Koulechov lifts Rice with 35; UH sits 5-0
SAN ANTONIO — Egor Koulechov made all six of his 3-point attempts and scored a career-high 35 points as Rice pulled away late to beat Incarnate Word 87-79 on Saturday.
Koulechov was 10-of-16 from the floor and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Owls (5-1), who have won four in a row. Koulechov also made nine of 10 free throws.
Rice led 40-34 at the half, but Incarnate Word battled back to tie at 51 after Jordan Kite’s 3-pointer with 12:17 left. The Cardinals (2-2) were tied or close behind but never took the lead in the second half
Marcus Evans, who finished with 20 points, hit a jumper, and Rice made 11 free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.
Shawn Johnson had 28 points and 10 rebounds for Incarnate Word (2-2). HOUSTON 83, CORNELL 53
Devin Davis scored 18 points to help the Cougars build a 19-point halftime lead and cruise past the Big Red at Hofheinz Pavilion.
It was the fourth time in five games that UH (5-0) has beaten its opponent by 27 or more points.
Fresh off a 72-71 victory over Vermont to win the Gulf Coast Showcase tournament, the Cougars roared to a 14-0 lead and led 26-2 before Cornell (1-5) got its second field goal.
Davis was 8-of-11 shooting from the field and had nine rebounds for Houston. Rob Gray Jr. added 15 points, and Wes VanBeck contributed 12 off the bench. MARQUETTE 101 HOUSTON BAPTIST 79
Luke Fischer had 22 points and 11 rebounds to help lead the Golden Eagles past the Huskies at Milwaukee, Wis.
Fischer needed just 11 minutes to score 17 points and grab eight rebounds in the first half as Marquette (4-2) jumped out to a 56-33 halftime advantage.
Haanif Cheatham added 21 points and six assists, and Jajuan Johnson made scored 22 points for the Golden Eagles, who eclipsed the century mark for the second consecutive game after rolling over IUPUI 104-79 on Tuesday.
Asa Cantwell and Josh Ibarra led Houston Baptist with 12 points apiece. DUKE 93 APPALACHIAN ST. 58
Grayson Allen scored all 21 of his points in the first half as the sixthranked Blue Devils coasted to victory at Durham, N.C.
Luke Kennard added 18 points, and Amile Jefferson and Frank Jackson each finished with 15 for the Duke (6-1), which will host No. 24 Michigan State on Tuesday night. VIRGINIA 63 PROVIDENCE 52
London Perrantes and Darius Thompson each scored 11 points as the Cavaliers topped the Friars to win the Emerald Coast Classic at Niceville, Fla.
Virginia (6-0) entered the game leading the nation in scoring defense, giving up only 39.2 points per game. Providence (4-2) topped the seasonhigh 51 that North Carolina-Greensboro scored against the Cavaliers but had trouble penetrating the tight defense that denies post touches and forces contested jumpers. SOUTH CAROLINA 64 SYRACUSE 50
Sindarius Thornwell scored 16 points, and the Gamecocks never trailed en route to an impressive victory over the No. 18 Orange in the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational at Barclays Center in New York.
Thornwell, the tournament MVP, shot 3-of-6 from the field and made nine of 10 free throws while getting six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Mike Kotsar also had 16 points for South Carolina (6-0).
Tyler Lydon led Syracuse (4-1) with a seasonhigh 18 points.
From staff and wire reports