Tennessee scores rare Rupp victory
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NO. 15 TENNESSEE 61, NO. 24 KENTUCKY 59
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Lamonte Turner scored 16 points, including a clutch three-pointer with 26 seconds remaining, Admiral Schofield followed with a dunk off a turnover and No. 15 Tennessee edged No. 24 Kentucky 61-59 on Tuesday night for its sixth consecutive victory.
The Volunteers ran down the shot clock in the final minute before Turner fired from long range for the goahead basket in a tight game featuring 17 lead changes and 13 ties. Kentucky’s attempt to go ahead resulted in a turnover in the lane leading to Schofield’s dunk with four seconds left for a 61-58 lead.
Kentucky’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made the first throw with 1.3 seconds left and intentionally missed the second, but Tennessee came up with the rebound as time ran out. The Vols (18-5, 8-3 Southeastern Conference) came away with just their fifth Rupp Arena victory and first since 2006 while handing the Wildcats their second consecutive loss.
Jordan Bowden had 13 points and Schofield 12 for the Vols, who won the game in which both teams shot 42 percent.
Quade Green and Gilgeous-Alexander each had 15 points for Kentucky (17-7, 6-5).
For the third time during their winning streak, the Volunteers didn’t shoot well to win the game. They had lost 10 consecutive games in Rupp Arena, getting a big lift from Turner, who came off the bench to make 6 of 10 from the field.
NO. 5 XAVIER 98, BUTLER 93, OT
INDIANAPOLIS — Trevon Bluiett scored 17 of his 26 points in the final 14½ minutes of regulation and overtime to help No. 5 Xavier rally to beat Butler.
Kerem Kanter added 22 points, including the go-ahead basket with 2:56 left in overtime, which started the decisive 5-0 run. The Musketeers (22-3, 10-2 Big East) have won seven consecutive overall and three in a row in the series.
Kelan Martin had 34 points and Sean McDermott finished with 17 to lead the Bulldogs (17-8, 7-5), whose four-game winning streak was snapped.
Butler erased an 18-point first-half deficit and led 62-56 with 9:13 to go when Bluiett, playing his final college game in his hometown, turned it up. He scored eight points in a 16-6 spurt that gave Xavier a 72-68 cushion.
But the Bulldogs clawed out of a seven-point hole in a 46-second span to tie it at 84 on Kamar Baldwin’s three-pointer with 13 seconds to go.
Kanter’s layup in overtime gave Xavier an 89-88 lead, and Bluiett scored the next six points for the Musketeers, who held on.
NO. 6 CINCINNATI 77, CENTRAL FLORIDA 40
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — Kyle Washington scored 13 points, Gary Clark added 12, and No. 6 Cincinnati gave another dominating defensive performance in beating Central Florida for its 15th consecutive victory.
The Bearcats (22-2, 11-0 American Athletic) dug in against a low-scoring team and extended the nation’s longest active home-court winning streak to 39 games. The Knights managed only 13 points in the first half, matching the fewest that Cincinnati has allowed in an opening half during coach Mick Cronin’s 12 seasons.
UCF (14-9, 5-6) was 0 for 14 beyond the arc overall and went more than 12 minutes without scoring in the first half. Ceasar DeJesus had 12 points for the Knights, who shot 28 percent overall.
NORTHWESTERN 61, NO. 20 MICHIGAN 52
ROSEMONT, Ill. — Bryant McIntosh tied a season high with 24 points, and Northwestern beat No. 20 Michigan.
McIntosh scored 14 in the second half to help the Wildcats (15-10, 6-6 Big Ten) win for the fourth time in five games.
Scottie Lindsey added 19 points and seven rebounds, and Northwestern returned the favor after losing at Michigan last week.
Moe Wagner led the Wolverines (19-7, 8-5) with 20 points and nine rebounds. Michigan made 5 of 20 shots in the second half while missing 9 of 10 three-pointers.
Northwestern shook off a slow start to pull within three at halftime and scored 10 consecutive early in the second to grab its first lead of the game.
After struggling in the first half, Vic Law nailed a three-pointer to put the Wildcats ahead 35-33. A basket by Dererk Pardon and driving layup by Lindsey capped that spurt and made it a six-point game.
McIntosh came up big for Northwestern over the final nine minutes, starting with a three-pointer to make it 47-41.
He pulled up for a floater after Pardon blocked a layup by Jordon Poole, and he nailed another three-pointer and a jumper to make it 54-44 with 3:43 remaining.