Clark, Evans lead drive as Cincinnati tops Memphis
MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Gary Clark had 18 points and nine rebounds, Jacob Evans added 14 points— including a pair of 3-pointers to break Cincinnati out of a second-half shooting slump—as the No. 9 Bearcats defeated Memphis 62-48 on Saturday for their 12th straight victory.
The Bearcats (19-2, 8-0 American Athletic Conference) used a stingy defense to hold Memphis to 31.1 percent shooting for the game, including converting only three of 17 shots from outside the arc.
Jeremiah Martin led the Tigers (13-8, 4-4) with 20 points, while Kareem Brewton Jr. finished with 10 for Memphis.
Memphis, which struggled offensively in the first half and trailed 34-21 at intermission, managed to put a dent in the Bearcats’ advantage in the early stages of the second half. Cincy missed its first five shots, leading to a timeout from Bearcats coach Mick Cronin, when the Tigers crept back to within 34-28.
Eventually, the Bearcats would miss 10 of their first 11, allowing Memphis to creep back in. The Tigers would get as close as 36-32.
At that point, the Bearcats converted four 3-pointers, including two by Evans, part of crafting a 15-2 rally to put the game away.
N.C. STATE 95, NORTH CAROLINA 91, OT
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—Allerik Freeman and North Carolina State seemingly couldn’t miss from 3-point range, while the Wolfpack kept relentlessly pushing back any time its highly ranked rival threatened to stretch out a lead.
Now N.C. State can add another marquee name to its list of upset victims under first-year coach Kevin Keatts—this one on the road, too.
Freeman scored a career-high 29 points and made 7 of 7 3-pointers, while the Wolfpack knocked down 15 shots from behind the arc to beat No. 10 North Carolina 95-91 in overtime on Saturday.
“I think these guys are learning how to fight,” Keatts said, “and I think they’re learning how to compete.”
In a game in which neither team led by more than six, it was N.C. State (15-7, 5-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) that finally pushed through in the final seconds in a venue that has been the long-running scene of frustration.
Omer Yurtseven added 16 points and 13 rebounds, including a huge putback with 30.9 seconds left in the overtime and his team up a point. And Markell Johnson sealed the win with two free throws with 3.0 seconds left, capping his own big day with 20 points and 11 assists.
Now the Wolfpack’s notable wins include the reigning national champion Tar Heels (16-6, 5-4), Arizona and Duke when both were ranked No. 2, and a ranked Clemson team on Jan. 11.
No. 11 ARIZONA 74, UTAH 73
TUCSON, Ariz.—Dusan Ristic scored 23 points and made all three of his 3-point attempts, including a key one in the final two minutes, to help Arizona hold off Utah.
Arizona (18-4, 8-1 Pac-12) had a four-point lead after Ristic hit two free throws, but Utah’s Justin Bibbins hit a 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds left. Arizona’s Allonzo Trier was called for an offensive foul before the ball was inbounded and Utah (12-9, 4-5) got the ball inside to Donnie Tillman, who was unable to hit a contested shot. Arizona’s Keanu Pinder missed a free throw with 0.3 seconds left, and David Collette was well short on a desperation shot from the opposite free throw line.
Sedrick Barefield led the Utes with 26 points.
No. 22 TENNESSEE 68, IOWA STATE 45
No. 19 AUBURN 95, LSU 70
AUBURN, Ala.—Mustapha Heron had 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting for Auburn.
Heron also had eight rebounds. DeSean Murray had 18 points and eight rebounds, and Bryce Brown scored 15 points for Auburn (19-2, 6-1 Southeastern Conference).
Duop Reath led LSU (12-8, 3-5) with 18 points.
No. 24 RHODE ISLAND 61, DUQUESNE 58
AMES, Iowa—Reserve Lamonte Turner scored 20 points, James Daniel III had 16 and Tennessee rolled past Iowa State in the SEC/ Big 12 Challenge for its sixth win in seven games.
Admiral Schofield had 10 points and seven rebounds for the Volunteers (15-5). Donovan Jackson had 13 points for the Cyclones (11-9). They were held to their lowest scoring output of the season.
KINGSTON, R.I.—Stanford Robinson hit a 3-point shot as time expired to give Rhode Island its 12th straight victory and 17th in a row in the Atlantic 10.
Matthews led Rhode Island (17-3, 9-0) with 20 points, Jared Terrell added 12, and Robinson had seven.
Rene Castro-Cannedy led the Dukes (14-8, 5-4) with 16 points.