The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Timme leads No. 2 Gonzaga to win aboard aircraft carrier
Drew Timme had 22 points and 13 rebounds, and led No. 2 Gonzaga in a spirited comeback from a 12-point deficit that carried the Bulldogs to a 64-63 victory over Michigan State Friday on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln at North Island Naval Air Station in Coronado.
Timme made an inside shot with 2:24 left for a 6361 lead, Gonzaga’s first since early in the game. The Zags scored just one more point, when Timme made the second of two free throws with 1:51 left.
Julian Strawther of Gonzaga was called for traveling with 31 seconds left and Michigan State’s Jaden Akins missed a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Strawther had 13 points and nine rebounds for Gonzaga (2-0).
Michigan State big man Mady Sissoko scored 10 of his 14 points in the first half but committed his third foul early in the second half and didn’t have much of an impact the rest of the way.
The Spartans (1-1) led 4533 three minutes into the second half before Timme and the Zags went on an 11-0 run to pull to 45-44.
The teams wore camouflage uniforms with U.S.A. on the back. Just before the second half began, the crowd rose for the retiring of the flag at sunset. The crowd of 3,000 was made up mostly of sailors from the aircraft carrier as well as fans of both teams.
NO. 1 NORTH CAROLINA 102, COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 86 >> Armando Bacot had all but one of his 28 points after halftime to help the Tarheels push past the visiting Cougars.
The 6-foot-11 preseason Associated Press All-american got just one shot attempt in an opening half that set the tone for an offensively driven game with neither team able to string together defensive stops.
UNC (2-0) had to outscore Charleston (1-1) after trailing at halftime — and needed to establish Bacot in the paint as a physical and rugged presence to get that going.
Bacot went 10 for 12 from the field after the break to go with six rebounds, while Caleb Love added 25 points. With Bacot rolling, the Tar Heels made 20 of 28 shots (71.4%) after halftime and finished the game at 60%.
Dalton Bolon scored 14 of his 16 points before halftime for the Cougars, who led by eight points in the first half and 50-43 at halftime.
NO. 3 HOUSTON 81, SAINT JOSEPH’S 55 >> Freshman forward Jarace Walker scored 23 points, and the Cougars overcame a slippery floor to rout the Hawks in the Veterans Classic in Annapolis, Md.
J’wan Roberts added 19 points and 12 rebounds for Houston (2-0).
The Cougars’ biggest obstacle was the slick floor conditions that emerged in the first half and eventually forced a brief delay in the second half. At nearly every stoppage of play after the break, team managers, security personnel and ball boys were tasked with wiping the floor in several locations.
It is uncertain if the slick floor led to a pair of Saint Joseph’s injuries in the second half. Forward Rasheer Fleming limped off before guard Cameron Brown fell down later in the game. Neither player returned.
Erik Reynolds II scored a team-high 17 points for Saint Joseph’s (0-1), which lost in coach Billy Lange’s first game at Alumni Hall since concluding a sevenseason stint at Navy in 2011. NO. 4 KENTUCKY 77, DUQUESNE 52 >> Antonio Reeves scored 18 points and the Wildcats ran away from the visiting Dukes.
Kentucky played its second consecutive game without Oscar Tshiebwe, last year’s consensus national player of the year, who’s recovering from a procedure on his right knee last month.
Daimion Collins also missed his second consecutive game because of the recent death of his father in Texas. The Wildcats welcomed back point guard Sahvir Wheeler from a right leg injury, and the senior had 11 points, 11 assists and six rebounds, all of which helped Kentucky’s fast pace against Duquesne (1-1).
NO. 5 BAYLOR 87, NORFOLK STATE 70 >> True freshman Keyonte George scored 23 points with six 3-pointers and had seven assists as the host Bears beat the Spartans.
Jalen Bridges added 20 points for Baylor (2-0). Adam Flagler, its leading scorer last season, had 18 points and five assists.
Joe Bryant, one of four returning starters for the two-time defending Mideastern Athletic Conference champion Norfolk State (2-1), had 24 points and six rebounds.
NO. 7 DUKE 84, SOUTH CAROLINA UPSTATE 38 >> Freshman Kyle Filipowski had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and the host Blue Devils blew out the Spartans.
Center Dereck Lively II, the highest-rated recruit nationally in the freshman class, made his collegiate debut for Duke (2-0) by coming off the bench. He had been out since a calf injury sustained in a preseason practice. He dunked for his only two baskets.
Justin Bailey scored 13 points for SC Upstate (1-1).
NO. 10 ARKANSAS 74, FORDHAM 48 >> Ricky Council scored a game-high 15 points to lead the Razorbacks at home against the Rams.
Arkansas (2-0) took control with a 26-4 run in the middle of the first half.
The Razorbacks scored 30 points off 30 turnovers by Fordham (1-1). The 30 takeaways were the most turnovers the team had forced since 2004 against Louisiana-monroe.