Heels don’t miss step with point guard hobbling
TOP 25 MEN
NO. 7 NORTH CAROLINA 94,
APPALACHIAN ST. 70
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Brice Johnson stayed hot, and Marcus Paige could not stay healthy.
Johnson scored 22 points to help No. 7 North Carolina beat Appalachian State 94-70 on Monday night.
Justin Jackson and Isaiah Hicks added 12 points each for the Tar Heels (10-2), who rolled to the victory after Paige limped off the court once in each half.
Johnson, who established a career-high for scoring in North Carolina’s previous two games, scored at least 22 points for the third consecutive game.
“I just wanted to go out there and be aggressive like I was in the last two games,” Johnson said. “When I’m aggressive and scoring, that opens everything up for everybody else.”
Joel Berry II had 11 points and a career-high 11 assists as North Carolina scored at least 80 points for the eighth consecutive game.
Paige played 17 minutes, jamming his surgically repaired right ankle in the first half.
Paige walked into the tunnel to the locker room with 17:45 remaining in the game after converting a transition layup and did not return to the bench.
“There was no sense in bringing him back out,” North Carolina Coach Roy Williams said.
Paige said he was unable to get his ankle loose after it stiffened at halftime. He hurt the ankle while blocking a shot near the sideline midway through the first half.
Paige had arthroscopic surgery on the ankle during the offseason to remove bone spurs. He said after the game that he had minor swelling but that his ankle already was feeling better.
NO. 10 PROVIDENCE 90, MASSACHUSETTS 66
AMHERST, Mass. — Ben Bentil scored a career-high 32 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to lead Providence over Massachusetts.
Kris Dunn returned to the Friars (12-1) after missing the previous two games with a stomach virus. The preseason All-America had 14 points and 11 assists in 24 minutes.
Providence moved into the top 10 for the first time since January 1978, when it was ninth.
Jabarie Hinds led the Minutemen (6-5) with 16 points, while Trey Davis added 14.
NO. 19 WEST VIRGINIA 84, EASTERN KENTUCKY 59
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Jaysean Paige scored all of his 17 points in the first half, and No. 19 West Virginia beat Eastern Kentucky.
Paige was 6 of 12 from the field, including making 4 of 7 from behind the three-point line.
Jevon Carter was 3 for 7 from beyond the arc and had 11 points for the Mountaineers (10-1), while Devin Williams had 15 points and 8 rebounds and Daxter Miles Jr. added 12 points.
Javonte Hawkins scored 16 points and Jaylen Babb-Harrison added 15 for Eastern Kentucky (8-6).
SEC MEN
OREGON 72, ALABAMA 68
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Dillon Brooks scored 23 points and Tyler Dorsey made four free throws over the final 15 seconds to lift Oregon to a come-from-behind victory over Alabama at Legacy Arena.
The Ducks (10-2), once ranked as high as 15th, won their third consecutive game after battling injury problems. This time they trailed by 12 points at halftime before coming back from the locker room hot.
Brooks made 9 of 15 shots and also had 5 assists for Oregon, which shot 53 percent in the second half. Jordan Bell added 15 points, Chris Boucher 11 and Dorsey 10. Boucher and Dorsey were both scoreless at the half.
Justin Coleman led Alabama (7-3) with a career-high 24 points and had six assists. Riley Norris scored 12 for the Tide, which came in riding a five-game winning streak.
TOP 25/SEC WOMEN
NO. 1 CONNECTICUT 86, LSU 40
HARTFORD, Conn. — Moriah Jefferson led UConn with 17 points and the top-ranked Huskies, playing without two-time national player of the year Breanna Stewart, routed LSU.
Morgan Tuck and Katie Lou Samuelson each scored 14 points and Gabby Williams added 13 to help UConn to its 46th consecutive victory. Rina Hill led LSU (6-6) with 10 points. UConn (9-0) outscored LSU 35-6 off turnovers, 42-12 in the lane and 24-2 on fast-break points.
NO. 8 MISSISSIPPI STATE 72, SMU 70
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Victoria Vivians scored 18 points, Ketara Chapel added 13 and No. 8 Mississippi State held on to beat SMU at the Puerto Rico Classic.
Mississippi State (11-1) controlled most of the game and had a 65-54 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs suffered through some cold shooting in the fourth quarter, scoring just seven points, but did enough on defense to secure the victory.
McKenzie Adams led SMU (5-6) with 21 points. Gabrielle Wilkins added 14.
NO. 25 MISSOURI 82, TEXAS STATE 56
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Sophie Cunningham scored 21 points, Jordan Frericks added 19 points and Missouri shut down Texas State in the fourth quarter to stay undefeated.
Missouri (12-0), leading 55-48 entering the fourth quarter, limited Texas Sate to eight points over the final 10 minutes.
An eight-point Missouri spurt — including a three-pointer by Cunningham — pushed the lead over 20 points with 3:37 to go.
Texas State (5-5) was led by Kaitlin Walla with 18 points, including four three-pointers. Ericka May added 10 points.