No. 9 Maryland hangs on late for win

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Jalen Smith had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Eric Ayala scored 16, and No. 9 Maryland edged Nebraska 72-70 on Tuesday night to extend its winning streak to seven games and remain alone atop the Big Ten.

After the Terrapins (20-4, 10-3) let a 14-point lead dwindle to 71-70, Smith blocked a shot in the waning seconds and made a free throw on the other end to clinch it.

It was the seventh straight double-double for Smith, and the Terps needed him on both ends to improve to 14-0 at home.

Haanif Cheatham scored 20 and Thorir Thorbjarnarson added 15 for Nebraska (7-17, 2-11), which has lost nine straight and is 0-9 on the road.

DAYTON 81, RHODE ISLAND 67

Obi Toppin scored 22 points and led an opening 17-point spurt as the No. 6 Flyers surged to a victory over the Rams in Dayton, Ohio, dominating a matchup of the Toppin brothers and the Atlantic 10’s top teams.

Both teams brought doubledigit winning streaks into a chippy game that included seven technical fouls. Dayton (22-2, 11-0) got the better of it in every way, winning its 13th in a row.

Fatts Russell had 19 points for Rhode Island (18-6, 10-2), which had a 10-game winning streak snapped.

The Toppin family reunion matched Obi and younger brother Jacob — a freshman reserve at Rhode Island — on a college court for the first time. Their mother, Roni, sat in the stands wearing a combo jersey, half of it Rams blue and the other half Flyers red.

PENN ST. 88, PURDUE 76

Mike Watkins matched his season high with 19 points, and Seth Lundy added a career-high 18 to help the No. 13 Nittany Lions rout the host Boilermakers. Penn State (19-5, 9-4 Big Ten) made a season-high 14 3-pointers for its seventh consecutive victory that also snapped a nine-game losing streak in the series.

KENTUCKY 78, VANDERBILT 64

Tyrese Maxey scored 25 points, and the 12th-ranked Wildcats rallied from their biggest halftime deficit of the season to beat the host Commodores. With the win, Kentucky (19-5, 9-2) keeps a piece of the lead atop the Southeastern Conference standings with LSU.

LSU 82, MISSOURI 78

Darius Days scored seven of his 20 points in the final five minutes as No. 25 LSU rallied to beat Missouri in Baton Rouge, La., and improve to 18-6 overall and 9-2 in the SEC.

MICHIGAN ST. 70, ILLINOIS 69

Xavier Tillman scored on a dunk off an offensive rebound with six seconds remaining, and the visiting Spartans held on to defeat the No. 22 Fighting Illini.