Kentucky rebounds with win
No. 7 Gonzaga cruises; St. John’s upsets Butler
OXFORD, Miss. — Any concerns whether No. 8 Kentucky could bounce back from a tough road loss to an archrival were eliminated Thursday night in less than five minutes.
Malik Monk scored 34 points, Isaiah Briscoe had a triple-double and the Wildcats used an early surge to roll to a 99-76 victory over Mississippi in the SEC opener for both teams.
The Wildcats (11-2) showed no emotional hangover or playing rust after losing at No. 6 Louisville eight days ago.
“That first half is as good as we’ve played in a long time around here,” said Kentucky coach John Calipari, whose club had a 13-0 run to build a 21-7 lead with 15:16 left in the first half. “It was a good road win against a good basketball team.”
Briscoe added 19 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats, who led 60-41 at halftime and were never seriously threatened. Edrice Adebayo added 25 points, primarily on the strength of seven dunks.
Monk finished 11 of 16 from the field, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range, and added six rebounds and three steals. Adebayo was 12 of 19 from the field and blocked three shots.
Sebastian Saiz led the Rebels (9-4) with 23 points and 13 rebounds. DeAndre Burnett added 19 points and Rasheed Brooks had 15. Former Lobo Cullen Neal had four turnovers and three fouls in the opening nine minutes. He missed his only field attempt and had one assist. (7) GONZAGA 92, PEPPERDINE 62:
In Spokane, Wash., Nigel WilliamsGoss and Przemek Karnowski each scored 16 points as Gonzaga beat shorthanded Pepperdine, extending the best start in program history.
Three other players scored in double figures for unbeaten Gonzaga (13-0, 1-0 West Coast Conference).
The Bulldogs held a narrow lead after the first half and did not put away scrappy Pepperdine until midway through the second.
Lamond Murray Jr. scored 19 points for Pepperdine (4-9, 0-1), which has lost eight games in a row and was missing two starters because of injury.
Gonzaga went unbeaten in nonconference play for the first time since joining the NCAA in 1958. The Bulldogs have now won 21 straight conference openers, dating to a loss in 1996.
ST. JOHN’S 76, No. 13 BUTLER 73: In New York, freshman guard Shamorie Ponds scored 26 points, including four free throws in the final 9.1 seconds, and St. John’s upset Butler in the Big East opener for both teams at Carnesecca Arena.
The Red Storm (7-7), coming off a 33-point win at Syracuse, stayed close with the Bulldogs (11-2) and finally took a lead at 72-71 on a free throw by Malik Ellison with 14.1 seconds left.
Bashir Ahmed added 19 points for the Red Storm.
Kelan Martin of Butler let a shot go from halfcourt at the buzzer and it hit the rim. Tyler Wideman had 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting for the Bulldogs, and Martin scored 13.
(25) FLORIDA 81, ARKANSAS 72: In Fayetteville, Ark., Florida guard KeVaughn Allen had a triumphant return to Arkansas, where he played high school ball, scoring 21 points as the Gators beat the Razorbacks in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.
Daryl Macon, who scored 22 points, did what he could to keep the Razorbacks close, but Allen drained a 3-pointer nearly every time Florida needed to put down a threat.
Kevarrius Hayes’ dunk and Allen’s 3-pointer made it 63-52 after Arkansas had trimmed the lead to six. After Moses Kingsley cut Florida’s edge to 65-58, Allen drained another 3 with 6:35 left to kill the Razorbacks’ momentum. Florida (10-3) led by double digits until the final 11 seconds.
Macon scored 22 points for Arkansas (11-2).
NMSU: The Aggie men host UTEP today at 7 in a matchup of two programs tracking in opposite directions. The game streams on espn3.com in addition to airing on radio and TV networks listed on D5. The Aggies (12-2) seek their 11th straight win. UTEP (2-9) has dropped eight straight, including a 79-68 loss to NMSU on Dec. 13 in El Paso. NMSU will also be donning its special “Los Aggies” uniform Friday night as it celebrates Hispanic Heritage Night.