Coleman, UT stop West Virginia; No. 11 Tech holds off Kansas State
AUSTIN — Matt Coleman scored 17 points, Dylan Osetkowski had 14, and both made critical plays down the stretch, helping Texas hold off West Virginia 61-54 on Saturday night.
Coleman, with the shot clock about to expire, hit a step-back 3-pointer from the right corner to give the Longhorns a 59-54 lead with 1:03 left. Osetkowski then blocked a shot inside by Wesley Harris.
Eli Mitrou-Long added 10 points for UT (10-4, 2-0 Big 12).
Derek Culver led West Virginia (8-6, 0-2) with 17 points.
TEXAS TECH 63, KANSAS ST. 57
Davide Moretti scored 19 points, and Matt Mooney added 14 to help the 11th-ranked Red Raiders hold off the Wildcats at Lubbock.
Barry Brown led Kansas State with 16 points, and Cartier Diarra added 11 on a day when it struggled to make shots and hit just 33 percent (19-of-57) from the field.
The Wildcats (10-4, 0-2 Big 12) erased most of a 34-19 halftime deficit when Brown knocked down a 3-pointer with 6:55 to go that pulled the Wildcats to within 43-42.
But Texas Tech (13-1, 2-0) found some offensive rhythm to pull away, despite some struggles at the free-throw line in the second half (15-of-23). Moretti hit a series of big shots in the second half to account for 10 consecutive points and help Tech overcome 13 turnover.
TCU 85, BAYLOR 81
Desmond Bane scored 22 points, and Alex Robinson had 18 points and 10 assists as the Horned Frogs withstood a late comeback from the Bears at Fort Worth in the Big 12 opener for both teams.
TCU (12-1, 1-0) led by as many as 19 in the second half and 11 in the final three minutes but had to hold on with two free throws from Robinson and another by JD Miller after Baylor (8-5, 0-1) pulled within one with 18 seconds left.
Miller had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and RJ Nembhard scored 10.
Tristan Clark scored 18 points to lead the Bears, who also got 17 from reserve Matthew Mayer. Makai Mason and Mark Vital added 15 and 11, respectively. Mason had an open 3-point try to tie the game with eight seconds left that came up short.
TEXAS SOUTHERN 87 ALCORN ST. 70
John Jones buried five 3-pointers and scored 17 points to lead five players in double figures as the Tigers overpowed the Braves in a Southwestern Athletic Conference opener at Lorman, Miss.
Texas Southern (6-8) fell behind 6-0 early, but Devocio Butler sank a 3-pointer to give the Tigers an 11-9 lead with 16:34 left in the first half, and they never trailed again. Butler finished with 15 points — all in the first half — and five rebounds.
Jeremy Combs pitched in with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists and Jalyn Patterson scored 12 with nine assists. Trayvon Reed came off the bench to score 13 and grab 12 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double. Butler was 4-of-4 from beyond the 3-point line to guide TSU to a 43-32 lead at halftime.
PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 82 SOUTHERN 73
Gary Blackson had 16 points and 11 rebounds to help the Panthers prevail in their Southwestern Athletic Conference opener at Baton Rouge, La.
Chancellor Ellis added 13 points, and Dennis Jones and Devonte Patterson each had 11 points for Prairie View A&M (3-11, 1-0).
NEW ORLEANS 81 HOUSTON BAPTIST 76
Ezekiel Charles had 19 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double to help the Privateers hold off the Huskies in overtime at New Orleans.
Houston Baptist (5-8, 1-1 Southland) scored the first four points in the extra period, but New Orleans answered with an 11-0 run to take control and win.
Ian DuBose led the Huskies with 22 points.
WILEY 69, ST. THOMAS 66
Paris Marquez and Orowo Eleyae each scored 17 points, but their 1-2 punch was not enough for the Celts, who lost to the visiting Wildcats.
Women RICE 61, LOUISIANA TECH 51
Erica Ogwumike had 17 points and seven rebounds, and Nicole Iademarco added 16 points and eight rebounds to power the Owls past the Bulldogs at Ruston, La.
Rice (11-3, 2-0 Conference USA), which never trailed, jumped off to a 19-10 first-quarter lead and led 33-29 at the half.
HOUSTON BAPTIST 83 NEW ORLEANS 74
Sophie Taylor and Megan Valdez-Crader each scored 17 points as the Huskies raced to a 14-point lead after the first quarter and coast to a Southland Conference victory over the Privateers at Sharp Gym.
ALCORN ST. 53 TEXAS SOUTHERN 52
The Lady Tigers shot only 31.1 percent from the field but kept it close against the Braves before falling short in their Southwestern Conference opener at Lorman, Miss.
Marquia Turner, Catherine Okwilaqwe and Richelle Velez each scored 10 points for Texas Southern (4-8, 0-1).
PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 55 SOUTHERN 54
Artavia Ford’s layup with seven seconds remaining lifted the Lady Panthers to a Southwestern Athletic Conference victory over the Jaguars at Baton Rouge, La.