Stanford recovers from slow start to turn back USF
Daejon Davis gave Stanford its first lead since the eighth minute of the game with a layup with 3:53 remaining Tuesday night, and the Cardinal held on to defeat visiting USF 64-56 in a nonconference game at Maples Pavilion.
The win was the third straight for the Stanford (10-1) men, who haven’t lost at home to the Dons since 1995.
USF (9-3) had a two-game winning streak snapped.
After rallying from an 11-point, second-half deficit, the Cardinal never trailed after Davis’ goahead hoop.
A 3-pointer by Spencer Jones created a five-point lead with 3:10 to go, before he connected again from beyond the arc with 56 seconds left to blow the game open at 57-50.
Davis, teammate Oscar da Silva and USF’s Charles Minlend shared game-high scoring honors with 18 points apiece.
After three early ties, the Dons ran off to as much as a 10-point lead in the first half, using an 11-0 run to create most of the cushion.
Dzmitry Ryuny, Remu Raitanen and Jordan Ratinho all hit 3-pointers in the 11-point burst, which turned a 7-4 deficit into a 15-7 lead.
The Cardinal went nearly six minutes without a field goal in its drought.
USF led 24-18 at halftime, then by as many as 11 at 35-24 on a Khalil Shabazz layup with 14:38 remaining in the game.
Jamaree Bouyea backed Minlend with 15 points for USF. NORTH CAROLINA’S ANTHONY SIDELINED AFTER KNEE SURGERY >> North Carolina star freshman point guard Cole Anthony is expected to miss four to six weeks after having arthroscopic knee surgery.
The school says Anthony had the procedure Monday to treat a partially torn meniscus in his right knee. He had missed Sunday’s loss to Wofford due to the injury. Widely regarded as a potential NBA lottery pick if he enters the draft after one season, Anthony is averaging 19.1 points to rank second nationally among freshmen and has been the Tar Heels’ best player at creating his own shot.
The Tar Heels (6-4) are unranked for the first time since February 2014.
NO. 5 BUCKEYES BOUNCE BACK, ROUT SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE >> Kaleb Wesson had 18 points and 10 rebounds as No. 5 Ohio State bounced back from its first loss of the season and beat Southeast Missouri State 80-48 at home.
Ohio State (10-1) was playing two days after it dropped an 8471 decision at Minnesota. That loss led to the Buckeyes dropping from third to fifth in this week’s AP Top 25 poll.
The Buckeyes played their second straight game without sophomore guard Duane Washington Jr., who was sidelined with an apparent rib injury. Washington is the team’s second-leading scorer at 11.4 points per game.
NO. 13 DAYTON HOLDS OFF NORTH TEXAS >> Jalen Crutcher and Ryan Mikesell scored 16 points apiece, and No. 13 Dayton finally shook free at the end for a 71-58 home victory over North Texas.
The Flyers (9-1) took the court with their highest ranking since December 1968, when they made it as high as No. 6. A sloppy second half kept it close.
Dayton turned it over eight times in the second half, helping North Texas (4-7) cut the lead to nine points with six minutes left. Crutcher hit an unguarded 3-pointer that blunted the comeback, and the Mean Green fell short in its bid for a fourth alltime win over a ranked team.
Javion Hamlet had 19 points, and Zachary Simmons added 18 for North Texas. The Mean Green tied the school record with 19 3-pointers during its last game, a 23-point win over Little Rock.
HOWARD SCORES 26 TO LEAD MARQUETTE OVER GRAMBLING ST. >> Markus Howard had 26 points as Marquette (8-2) rolled past Grambling State 93-72 at home.
Howard is now tied for the nation’s scoring lead at 25.2 points per game.
Women’s basketball
UCONN’S AURIEMMA COULD MISS GAME AFTER MEDICAL PROCEDURE >> UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma will have a medical procedure today and could miss the No. 2 Huskies’ game Sunday against Oklahoma.
The procedure involves the 65-year-old Hall of Famer’s small intestine and is to alleviate symptoms of diverticulitis. “A short stay in the hospital and quick recovery are expected,” read a statement released by the school on Tuesday.
After facing the Sooners (6-4) at Mohegan Sun Arena, the Huskies (9-0) do not play again until Jan. 2.
Associate head coach Chris Dailey would take over if Auriemma can’t go. In the nine games Auriemma has missed during his 35 seasons in Storrs, Dailey has a perfect 9-0 record. WIRTH, LOERA LEAD NO. 17 GONZAGA PAST WYOMING >> Lee-Anne Wirth scored 18 points, and Jessie Loera added 16 as No. 17 Gonzaga defeated Wyoming 65-54 on the road. Gonzaga (10-1) has won eight straight since losing to current No. 1 Stanford in overtime.