Aggies, Utah Valley start two-game set Friday
No. 11 Hawkeyes romp past No. 21 Wisconsin
New Mexico State and Utah Valley will begin a two-game men’s series at 7 p.m. Friday at El Paso’s Eastwood High, the Aggies’ home away from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Friday night’s game will be carried over the airwaves on FOX Sports Arizona Plus, FOX Sports Southwest Plus, FOX Sports College Pacific and Comcast New Mexico. The WAC Digital Network as well as the FOX Sports GO app will also be carrying the game.
Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday, also at 7 p.m.
New Mexico State enters the Western Athletic Conference showdown with a 5-5 overall mark, but 2-4 in league play. Utah Valley is 7-8, 5-2.
The Aggies are coming off a 65-58 win on the road over Seattle on Saturday.
Leading the way for New Mexico State is Jabari Rice, who is averaging 14.4 points and 4.8 rebounds a game.
No. 11 IOWA 77, No. 21 WISCONSIN 62:
In Madison, Wis., Luka Garza scored 30 points and Joe Wieskamp had 17 as Iowa pulled away to beat Wisconsin on Thursday night.
Garza raised his nation-leading average to 24.7 points, making 11 of 19 shots, including 4 of 6 from three-point range, and grabbing eight rebounds. Freshman Keegan Murray had 12 rebounds for the Hawkeyes (16-6, 10-5 Big Ten).
Micah Potter had 23 points and 11 rebounds for Wisconsin (15-8, 9-7), Brad Davison added 15 points and D’Mitrik Trice 11. The Badgers lost consecutive games for the first time this season.
No. 1 GONZAGA 87, SAINT MARY’S 65: In Spokane, Wash., Corey Kispert scored 20 points, Joel Ayayi added 16 and top-ranked Gonzaga beat Saint Mary’s, extending the nation’s longest winning streak to 25 games.
Drew Timme scored 12 points to help Gonzaga (21-0, 12-0 West Coast) extend its home winning streak to 48 games.
Judah Brown scored 16 points for Saint Mary’s (11-7, 2-5).
Gonzaga has won 18 consecutive games by double digits. That’s the longest streak within a season by an Associated Press No. 1 team since UNLV won 19 games in a row by 10 or more in 1990-91.
No. 3 MICHIGAN 71, RUTGERS 64: In Ann Arbor, Mich., Franz Wagner scored 20 points and Mike Smith added 12 to lift Michigan past Rutgers.
Hunter Dickinson added 10 points for the Wolverines, who won their second straight game since returning from a lengthy layoff after the athletic department paused activities for coronavirusrelated reasons. Michigan avoided a slipup before its showdown at No. 4 Ohio State this weekend.
Jacob Young scored 16 points for Rutgers (12-8, 8-8 Big Ten), which has never beaten the Wolverines. Michigan (15-1, 10-1) has won all 14 meetings.
No. 4 OHIO STATE 92, PENN STATE 82: In State College, Pa., E.J. Liddell scored 17 of his 23 points in the first half and Ohio State outlasted Penn State.
Duane Washington scored 21 points and C.J. Walker added 13 for the Buckeyes (18-4, 12-4 Big Ten), who used a 15-0 run midway through the second half to take control and win their seventh straight.
Myreon Jones led Penn State (7-11, 4-10) with 18 points.
WICHITA STATE 68, No. 6 HOUSTON 63: In Wichita, Kan., Tyson Etienne and Alterique Gilbert each scored 16 points and Dexter Dennis had 12 points and a crucial steal in the final seconds, leading Wichita State past Houston.
The Shockers (13-4, 9-2 American Athletic Conference) moved past Houston (173, 11-3) and into first place in the league.
No. 25 SAN DIEGO STATE 67, FRESNO STATE 53: In Fresno, Calif., Matt Mitchell scored 19 points and Trey Pulliam matched his career high with 18 for San Diego State, which used a 19-0 run to take control in the first half and beat Fresno State for its seventh straight win.
Jordan Schakel had 13 for the Aztecs (16-4, 10-3 Mountain West), who recovered from a ragged start and an 11-0 deficit by clamping down on defense and forcing Fresno State to go cold for eight minutes.
Orlando Robinson had 17 points and 13 rebounds and Isaiah Hill 11 points for Fresno State (9-8, 6-8).
Women
No. 21 TENNESSEE 75, No. 2 SOUTH CAROLINA 67: In Knoxville, Tenn., Rennia Davis scored all 24 of her points in the second half as Tennessee beat South Carolina, ending the Gamecocks’ 31-game conference winning streak.
The Lady Vols (13-5, 7-3 SEC) came back from a double-digit deficit at halftime to beat the Gamecocks (17-3, 12-1).
No. 3 LOUISVILLE 82, PITT 58: In Pittsburgh, Dana Evans matched her career high with 29 points and extended her Atlantic Coast Conference scoring lead, helping Louisville beat Pittsburgh.
Louisville (20-1, 13-1 ACC) led by six at the half, but Evans and the Cardinals came alive in the third quarter. She scored 13 points by herself as the Cardinals outscored the Panthers, 26-13 in the period. The Panthers are 5-10, 3-8.
No. 4 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 66, WAKE FOREST 47: In Winston-Salem, N.C., Jakia Brown-Turner scored 21 points as North Carolina State beat Wake Forest.
Kayla Jones had 16 points for the Wolfpack (14-2, 9-2 ACC). Ivana Raca had 18 points for Wake Forest (11-9, 8-8).
NMSU: The Aggie women, like the men, are scuffling this year at 4-9 and 2-4 in the WAC. But on the eve of their two-game set that begins Friday at Utah Valley, the Aggies had some good news. Melanie Isbell is tranferring to New Mexico State from UNLV.
“We are so excited to welcome Melanie to the Aggie family,” NMSU coach Brooke Atkinson said. “She is a proven winner and champion as she played for one of the best high school programs in the nation and made an immediate impact on the court at UNLV. Melanie is a floor general with a relentless motor who will be a great addition to our program.”
Isbell, a product of Centennial High in Las Vegas, Nev., played in 30 games for UNLV as a freshman in 2019-20. She finished with 133 points, 57 rebounds, 21 steals and scored a career-high 13 points at Colorado State. Isbell was the 27thranked point guard by ESPN as a high school senior.