New Mexico loses distinction of last unbeaten
Isaih Moore scored 16 points and Fresno State defeated the last unbeaten team in the nation in No. 21 New Mexico, topping the Lobos 71-67 on Tuesday night.
Isaiah Hill added 14 points, making three free throws in the final seconds to wrap up the victory for the host Bulldogs (6-8, 2-1 Mountain West).
“I told the team we have to keep it in perspective,” Lobos coach Richard Pitino said. “We are 14-1. It’s been an unbelievable run to go two months without a loss. It is tough to win on the road, especially in conference.
“We will try not to get too emotional about this, but just get back home and learn from it.”
Jemarl Baker added 13 points and five assists, and 6-11 Eduardo Andre, averaging just over four points a game, scored a career-high 12 points and had eight rebounds.
The Lobos had the distinction as the last remaining unbeaten Division I team for only one day after No. 1 Purdue’s loss to Rutgers on Monday. The 14-0 start was their best since a school-record 17-0 in 1967-68.
Fresno State snapped a 28-game losing streak to teams in The Associated Press Top 25, the last victory coming over No. 14 Oklahoma State on Feb. 10, 2002.
WEDNESDAY’S GAME North Carolina State 84, No. 16 Duke 60:
Terquavion Smith scored 24 points and the Wolfpack (12-4, 2-3 ACC) jumped all over the Blue Devils (11-4, 2-2) from the opening tip, rolling to a shocking result in the long-running series between Atlantic Coast Conference neighbors.
Jarkel Joiner added 21 points, nine assists and six rebounds for the Wolfpack, which scored the game’s first 15 points and led by 22 by halftime.
LATE TUESDAY No. 3 Kansas 75, Texas Tech 72:
KJ Adams scored the last of his 16 points on a breakaway dunk with 7 seconds remaining, and the Jayhawks (13-1, 2-0 Big 12) ended the Red Raiders’ home winning streak at 29 games.
Texas Tech (10-4, 0-2) failed to produce a shot on its final possession as Pop Isaacs lost the ball on a drive following contact in the key. The Jayhawks came up with the loose ball, setting the stage for Adams’ dunk as defending national champion Kansas won its seventh consecutive game.
“We didn’t have much left,” Kansas coach Bill
Self said following a second down-to-the-wire Big 12 game. “If it had gone to overtime, it probably wouldn’t have been a good thing for us today. We played well. Anytime you score 75 points on the road it’s a good thing, especially against a team that guards like Texas Tech.”
Kansas State 116, No. 6 Texas 103: Markquis Nowell had 36 points and nine assists as the Wildcats (13-1, 2-0 Big 12 overwhelmed the Longhorns (12-2, 1-1) with a stunning offensive outburst that gave first-year Wildcats coach Jerome Tang his biggest victory.
The Wildcats poured in 58 points in the first half behind 64 percent shooting and eight three-pointers. Kansas State then held off a Texas rally as the Longhorns made 11 consecutive shots in the second half and shaved a 20-point deficit to single digits with just under five minutes left.
HEAT IS ON EWING AT GEORGETOWN
Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing’s loss-filled stint at his alma mater was called a “challenging and frustrating time” by athletic director Lee Reed, who added Wednesday that
“no one is more committed” to turning things around than the former star center.
Hours before the Hoyas were scheduled to carry a record-tying 24-game Big East regular-season losing streak into a matchup against visiting Villanova, Reed responded to a request for an interview from The Associated Press with a statement emailed by a spokesperson.
“We recognize this is a challenging and frustrating time for the men’s basketball team and our fans,” said Reed, who also put out a comment about Ewing before a game about 10 months ago. “Coach Ewing understands that it is imperative to get the program back on track and no one is more committed than he is to making that happen.”
Georgetown entered Wednesday night’s game with a 5-10 overall record, 0-4 in conference play. Its previous outing was an 80-51 loss to Butler.
Georgetown went 0-19 in the conference last season while going 6-25 overall, including a 21game losing streak. The Hoyas also lost their their final regular-season Big East game in 2020-21, before going on a surprising four-game run to claim the conference tournament title. That allowed the team to make its lone NCAA Tournament appearance during Ewing’s tenure, ending with a firstround loss to Colorado.