Creighton hits 14 3-pointers, halts Sun Devils
UNLV women stop New Mexico State
TEMPE, Ariz. — Marcus Foster scored 29 points, Justin Patton added 18 and No. 9 Creighton hit 14 3-pointers to remain undefeated with a 96-85 victory over Arizona State on Tuesday night.
The nation’s top 3-point shooting team, Creighton (12-0) overcame a slow start with a barrage of 3s.
The Bluejays went 14 for 25 from the arc, with six players hitting at least one. Toby Heigner and Isaiah Zierden led the 3-point attack, combining to make 8 of 11 while scoring 12 points each.
Arizona State (6-6) held its own in the first half against highestranked nonconference team to play in Tempe since No. 7 Ohio State in 1980. The Sun Devils had too many breakdowns defensively on the perimeter, though, particularly during the second half as Creighton pulled away.
Torian Graham and Tra Holder had 24 points each for Arizona State. Obi Oleka added 19 points and 16 rebounds (11) WEST VIRGINIA 84, RADFORD 57: In Morgantown, W.Va., Esa Ahmad led three West Virginia players in double figures with 17 points and the Mountaineers (10-1) beat the Highlanders (4-7).
The game was closely contested during the first 10 minutes as Radford pulled within five points midway through the first half. Jevon Carter then lead the Mountaineers on a 30-4 run to go into the locker room with a 53-22 lead. (17) XAVIER 85, EASTERN
WASHINGTON 56: In Cincinnati, Edmond Sumner scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half, and the Musketeers (10-2) picked up their third straight win, beating the Eagles (8-4). (19) SAINT MARY’S 67, TEXAS
A&M CC 46: In Moraga, Calif., Calvin Hermanson scored 18 of his 19 points in the first half and the Gaels (9-1) beat the Islanders (7-3).
The game was interrupted briefly in the second half when Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Ehab Amin appeared to run into a young girl who had walked onto the court to dry a wet area. The child appeared uninjured but was carried away to be examined. (20) OREGON 75, FRESNO
STATE 63: In Eugene, Ore., forward Jordan Bell scored 23 points and added eight rebounds and three blocks to help the Ducks (11-2) defeat the Bulldogs (8-4). Senior guard Paul Watson had 15 points for Fresno State, which visits New Mexico in a Mountain West Conference opener on Dec. 28.
Women
(2) NOTRE DAME 79, MICHIGAN STATE 61: In East Lansing, Mich., Brianna Turner had 19 points, seven rebounds and five blocks, leading the Fighting Irish (11-1) over the Spartans (10-3).
Notre Dame has won three straight since losing to topranked UConn.
Michigan State had won four straight since getting beat by No. 19 Syracuse.
Notre Dame’s Marina Mabrey had 19 points and five assists, one of three players on her team with at least five assists. Kathryn Westbeld scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Reserve Arike Ogunbowale added 11 points. (5) MISSISSIPPI STATE
90, ALABAMA STATE 47: In Starkville, Miss., Victoria Vivians scored 28 points to lead the Bulldogs (13-0) over the Hornets (1-8).
Vivians, a junior, has scored more than 1,300 points in her career. Freshman forward Ameshya Williams also scored in double figures with 12 points.
Mississippi State had a 40-30 rebounding advantage over the Hornets and shot 28 of 40 (70 percent) from the free throw line.
The Bulldogs played their first home game in a month and just the second game at Humphrey Coliseum this season. The win over the Hornets came after eight games in a row away from Starkville. (10) UCLA 83, NORTH CAROLINA AT&T 42: In Greensboro, N.C., Monique Billings and Kari Korver scored 15 points apiece to lead five players in double figures as the Bruins (9-2) coasted to a 83-42 win against the Aggies (2-9).
Jordin Canada had 12 points and 10 assists for UCLA, which is off to its best start since opening the 2010-11 season with 10 straight wins.
(11) MIAMI 76, MAINE 51: In Coral Gables, Fla., Adrienne Motley had 21 points, Jessica Thomas scored her 1,000th career point, and the Hurricanes (11-1) beat the Black Bears (7-6) for the Miami Holiday Tournament championship.
Miami won its 11th straight game for the first time since the 2011-12 season. (16) TEXAS 80, NEW
ORLEANS 48: In Austin, Texas, Kelsey Lang scored a careerhigh 23 points on 11-of-11 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Longhorns (6-4) routed the Privateers (4-5) for their fourth straight win.
Lang, a senior center, has posted five double-doubles in her last six games. She entered
the season with one career double-double. (19) SYRACUSE 92, OLD DOMINION 66: In Winter Park, Fla., Alexis Peterson had 27 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and seven steals, and the Orange (9-3) held the nation’s secondleading scorer in check in the Florida Sunshine Tournament.
Jennie Simms, who entered averaging 26.6 points, finished with 13 points for Old Dominion (5-4). (21) SOUTH FLORIDA 63, SANTA CLARA 54: In Las Vegas, Nev., Kitija Laksa scored 19 points, Ariadna Pujol had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and the Bulls (9-1) beat the Broncos (4-6) in the Play4Kay Shootout.
UNLV 52, NMSU 47: In Las Vegas, Nev., junior guard Brooke Johnson scored 17 points and had a late steal as the Rebels (9-2) turned back the Aggies in the Play4Kay Shootout at T-Mobile Arena.
The Aggies (7-5) led 37-30 after a jumper by Mariah Mack in the third quarter. Mack’s 3-point basket with 2:51 left gave NMSU a 45-44 edge.
The game was tied 47-47 with 1:18 left, but the Rebels scored the game’s final points. Johnson had a 3-pointer and a steal in that span.
“They’re a good team that is bigger than us in every position,” NMSU coach Mark Trakh said. “They are one of the best rebounding teams in the country and I thought we played them well. I’m proud of how the team came out and fought tonight.”
New Mexico State was led in scoring by Brooke Salas who had 14 points with four rebounds.
The Aggies play Santa Clara today at 1:30 p.m. in their final game of the tournament.