Rhode Island can’t hang with Wisconsin
Brad Davison scored 23 points, and No. 13 Wisconsin beat Rhode Island 73-62 on Wednesday in a nonconference game added to the schedule two days ago.
Wisconsin (4-1) originally was slated to host No. 25 Louisville on Wednesday as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, but the Cardinals canceled their second consecutive game following a positive COVID-19 test within the program. Rhode Island was added as a replacement on Monday.
Wisconsin took a 53-31 lead on Jonathan Davis’ turnaround jumper with 11:58 remaining, but the Rams closed to 62-54 on a 3-pointer by Jeremy Sheppard with 4:40 left.
Michah Potter had 13 points and Aleem Ford scored 11 for Wisconsin, which bounced back from a 67-65 loss to Marquette on a buzzer-beating tip-in of a missed free throw on Friday.
Sheppard had 13 points for the Rams (3-3), who had won three straight.
The Badgers gained control early, breaking out to a 33-16 halftime lead. The cold-shooting Rams were 7 of 27 in the first half.
Davison, who was 0 for 4 and missed all three shots from beyond the arc against Marquette, hit three 3-pointers in the early going to stake Wisconsin to a 10-2 lead.
The Badgers pushed the lead to 21-8 on Nate Reuver’s inside turnaround with 9:01 left in the half.
No. 2 Baylor 83, Stephen F. Austin 52 — Adam Flagler scored 11 of his 14 points before halftime when No. 2 Baylor took control on the way to a win over Stephen F. Austin in the Bears’ home opener, a night later than scheduled and against a different opponent.
Flagler led five players in double figures for the Bears (4-0), who played for the first time since an 82-69 win over then-No. 5 Illinois at the Jimmy V Classic in Indianapolis a week earlier.
They were also supposed to play No. 1 Gonzaga there Saturday, but that game was canceled about 90 minutes before tipoff after a Bulldogs player was among two positive COVID-19 tests in their traveling party.
Cameron Johnson had 11 points for Stephen F. Austin (3-1), the defending Southland Conference champion which had its 18-game winning streak snapped. Gavin Kensmil added 10 points.
Flagler’s 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the first half was the Bears’ third 3 in a row — LJ Crayer and Matthew Mayer had the others — as part of a half-ending 11-2 run that put them up 3822.
No. 20 Florida St. 69, Indiana 67 — Scottie Barnes banked in a runner with with two seconds left in overtime to give No. 20 Florida State a win over Indiana night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge for its 25th straight home victory.
The freshman had nine points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals for the Seminoles (2-0). Florida State has won 40 straight nonconference home games, and 10 overtime games in a row.
Trayce Jackson-Davis had 25 points and 17 rebounds for Indiana (3-2). The Hoosiers did not make a basket from the floor in the final 4:38 of overtime.
Armaan Franklin added nine points and eight rebounds for Indiana.
Providence 79, TCU 70 — David Duke scored 28 points for the second straight game, and Providence beat TCU in the Big East-Big 12 Battle.
Duke was 11 of 19 from the field, including 5 of 8 from distance. On Saturday, Duke make 9 of 14 shots and 10 of 12 free throws to total 28 points in a win over Fairleigh Dickinson.
Nate Watson added 18 points with eight rebounds for Providence (4-2). The Friars scored 26 points off 20 turnovers by TCU, and held a 33-20 edge on the glass.
Duke (118 points) and Watson (112) have combined to score 51% of Providence’s 447 points this season.
RJ Nembhard had 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for TCU (4-2), which was picked to finish ninth in the Big 12. Mike Miles added 20 points and Kevin Samuel scored 10.
Miles made a 3-pointer midway through the first half to give TCU its last lead at 16-15 as Providence answered with an 8-0 run with six straight points from Ed Croswell. The Friars led 43-32 at the break and their lead didn’t drop below four points in the second half.