Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Trier, No. 14 Arizona thwart No. 3 UCLA
Findlay Prep product solid in season debut
LOS ANGELES — Boosted by the return of Findlay Prep product Allonzo Trier, No. 14 Arizona showed off a potent offense to go along with its swarming defense.
Trier led a late run in the first half and finished with 12 points in his first game of the season, helping the Wildcats topple No. 3 UCLA 96-85 Saturday.
Trier’s status was resolved Friday after he tested negative for a performance-enhancing drug.
The sophomore from Seattle, who averaged nearly 15 points per game last season, had been practicing and traveling with the Wildcats (18-2, 7-0 Pac-12), but the school had refused to say why he wasn’t playing.
Trier said last week that he inadvertently had taken a substance with a trace amount of PED in it. He said the NCAA wouldn’t allow him to play until his system was cleared of the drug.
Fans at UCLA (19-2, 6-2) chanted “steroids” at him. Trier wasn’t made available to the media afterward.
“I don’t think we win without him,” coach Sean Miller said. “It means a lot, especially for this team and his family.”
The Wildcats won their 12th in a row, putting up 21 more points than they average. Arizona has the conference’s top-rated defense.
Kobi Simmons scored 20 points and Lauri Markkanen 18 for the Wildcats.
No. 1 Villanova 78, Providence 68 — At Philadelphia, Josh Hart scored 25 points for the Wildcats (19-1, 7-1 Big East), who never trailed in beating the Friars (13-8, 3-5).
No. 2 Kansas 79, Texas 67 — At Lawrence, Kan., Devonte Graham scored 18 points for the Jayhawks (18-1, 7-0 Big 12), who overcame freshman Jarrett Allen’s 22-point, 19-rebound effort to beat the Longhorns (7-12, 1-6).
No. 4 Gonzaga 73, Portland 52 — At Spokane, Wash., Findlay Prep product Nigel Williams-Goss scored 15 points for the Bulldogs (19-0, 7-0 West Coast Conference), who never trailed in routing the Pilots (9-10, 2-5).
No. 5 Kentucky 85, No. 24 South Carolina69— At Lexington, Ky., Malik Monk scored 27 points for the Wildcats (172, 7-0 Southeastern Conference), who overcame Sindarius Thornwell’s 34 points and an ankle injury to starting point guard De’Aaron Fox to beat the Gamecocks (15-4, 5-1).
No. 6 Baylor 62, Texas Christian 53 — At Fort Worth, Texas, Manu Lecomte scored 17 points for the Bears (18-1, 6-1 Big 12), who downed the Horned Frogs (14-5, 3-4) in game featuring five second-half ties and 13 lead changes.
Marquette 102, No. 7 Creighton 94 — At Omaha, Neb., former UNLV guard Katin Reinhardt scored 17 of his season-high 21 points in the first half for the Golden Eagles (13-6, 3-3 Big East). Marcus Foster scored 30 points for the Bluejays (18-2, 5-2), who were playing their first full game without star point guard Maurice Watson Jr. (torn left ACL).
Kansas State 79, No. 7 West Virginia 75 — At Manhattan, Kan., Kamau Stokes and Barry Brown each scored 13 points for the Wildcats (15-4, 4-3 Big 12), who overcame a 12-point first-half deficit to upset the Mountaineers (154, 4-3).
No. 9 North Carolina 90, Boston College 82 — At Boston, Kennedy Meeks had 20 points for the Tar Heels (18-3, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who overcame Ky Bowman’s 33 points to top the Eagles (9-11, 2-5).
No. 10 Florida State 73, No. 12 Louisville 68 — At Tallahassee, Fla., Jonathan Isaac and Dwayne Bacon each scored 16 points for the Seminoles (18-2, 6-1 ACC), who downed the Cardinals (164, 4-3) to finish 5-1 during a stretch in which they faced six straight ranked foes.
No. 11 Oregon 69, Stanford 52 — At Eugene, Ore., Chris Boucher had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Ducks (18-2, 7-0 Pac-12), who were without preseason All-America Findlay Prep product Dillon Brooks (left foot sprain) but downed the Cardinal (119, 3-5) for their 16th straight win and 38th in a row at home.
No. 13 Butler 70, DePaul 69, OT — At Rosemont, Ill., Kethan Savage scored 20 points for the Bulldogs (17-3, 6-2 Big East), who trailed at halftime for the seventh time in eight conference games. Eli Cain scored 32 points for the Blue Demons (8-12, 1-6), who blew a 20-point lead.
No. 15 Notre Dame 84, Syracuse 66 — At South Bend, Ind., V.J. Beachem scored 30 points for the Fighting Irish (17-3, 6-1 ACC), who had lost their previous four games against the Orange (11-9, 3-4).
No. 16 Virginia 62, Georgia Tech 49 — At Charlottesville, Va., Marial Shayok scored 19 points for the Cavaliers (15-3, 5-2 ACC), who buried the Yellow Jackets (11-8, 3-4) with a 22-7 run spanning halftime.
No. 17 Wisconsin 78, Minnesota 76, OT— At Minneapolis, Ethan Happ had 28 points and 12 rebounds for the Badgers (16-3, 5-1 Big Ten), who held a 4424 edge in points in the paint in beating the Golden Gophers (15-5, 3-4) for the sixth straight time.
No. 18 Duke 70, Miami 58 — At Durham, N.C., Matt Jones scored all 13 of his points in the second half, hitting three 3-pointers during a 20-0 run that carried the Blue Devils (15-4, 3-3 ACC) past the Hurricanes (12-6, 2-4).
Vanderbilt 68, No. 19 Florida 66 — At Gainesville, Fla., Matthew Fisher-Davis scored 19 points for the Commodores (9-10, 3-4 SEC), who went on a 12-0 run midway through the second half and edged the Gators (14-5, 5-2) in a game featuring six lead changes in the final five minutes.
No. 20 Cincinnati 78, Tulane 61 — At New Orleans, Jacob Evans scored 15 points for the Bearcats (17-2, 7-0 American Athletic Conference), who shot 56 percent and held the Green Wave (4-15, 1-6) to five first-half field goals.
No. 21 Purdue 77, Penn State 52 — At West Lafayette, Ind., Caleb Swanigan had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Boilermakers (16-4, 5-2 Big Ten), who shot 56.6 percent and held the Nittany Lions (11-9, 3-4) to 31.3 percent.
No. 23 Saint Mary’s 85, Pepperdine 65 — At Moraga, Calif., Joe Rahon scored 17 of his 22 points in the first half for the Gaels (17-2, 7-1 WCC), who routed the Waves (5-15, 1-7) to give Randy Bennett his 350th coaching win.
MOUNTAIN WEST
Fresno State 81, UNR 76 — At Reno, Jaron Hopkins scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half for the Bulldogs (13-7, 5-3), who led throughout in beating the Wolf Pack (16-4, 5-2) for the second time this season. Marcus Marshall scored 25 points for UNR.
Boise State 75, San Jose State 65 — At San Jose, Calif., David Wacker scored 17 points on 5-for-5 shooting for the Broncos (12-6, 5-2), who didn’t trail in their win over the Spartans (9-9, 2-5).
New Mexico 78, Wyoming 71 — At Albuquerque, N.M., Elijah Brown had 33 points and 10 rebounds to power the Lobos (12-8, 5-3) past the Cowboys (13-7, 3-4).
Colorado State 64, Utah State 56 — At Logan, Utah, Emmanuel Omogbo had 20 points and 16 rebounds for the Rams (12-8, 4-3), who never trailed in their win over the Aggies (8-10, 2-5).