Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Powell leads Seton Hall to 10th straight victory
NEWARK, N.J. >> Myles Powell scored 24 points despite a woeful shooting effort and No. 10 Seton Hall won its 10th straight game night with a 64-57 victory over DePaul on Wednesday night.
Jared Rhoden added 14 points and 11 rebounds as the Pirates (16-4, 8-0 Big East) rallied from a ninepoint, second-half deficit to beat the Blue Demons (13-8, 1-7) for the second time this season.
Charlie Moore had 14 points and Jalen ColemanLands added 10 for DePaul, which turned an early 17-6 first-half deficit into a 41-32 lead in the opening minutes of the second half.
Powell, who was 7 of 21 from the field, and Rhoden were the difference, combining for 27 points. Powell was excellent with the game on the line, scoring 11 straight points to help Seton Hall take a 60-53 lead.
DePaul never got closer than five points the rest of the way. The Blue Demons shot 33 percent from the field for the game.
Seton Hall was its own worst enemy at times, hitting 14 of 29 free throws.
The winning streak is the longest for Seton Hall since taking 12 straight late in the 1992-93 season. The 8-0 start in the league is the best for the Pirates. (7) DAYTON 73, DUQUESNE 69 >> Obi Toppin had 22 points and 10 rebounds to help Dayton (19-2, 8-0 Atlantic 10) hold off Duquesne (15-5, 5-3).
Dayton led by as many as 19 points in the second half, but Duquesne used a 15-2 run to close the gap.
The Dukes cut the lead all the way to two points, but their upset bid ran out of steam when point guard Sincere Carry turned the ball over with 7.9 seconds remaining.
Toppin went to the rim frequently, using a number of athletic dunks to finish 9 of 13 from the floor. He now has six double-doubles this season.
Dayton’s Jalen Crutcher had 18 points and was 4 for 6 from beyond the 3-point arc. On the game’s first basket, Crutcher scored his 1,000th career point.
. (13) KENTUCKY 71, VANDERBILT 62 >> Tyrese Maxey scored 10 of his 17 points in the second half, and No. 13 Kentucky (16-4, 6-1 SEC) used a 23-12 run to rally past Vanderbilt for a victory that dealt the Commodores (8-12, 0-7) their record 25th consecutive SEC regular season loss.
The Wildcats trailed 40-30 early in the second half before mounting the big run over 8:45 to lead for good at 53-52 on two Immanuel Quickley free throws with 8:33 remaining. Three-point plays by Ashton Hagans, EJ Montgomery and Quickley helped the surge, and Richards added consecutive baskets for a little more breathing room.
Maxey took over from there, scoring nine of Kentucky’s next 10 points, including six consecutive to make it a seven-point cushion.
Richards had 15 points and 11 rebounds, Hagans added 12 points, and Quickley 11 as the Wildcats won their fourth consecutive game and eighth in the last nine. (14) MICHIGAN STATE 79, NORTHWESTERN 50 >> Cassius Winston scored 18 points and Xavier Tillman had 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists to lead Michigan State (16-5, 8-2 Big Ten) in a win over Northwestern (6-14, 1-9).
The Spartans moved into sole possession of first place in the conference. The lead may last only a day because No. 19 Illinois has a chance to pull into a tie Thursday night at home against Minnesota. (21) HOUSTON 69, EAST CAROLINA 59 >> Caleb Mills scored 18 points to help Houston (17-4, 7-1 American Athletic Conference) beat East Carolina (-12, 3-5).
Quentin Grimes added 15 points for the Cougars, who continued their shaky shooting in league play but still remained in control of the game.
Gardner’s jumper at the 5:20 mark was ECU’s last basket before halftime. And he went the last 4 ½ minutes before the break without a shot while the Pirates launched and missed five consecutive 3s as Houston stretched its lead to 33-21 by halftime.
East Carolina got as close as 46-38 on Brandon Suggs’ 3 with 12:01 left, but the Cougars ran off a 9-2 burst — ending with Grimes’ threepoint play at the 9:26 mark — that stretched the lead back to 55-40 and kept the Cougars in control.