No. 6 Kentucky rolls past Valparaiso
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Bam Adebayo scored 16 points, Malik Monk (Bentonville) added 15 and No. 6 Kentucky scored 21 consecutive points in a firsthalf run to beat Valparaiso 8763 on Wednesday night.
Needing to rebound after Saturday’s upset by then-No. 11 UCLA, Kentucky (8-1) turned a 4-4 tie into a 29-9 lead behind that big run over 8:51, holding the Crusaders scoreless for 7 minutes during that stretch. Valparaiso (7-2) shot 23 of 67 from the field (34 percent).
Derek Willis added 12 points and Isaiah Briscoe 10 for Kentucky, which shot 46 percent after making just 41 percent against UCLA.
High-scoring Valparaiso forward Alec Peters scored 16 of his 23 points in the second half for the Crusaders, who had their four-game winning streak snapped eight days after upsetting No. 21 Rhode Island. The nation’s second-leading scorer coming in (25.4 points per game) went to the locker room briefly in the second half after hurting his right leg but returned to finish off his ninth 20-point effort in as many games.
Valparaiso hasn’t shot above 50 percent this season and for a while appeared headed to a season low from the field. The team went scoreless for more than 2 minutes several times and couldn’t slow Kentucky even with its reserves in the game, being outscored 34-15 in that area.
In other games involving top 25 men’s teams Wednesday, Justin Jackson matched his career high with 27 points and hit a career-best seven three-pointers to help No. 7 North Carolina (9-1) beat Davidson (5-3) 83-74. Luke Maye added an early burst by scoring all of his career-high 10 points before halftime for the Tar Heels, who played without top point guard and No. 2 scorer Joel Berry II. UNC didn’t get in any kind of groove, with the 6-8 Jackson largely carrying the offense. Jack Gibbs — ranked seventh nationally by averaging 23.3 points — finished with 30 points for the Wildcats (5-3), who trailed by 16 midway through the second half before making a late push to get within three in the final 2 minutes . ... Maurice Watson Jr. scored a season-high 25 points, Cole Huff added 13 and No. 10 Creighton (9-0) dominated the second half in a 77-62 victory over in-state rival Nebraska (5-4). The Bluejays have won 15 of 18 meetings with the Cornhuskers. ... Mangok Mathiang scored 15 points to lead No. 11 Louisville (8-1) to a 74-51 victory over Southern Illinois (5-4) . ... Derrick White scored 23 points and had a crucial block with 13 seconds remaining to help Colorado (7-2) hold off No. 13 Xavier (7-2) 68-66. Xavier Johnson added for 18 points for the Buffaloes, who have posted consecutive victories over ranked teams for the first time since 2013. Trevon Bluiett scored a career-high 27 points for Xavier, which has lost two consecutive . ... Esa Ahmad scored 14 points and No. 15 West Virginia (7-1) stomped Western Carolina (3-6) 90-37. The Mountaineers forced 34 turnovers against Western Carolina, a week after setting a school record by forcing 40 against Manhattan. … Brenton Scott made one of two free throws with 0.8 seconds left and finished with 25 points to help Indiana State (5-4) upset No. 16 Butler (8-1) 7271. Matt Van Scyoc scored 23 points and had six three-pointers as the Sycamores (5-4) won their third consecutive to snap a four-game losing streak in the series. Andrew Chrabascz had 18 points for Butler (8-1) and Tyler Lewis added 15 . ... Bronson Koenig scored 21 points, Ethan Happ had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 17 Wisconsin (8-2) rolled past Idaho State (8-2) 78-44.