Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
SATURDAY’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL GAMES
Houston edges Kent State, stakes claim for No. 1 rank
HOUSTON — Marcus Sasser scored 19 points, J’wan Roberts added 11 points and 14 rebounds, and No. 2 Houston held on to beat Kent State 49-44 on Saturday and give itself an opportunity to take over the No. 1 ranking.
Sasser hit 8 of 8 free throws to overcome a 5-for-16 shooting performance, including 1-for-10 on 3-pointers. Houston (6-0) shot 32.0 percent from the floor while missing 15 of 17 3-point tries.
The Cougars held the Golden Flashes (5-2) to 23.8 percent shooting, including 6-for-29 from beyond the arc. Houston had a 56-33 edge in rebounds and a 28-18 scoring advantage in the paint.
After Malique Jacobs hit a 3-pointer with 1:05 left to put Kent State up 44-43, Jamal Shead made a layup to put the Cougars back ahead with 48 seconds to go. Jarace Walker blocked a layup by Sincere Carry with 34 seconds left, and Sasser made two free throws with 29 seconds remaining.
Giovanni Santiago and Carry missed 3-point attempts for Kent State, and Sasser got the rebound with 13 seconds left. He then made two free throws.
Voncameron Davis scored 14 points for the Golden Flashes, and Jacobs had 11 points.
Trailing by nine, Kent State went on an 11-2 run to tie it at 41 on a 3-pointer by Davis with three minutes left.
■ No. 4 Texas 91, Texas-rio Grande Valley 54:
At Austin, Texas, Sir’jabari Rice scored 19 points, Marcus Carr 18 and Tyrese Hunter 17, with the guard trio combining to hit 20 of 36 shots, for the Longhorns (5-0), who scored 28 points off 22 turnovers by the Vaqueros (4-3).
■ No. 24 Purdue 84, No. 6 Gonzaga
66: At Portland, Ore., Zach Edey scored 15 of his 23 points in the final 15 minutes on Friday for the Boilermakers (5-0), who handed the Bulldogs (4-2) a second
November loss for the first time since 2010. Drew Timme had 22 points for Gonzaga, which was 71-8 in November entering Friday.
■ No. 12 Michigan State 74, Oregon 70: At Portland, Ore., Joey Hauser had 18 points and 10 rebounds Friday for the Spartans (4-2), who had 20 assists on 27 made field goals. Will Richardson had 28 points for the Ducks (2-4), who trailed 3330 at halftime.
■ Texas Christian 79, No. 25 Iowa
66: At Niceville, Fla., Micah Peavy scored 16 points and Mike Miles Jr. 15 for the Horned Frogs (5-1), who took control with a 13-4 run three minutes into the second half in the Emerald Coast Classic title game. Tony Perkins and Ahron Ulis each had 15 points for the Hawkeyes (5-1), whose top scorer, Patrick Mccaffrey, was scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting.
Mountain West
■ Boise State 87, Utah Valley 69:
At Boise, Idaho, Chibuzo Agbo scored 20 points and Tyson Degenhart 19 for the Broncos (4-2), who shot 50.8 percent and had a 36-30 edge in rebounds. Justin Harmon had 19 points for the Wolverines (3-4), who trailed 44-33 at halftime.
■ Colorado State 88, Mississippi Valley State 45: At Fort Collins, Colo., John Tonje had 25 points and seven rebounds for the Rams (5-2), who shot 50.0 percent and held the Delta Devils (1-7) to 32.7 percent. MVSU was outrebounded 36-29.
■ San Jose State 80, Oakland 67: At Nassau, Bahamas, Sage Tolbert scored 25 points and Trey Anderson 19 for the Spartans (5-2), who shot 55.4 percent and had a 35-26 edge in rebounds. The Golden Grizzlies (2-5) trailed 47-27 at halftime.
■ New Mexico 76, North Dakota State 55: At Albuquerque, N.M., Jamal Mashburn Jr. scored 19 points for the Lobos (5-0), who shot 46.4 percent and held the Bison (1-6) to 30.5 percent. Andrew Morgan had 22 points for NDSU, which trailed 32-25.