Ballock powers Creighton to 86-65 victory over Green Bay

Arkansas State tops FAU in 2OT

OMAHA, Nebraska, Dec 15, (AP): Mitch Ballock scored 19 with five 3-pointers and seven rebounds to help Creighton beat Green Bay 86-65.

The Bluejays (7-3) pulled away with a 14-2 run that ended at 72-56 on Ty-Shon Alexander’s layup with seven minutes to go. The Phoenix (6-5) got the deficit no closer than 12 from there.

Alexander added 17 points, Marcus Zegarowski scored 13 and Kaleb Joseph 11 for Creighton.

Sandy Cohen III had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Green Bay, which had its only lead on the opening basket of the game.

The Phoenix tied it twice in the middle of the first half before the Bluejays took the lead for good at 24-22. Creighton led 44-34 at the break.

The Bluejays snapped a two-game skid that included losses to then-No. 1 Gonzaga and then-No. 24 Nebraska.

In Jonesboro, Arkansas, Ty Cockfield hit the free throws that forced a second overtime and scored nine of his 34 points in the second OT to help Arkansas State get past Florida Atlantic 75-71.

The Red Wolves (4-6) trailed by five with 2½ minutes left in the first overtime but closed the period with a 5-0 run capped by Cockfield’s pair of free throws with one second left.

Cockfield scored the opening basket of the second overtime and gave Arkansas State the lead for good at 70-68 with 58 seconds left. The Red Wolves pushed the lead to five, Michael Forrest’s 3-pointer for FAU cut the deficit back to two and Cockfield iced the victory with a pair of free throws to cap the scoring with seven seconds left.

Anthony Adger scored five of his 21 points in the first overtime to give FAU (7-3) a 63-58 lead with 3:11 left in the period.

Both teams shot 29 percent from the field. FAU missed 15 straight shots in the middle of the second half and Arkansas State had a string of 16 missed shots stretching into first overtime.

In Grand Forks, North Dakota, Cortez Seales had 22 points on 10-of16

Creighton’s Martin Krampelj (15) and Green Bay’s ShanQuan Hemphill (10) leap for the tip-off during the first half of a NCAA college basketball game on Dec 14 in

Omaha, Nebraska. (AP)

half when the Huskies led by 12 before outscoring the Patriots 60-35 in the second half.

The Huskies outscored the Patriots 31-6 off turnovers.

In Washington, D.J. Williams scored 18 points and Terry Nolan Jr 17, including a 3-pointer in the final seconds, and George Washington held off District of Columbia rival Howard 70-64.

Williams grabbed eight rebounds and Nolan had nine along with four assists for the Colonials (3-8). Justin Mazzulla had four assists and 14 points, including a layup and two free throws that led to a 67-62 lead with 45.6 seconds left. Howard closed to three on a putback by Chad Lott before Nolan’s long 3-pointer deep into the shot clock with 11 seconds left sealed the win.

Maceo Jack added 10 points for George Washington.

R.J. Cole scored 15 points with seven assists and Charles Williams added 12 points while Zion Cousins grabbed 12 rebounds for the Bison (6-4), who trailed by 13 early in the second half before getting within two.

In Chicago, Max Strus tied a program record with eight 3-pointers and scored a career-high 34 points Friday night to help DePaul beat IllinoisChicago 90-70.

Strus was 8 of 16 from 3-point range and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds for his third career doubledouble. He scored 20 in the first half when the Blue Demons (7-2) built a 52-28 lead.

Devin Gage added 15 points, five rebounds and five assists. Paul Reed scored 13, and Jalen Coleman-Lands and Eli Cain had 10 points apiece for DePaul.

Tarkus Ferguson led the Flames (4-7) with 20 points and eight rebounds. Marcus Ottey scored 17, and Jordan Blount and Godwin Boahen added 10 points each.

Strus opened the game with a 3-pointer which sparked a 13-2 run and the Blue Demons never trailed. Ferguson’s 3-pointer cut the deficit to 17-13, but DePaul went on a 17-2 run to lead 34-15 and led by double digits the rest of the way.

In Statesboro, Georgia, Ike Smith had 18 points and 10 rebounds to help Georgia Southern beat NAIAmember Brewton-Parker 101-64.

Simeon Carter added 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting for the Eagles (7-3), who made 27 of 42 shots from inside the arc. Brewton-Parker committed 28 turnovers, which Georgia Southern converted into 39 points.

Georgia Southern pulled away for good with a 22-2 run early in the second half that ended at 78-41 on Isaiah Crawley’s layup with 11:27 left. The Eagles led by at least 33 the rest of the way.

Crawley scored 13 points, Trey Dawkins added 12, Quan Jackson 11 and Tookie Brown had 10 points and eight assists.

Brewton-Parker scored the opening basket and then Georgia Southern took the lead for good with a 12-0 run. The Eagles also had a 10-0 run in the first half and led 48-35 at the break.