Alabama downs No. 4 Baylor
Jaden Shackelford scored 19 points and had nine rebounds as Alabama toppled No. 4 Baylor 87-78 in Tuscaloosa Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
Alabama (14-7) has now beaten three teams that reached the Final Four last season. Along with the defending champion Bears, the Crimson Tide knocked off then-No. 1 Gonzaga in early December and topped Houston a week later.
The Crimson Tide led by four points with under three minutes to play, then freshman J.D. Davison scored seven of his 14 points to seal the win. Jahvon Quinerly scored 20 points for Alabama, Juwan Gary had 15 and Keon Ellis 11.
Baylor (18-3) played without its leading scorer, LJ Cryer, who’s had foot soreness. James Akinjo, who was the Bears’ top scorer two weeks ago before a back injury limited his minutes, had just eight
points. Jeremy Sochan scored 17 for Baylor.
More Top 25
No. 1 Auburn 86, Oklahoma 68:
Jabari Smith bounced back from a rough shooting night with 23 points and 12 rebounds and Walker Kessler scored 21 for the host Tigers (20-1). They built a big lead, lost most of it and then dominated the final minutes for their nation-leading 17th consecutive win. The Sooners (13-8) visited as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
Smith was just 2-of-15 shooting for five points in a 55-54 win over
Missouri Tuesday. He and Kessler took over Saturday’s game.
The 7-foot-1 Kessler was 9 of 11 from the floor, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked four shots.
He also hit his fourth and fifth 3-pointers of the season.
Jordan Goldwire led Oklahoma with a career-high 19 points.
No. 3 Arizona 67, Arizona State 56:
Bennedict Mathurin and Oumar Ballo scored 14 points each, and the host Wildcats (17-2,
7-1 Pac-12) turned up the defensive pressure in the second half to win in Tucson.
The Wildcats shot 32% from the floor and went 3 for 23 from 3, yet found a way to win behind superb second-half defense. Arizona State (6-12, 2-6) lost for the 11th time in 12 games at McKale Center, though DJ Horne led the Sun Devils with 15 points.
No.10MichiganState83,Michigan 67: Max Christie scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half and Malik Hall finished with 15 points, leading MSU in East Lansing. The Spartans (16-4, 7-2 Big Ten) pulled away by outscoring their rivals 14-3 early in the second half and didn’t have trouble keeping a comfortable cushion.
The Wolverines (10-8, 4-4), who had won three games in a row, led by as many as six in the first half. Michigan trailed by just four at halftime, but missed its first eight shots in the second half. Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson had 14 of his 25 points in the first half.
No. 14 Villanova 73, St. John’s 62: Collin Gillespie scored 17 points, Eric Dixon and Caleb Daniels each had 15 and the Wildcats (16-5, 9-2 Big East) won at home. They put the game away with a decisive 19-2 run in the opening 20 minutes.
Texas Christian 77, No. 19 LSU 68: Chuck O’Bannon scored 16 of his career-high 19 points after halftime, including three consecutive 3-pointers from basically the same spot, and TCU held on in a Big 12/SEC Challenge game in Fort Worth, Texas. TCU (14-4) had its largest lead at 50-34 with 15:59 left after O’Bannon’s third consecutive 3 in a 76-second span from the right wing. The Tigers (16-5) lost for the fourth time in five games.
Mike Miles had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Horned Frogs. Eason had 16 points to lead four in double figures for LSU, while Darius Days had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
No. 21 Xavier 74, Creighton 64: Jack Nunge and Paul Scruggs fueled a dramatic second-half turnaround that saw the Musketeers (15-5, 5-4 Big East) score 29 of the first 31 points of the second half to wipe out a 17-point deficit in Omaha, Nebraska, and end a two-game slide. Creighton (12-7, 4-4) dropped its second straight.
No. 23 Iowa State 67, Missouri 50: Izaiah Brockington scored 15 points and Tyrese Hunter added 14 as the Cyclones (16-5) beat the Tigers (8-12) in Ames, Iowa, as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
No.24Illinois59,Northwestern 56: Kofi Cockburn returned from a concussion and scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the visiting Illini (15-5, 8-2 Big Ten).
Cockburn hit 10 of 17 shots, but his teammates combined for a dismal 12-of-34 shooting clip. The Wildcats (9-10, 2-8), led by Pete Nance’s 21 points, made just 4 of their last 11 shots, and Illinois went 4 of 6 at the free-throw line to close out the game.
No. 25 Davidson 77, La Salle 69: Luka Brajkovic scored 22 points, Foster Loyer added 14 points, six rebounds and five assists, and the host Wildcats won in Bob McKillop’s 1,000th game as their head coach. McKillop, 71, is 624-376 during his 33 seasons.
Hyunjung Lee had 14 points, including four clutch free throws in the final minute for Davidson (17-3, 7-1 Atlantic 10).
Service academy men
Army 60, Lafayette 56: Aaron Duhart had 18 points and seven rebounds as Army (13-9, 7-3 Patriot League) beat the Leopards (5-13, 2-5) in West Point, New York.
Duhart made a layup with 46 seconds remaining to give Army a 57-56 lead, and the Black Knights added 3 of 4 from the free-throw line to seal the win. Lafayette had a turnover and two missed 3-pointers in the final seconds.
Navy 47, American 45: John Carter Jr. registered 14 points and eight rebounds, and his two free throws with 15 seconds left in the game proved to be the difference for the Midshipmen (14-7, 7-3 Patriot League). Stacy Beckton Jr. had 19 points for AU (6-14, 2-6).