Second-half rally propels Arizona past Utah Valley
Freshman guard Brandon Williams had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Brandon Randolph scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half to help Arizona extend its nonconference home winning streak to 52 games with an 80-69 victory over Utah Valley on Thursday.
Arizona trailed by 12 points at halftime but took control by shooting 61 percent in the second half.
“They did not catch us off guard, this wasn’t a situation where we were still thinking about out UConn victory (on Sunday) or didn’t respect Utah Valley,” Arizona head coach Sean Miller said. “Just the opposite . ... Utah Valley has great size, unbelievable skill. They run their offense as well as any team we’ll face this season.”
Randolph made all of his four three-pointers in the first four minutes of the second half to spark the comeback after the Wolverines built a 41-29 halftime lead. The Wildcats were 8-for-14 from three-point range in the second half.
Jake Toolson had 20 points and eight rebounds, Conner Toolson had 13 points and TJ Washington scored 11 for Utah Valley.
Justin Coleman added 15 points for Arizona, which had a 36-26 rebounding advantage. San Jose State 67, Bethune Cookman 65: Michael Steadman, who scored a team-high 15 points, hit a layup with 43 seconds remaining to give the Spartans the lead and added a free throw with four seconds remaining as host San Jose State (2-6) edged the Wildcats (4-6). BethuneCookman, which was led by Mark Gordon’s 16 points, led by three at halftime but saw the Spartans take a lead on Oumar Barry’s basket about two minutes into the second half. From there, the teams traded the lead nine times before Steadman’s shot settled matters. Barry finished with 13 points and Noah Baumann added 12 for San Jose State. #18 Iowa 98, Iowa State 84: Tyler Cook had 26 points and 11 rebounds, Isaiah Moss added 20 points and the host Hawkeyes (7-2) used a 16-2 run late in the first half to take control as they snapped a two-game losing streak. Talen Horton-Tucker scored 21 points and Marial Shayok had 19 for the Cyclones (7-2), who had won four in a row. The game featured a shoving match during the game and a minor skirmish after the final whistle, forcing Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery to drag Cook off the court. “It was a spirited game from the beginning, and that’s what you expect,” McCaffery said. “Wish it didn’t happen.” Purdue 62, #23 Maryland 60: Carsen Edwards scored 20 points and Aaron Wheeler added 15 to lead the host Boilermakers (6-3, 1-1 Big Ten) past the Terrapins (7-2, 1-1). Purdue snapped a two-game losing streak and avoided its first 0-2 start in conference play since 2013. Anthony Cowan Jr. scored 18 points to lead Maryland. Briefly: New Mexico head coach Paul Weir apologized for the actions of some of his players, who were involved in a scuffle with some New Mexico State players before the teams played Tuesday. Witnesses reported shoving and punches thrown between the teams. Weir said in a statement that he was extremely disappointed and wanted to apologize to everyone at New Mexico and at NMSU . ... Kansas head coach Bill Self said that center Udoka Azubuike, who is in a walking boot after spraining his ankle Tuesday, could return to the lineup for the No. 2 Jayhawks when they open Big 12 play against Oklahoma on Jan. 2.