RUTGERS TOPPLES NO. 1 PURDUE ON A BUZZER-BEATER
Ron Harper Jr. hit a buzzer-beater from just inside half court, and Rutgers shocked Purdue in its first-ever game as the nation’s No. 1 team, winning 70-68 on Thursday night.
Harper finished with 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting and 10 rebounds for the Scarlet Knights, a do-it-all performance that concluded with the most stunning shot of the young college hoops season. Rutgers (5-4, 1-1 Big Ten) beat the top-ranked team for the first time in program history.
Rutgers 70 ,No.1 Purdue 68
Purdue had gone ahead 68-67 on a layup by Trevion Williams with 4 seconds left. With no timeouts, Rutgers inbounded the ball to Harper, who dribbled across the half-court line and let it fly from the big “R” logo. The ball went through as time expired and Rutgers fans stormed the court.
Williams scored 21 points off the bench for Purdue (8-1, 1-1 Big Ten), which was a unanimous No. 1 in this week’s AP Top 25, the program’s first time atop the poll. Its stay will be brief.
The lead changed hands three times in the final 13.1 seconds. Harper hit a turnaround jumper to put Rutgers ahead 67-66, its first lead since early in the second half.
No. 5 Gonzaga 80, Merrimack 50: Drew Timme scored 22 points, making all eight of his shots, and host Gonzaga (8-2) beat cold-shooting Merrimack (4-7). Gonzaga has won 57 consecutive home games — the longest streak in the nation and a program record.
No. 17 Iowa State 73, Iowa 53: Izaiah Brockington had 29 points and 10 rebounds as host Iowa State (9-0) dominated rival Iowa (7-3).
No. 23 Seton Hall 64, No. 7 Texas 60: Jared Rhoden scored 18 points and made the go-ahead basket as Seton Hall knocked off its second top-10 team this season, beating Texas. Cold-shooting Bryce Aiken scored five of his 10 points in the final minute, including a clutch 3-pointer, as the Pirates (8-1) won their fifth straight game. The Pirates held Texas (6-2) scoreless for 7:20 down the stretch.
West
Arizona State 67, Grand Canyon 62: Kimani Lawrence had 14 points and 14 rebounds as the host Sun Devils (4-6) topped the Antelopes (8-2).
New Mexico 87, Denver 67: KJ Jenkins had 21 points off the bench as the host Lobos (6-4) easily topped the Pioneers (3-8)
Notable
No. 5 Gonzaga’s game against Washington set for Sunday was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Huskies program.