Houston snaps Cincinnati’s win streak
HOUSTON — Corey Davis Jr. and Devin Davis each scored 16 points, and Houston beat No. 5 Cincinnati 67-62 on Thursday night to snap the nation’s longest winning streak at 16 games.
Rob Gray chipped in 13 points and Armoni Brooks added 12 as the Cougars (205, 10-3 American) earned their second win this season over a top-10 team after beating then-No. 7 Wichita State on Jan. 20.
Houston last beat two top-10 teams in a season in 1984, when it did that four times en route to the national championship game.
Cincinnati (23-3, 12-1) had a 50-49 lead with 4:18 left after Jacob Evans’ free throw, but Gray hit a 3-pointer to give the Cougars back the lead with 3:32 left. Brooks nailed a 3-pointer from the right wing with 2 minutes left and Davis came up with a steal and went the length of the court for a layup to give the Cougars a seven-point advantage with 1:47 left.
WISCONSIN 57, NO. 6 PURDUE 53
In Madison, Wis., Ethan Happ had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Wisconsin secured its biggest win of a challenging season.
Brad Davison added 16 points for the Badgers (12-16, 5-10 Big Ten), who handed the Boilermakers (23-5, 12-3) their third straight loss on the night the program honored one of its best. Charlotte Hornets forward Frank Kaminsky, who led the Badgers to the national championship game in 2015, had his jersey retired.
Carsen Edwards, who finished with 22 points, missed a 3 with 12 seconds left to end Purdue’s comeback hopes.
PENN STATE 79, NO. 8 OHIO STATE 56
In State College, Pa., Tony Carr scored 30 points and Penn State routed No. 8 Ohio State 79-56 to sweep the Buckeyes.
Mike Watkins added 11 points and 10 rebounds for his tenth double-double of the season, and Shep Garner and Josh Reaves added 13 and 10 points apiece for the Nittany Lions (19-9, 9-6 Big Ten), who won their sixth in seven tries since beating the Buckeyes in Columbus on Jan. 25.
C.J. Jackson led Ohio State (22-6, 13-2) with 13 points and Keita Bates-Diop added 10 for the Buckeyes, who had their four-game winning streak snapped.
NO. 9 GONZAGA 76, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 46
In Spokane, Wash., Corey Kispert led a balanced attack with 14 points and Gonzaga retained at least a share of first place in the West Coast Conference.
Gonzaga scored the first 17 points and easily beat Loyola Marymount for the 18th straight time since 2010.
Johnathan Williams had 12 points and 13 rebounds, and Killian Tillie scored 12 points for Gonzaga (24-4, 14-1), which has won eight games in a row.
SAN FRANCISCO 70, NO. 15 ST. MARY’S 63
In San Francisco, Frankie Ferrari made a key 3-pointer as part of a big San Francisco run late in the second half, and then added a clinching layup with 58.5 seconds remaining.
Ferrari finished with 20 points and seven assists, Jordan Ratinho scored 13 and Jimbo Lull had 10 points and seven rebounds to help San Francisco (15-13 7-8 West Coast Conference) to its first win in five games against ranked opponents this season.
It was a bitter loss for the Gaels (24-4, 13-2), who lost their second straight and dropped a game behind No. 9 Gonzaga in the WCC. Saint Mary’s back-to-back losses have come on the heels of a 19-game winning streak that was the longest in the nation.
NO. 17 ARIZONA 77, ARIZONA STATE 70
In Tempe, Ariz., Deandre Ayton had 25 points and 16 rebounds, and Arizona held off Arizona State to sweep the season series.
Arizona (21-6, 11-3 Pac-12) started fast, quieting a raucous crowd at Wells Fargo Arena by playing well at both ends while building an 18-point lead.
The Sun Devils (19-7, 7-7) revved up their run game and the fans after finding their groove, going on a 31-6 halftime-spanning run to go up seven. Arizona clawed its way back and the rivals traded baskets until the Wildcats scored seven straight points to go up 70-63 with 90 seconds left.
Allonzo Trier added 19 points for Arizona.
NO. 19 WICHITA STATE 93, TEMPLE 86
In Wichita, Kan., Shaquille Morris had 23 points and 13 rebounds, including a tie-breaking putback in the final two minutes, to lead Wichita State.
Darral Willis had 24 points for the Shockers (20-5, 10-3 American Athletic Conference), who trailed by 14 at halftime. Morris and Willis, senior posts, were combined 18 of 21 from the floor. Austin Reaves scored 11 points for Wichita State, and Landry Shamet and Conner Frankamp each scored 10.
Temple (15-11, 7-7) hit a season-high 16 3-point shots on 29 attempts. Obi Enechionyia led Temple with 17 points and other Owls were in double figures — Quinton Rose (16), De’Vondre Perry (15), Shizz Alston (15) and Josh Brown (13).