haliburton added 12.
Southern Methodist 74, at No. 20 Memphis 70: Kendric Davis had 20 points and five assists, Emmanuel Bandoumel added 14 points, and the Mustangs (15-4, 5-2 American Athletic Conference) used a late run to knock off the Tigers (14-5, 3-3) in Memphis, Tenn.
Isiaha Mike scored 13 points, all in the second half, and Tyson Jolly finished with 10 as SMU won its third straight.
D.J. Jeffries led Memphis with 18 points, while Precious Achiuwa had 15 points and nine rebounds. The loss was the Tigers’ second straight and fourth in their last six.
No. 21 Illinois 64, at Michigan 62: Ayo Dosunmu hit a contested jumper from the free-throw line with 0.5 seconds remaining to lift the Illini (15-5, 7-2 Big Ten) over the Wolverines (11-8, 2-6) in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Illinois moved into sole possession of first place in the Big Ten, and it extended its winning streak to six. Michigan has dropped four in a row and might have lost forward Isaiah Livers again to an injury.
Dosunmu finished with 27 points. Livers returned for the Wolverines after missing six games with a groin injury, but he left in the second half after appearing to hurt himself again.
at No. 24 Rutgers 75, Nebraska 72: Geo Baker hit a three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left as the Scarlet Knights (15-5, 6-3 Big Ten) extended their home winning streak to 14 games with a win over the Cornhuskers (7-13, 2-7) in Piscataway, N.J.
Rutgers had four double-digit scorers, with Akwaski Yeboah leading the way with 20 points. Caleb McConnell and Jacob Young each had 12, and Montez Mathis added 10. The Scarlet Knights were up by 14 early in the second half before the Cornhuskers went on a 22-7 run for a short-lived lead.
Nebraska was led by Cam Mack with 19 points, and Thorir Thorbjarnarson added 17 points and eight rebounds.
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