LITTLE ROCK -- Roger Woods scored 12 points as Arkansas-Little Rock broke away in the second half to defeat South Alabama 74-43 Saturday night for its sixth-straight win and 11th in the last 12 games.
The Trojans opened the second half on a 9-0 run and kept going, shooting 72 percent after halftime (18-25). Woods hit 6-for-7 from the field. Marcus Johnson added 11 points and Jalen Jackson 10 for UALR (21-2, 11-1 Sun Belt).
Josh Hagins buried consecutive three-pointers wrapped around one of Woods' three steals, pushing the lead to 56-31 with 10:44 to play. Hagins had nine points and six assists.
South Alabama (9-14, 4-8) answered with an 8-0 run early in the second half, but then shot 1-for-7. Ken Williams led with nine points.
The 1985-86 Little Rock team that upset Notre Dame in the NCAA tournament was inducted into the school's hall of fame during a halftime ceremony.
Troy 71, A-State 70
JONESBORO -- John Walton III completed a 3three-point play and Daniel Peace made two free throws with 13 seconds left to provide just enough cushion for Troy to hold off Arkansas State.
Walton scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Wesley Person had 22 points and Jordon Varnado added nine points and hauled in nine rebounds for Troy (7-16, 2-10 Sun Belt Conference) which picked up its first win since dropping Texas State 66-57 Jan. 16.
Troy led throughout until Anthony Livingston nailed a trey to start a 14-2 run and take a 66-61 lead with 4:07 left. Troy did not retake the lead until Walton and Peace got the winning points. Arkansas State had a chance to win but Nouhoum Bocoum missed a tip-in as time expired.
Livingston was 6 of 11 from the field for 19 points for Arkansas State (11-12, 7-5).
Ole Miss 85, Vanderbilt 78
OXFORD, Miss. -- Stefan Moody scored 23 points and ignited a decisive 21-5 run midway through the second half Saturday night as Ole Miss defeated Vanderbilt.
Ole Miss (15-8, 5-5 SEC) placed four players in double figures, led by Moody, who added four assists. Tomasz Gielo scored 16 points, Rasheed Brooks added 15 and Marcanvis Hymon had 13 points as the Rebels won for the third time in four starts.
Luke Kornet led Vanderbilt (13-10, 5-5) with 20 points, including nine in the opening four minutes. Wade Baldwin IV and Nolan Cressler added 19 and 14 points for the Commodores, respectively.
Vanderbilt led by as many as 11 points in the first half and 39-37 at halftime. Ole Miss erased a 50-47 deficit with the decisive run and never trailed again. Martavious Newby and Moody converted six consecutive free throws in the final 15 seconds to seal it.
Notre Dame 80
No. 2 N. Carolina 76
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Demetrius Jackson scored 19 points, Bonzie Colson had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Notre Dame rallied to beat No. 2 North Carolina Saturday night.
It was the second-straight loss for the Tar Heels (19-4, 8-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), and Fighting Irish fans celebrated by gathering on the court.
It wasn't quite as dramatic as when the Irish used a 26-3 run to erase a nine-point deficit and beat North Carolina in the ACC-tournament final last March, but it was close.
After trailing by 15 late in the first half, the Irish used an 11-2 run to tie it at 48 on a basket by Jackson with 12:23 left, and it was close the rest of the way.
Sports on 02/08/2016