No. 16 Alabama holds off No. 3 Gonzaga rally for 91-82 win

Villanova's Collin Gillespie, left, passes the ball against Saint Joseph's Dahmir Bishop during the second half of an NCAA basketball game Saturday in Villanova, Pa. – Photo by Matt Slocum of The Associated Press
Villanova's Collin Gillespie, left, passes the ball against Saint Joseph's Dahmir Bishop during the second half of an NCAA basketball game Saturday in Villanova, Pa. – Photo by Matt Slocum of The Associated Press

SEATTLE -- Jaden Shackelford scored 20 of his 28 points in the first half, Jahvon Quinerly and JD Davison both hit key 3-pointers later, and No. 16 Alabama held off Gonzaga's big second-half rally for a 91-82 win over the third-ranked Bulldogs.

The Crimson Tide (7-1) made 10 of their 13 3-pointers in the first half, led by Shackelford's sharp shooting from deep. Alabama led by 16 at halftime and withstood every charge the Bulldogs made in the second half to hand Gonzaga its second loss in three games.

Drew Timme led Gonzaga (7-2) with 23 points.

NO. 6 VILLANOVA 81, SAINT JOSEPH'S 51

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Collin Gillespie scored 23 points to lead Villanova over Saint Joseph's.

Justin Moore added 16 points and Eric Dixon had 12 for the Wildcats (6-2), who won their 10th straight in a series dating to 1921 between the Big Five rivals that are separated by just seven miles.

Jordan Hall scored 22 points for Saint Joe's (4-4).

NO. 4 BAYLOR 99, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 54

WACO, Texas -- LJ Cryer led five players in double figures with his 20 points, and Baylor beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

The Bears (8-0) led by 10 after a Kendall Brown layup with 14:14 left in the first half. The Golden Lions never got the margin back to single digits.

Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua added 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Bears, who dominated on the boards 49-24.

Matthew Mayer had 14 points for Baylor, including with 4 3s. Brandon Brown was 8 of 11 from the floor and led Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-8) with 19 points.

NO. 13 TENNESSEE 69, COLORADO 54

BOULDER, Colo. -- Freshman Kennedy Chandler scored 16 of his season-high 28 points in the first half and No. 13 Tennessee pulled away from Colorado.

The Volunteers (6-1) overcame a slow start to win their third straight since an 18-point loss to No. 6 Villanova. Santiago Vescovi had 13 points.

Evan Battey had 12 points and Tristan Da Silva scored 11 for the Buffaloes (6-3).

Colorado scored the first five points of the second half to get within five but the Volunteers went on a 10-4 run. The Buffaloes got within five with 8:34 left but Tennessee scored the next eight points. Chandler hit key baskets to make sure the Colorado didn't get closer than five.

NO. 17 UCONN 88, GRAMBLING STATE 59

STORRS, Conn. -- R.J. Cole scored 18 points to help UConn, which was playing without two injured starters, rout Grambling State.

Freshman Jordan Hawkins added 15 points for the Huskies (8-1), who are off to the program's best start since going 9-0 to open the 2013-14 season.

Isaiah Whaley had 12 points and Akok Akok chipped in with 10. Cameron Christon had all 18 of his points for Grambling (3-6) before being injured in the first half.

A.J. Taylor added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers.

MISSISSIPPI 67, NO. 18 MEMPHIS 63

OXFORD, Miss. -- Jarkel Joyner scored 20 points and Mississippi converted 10 of 11 free throws in the final four minutes to defeat No. 18 Memphis.

The Rebels (6-2) built a 62-51 lead on a jumper by Luis Rodriguez with 2:10 remaining. They relied on the free throw shooting to send the Tigers (5-3) to their third straight loss.

Nysler Brooks made three free throws in the final 32 seconds to preserve the win.

Matthew Murrell added 19 points for the Rebels, including 4 of 9 from 3-point range. Ole Miss shot 18 of 51 (35%) from the field, but compensated by hitting eight 3-point shots and going 23 of 29 (79%) from the free throw line.

DeAndre Williams scored 13 points and Earl Timberlake had 11 points for Memphis, which closed to 63-61 with 14 seconds remaining on a pair of foul shots by Tyler Harris.

NO. 19 IOWA STATE 64, CREIGHTON 58

OMAHA, Neb. -- Caleb Grill scored a season-high 16 points, Izaiah Brockington had all 12 of his points in the second half and Iowa State stayed unbeaten with a win over Creighton.

The Cyclones are 8-0 under first-year coach T.J. Otzelberger and an overhauled roster after going 2-22 last season.

Ryan Hawkins scored a season-high 25 points to lead Creighton and Ryan Nembhard had 10. But the Bluejays (7-2) lost for the first time in 24 nonconference home games after committing 21 turnovers.

NO. 20 USC 63, WASHINGTON STATE 61

PULLMAN, Wash. -- Chevez Goodwin sank a layup and the free throw with 16 seconds left to lift undefeated Southern California over Washington State.

Goodwin led No. 20 USC (8-0, 2-0 Pac-12) with 14 points and added five rebounds. Drew Peterson scored 13 points for the Trojans, while Max Agbonkpolo scored nine points and had a key block with 6 seconds left.

Michael Flowers scored 13 points to lead Washington State (6-2, 1-1).

NO. 21 AUBURN 86, YALE 64

AUBURN, Ala. -- K.D. Johnson scored 19 points, Jabari Smith added 17 points and seven rebounds and No. 21 Auburn blew past Yale.

Johnson, who transferred from Georgia this offseason, overcame an injury scare in the first half to lead the Tigers in scoring. The win marked the fifth straight game of double-digit points for Smith, a 6-foot-10 freshman forward who is widely projected to be an early selection in the 2022 NBA draft.

Auburn (7-1) had five players score in double figures. Zep Jasper, Devan Cambridge and Dylan Cardwell all finished with 10 points.

The Tigers blocked 14 shots from Yale (5-5), including eight in the first 10 minutes of the game. Walker Kessler, who exited the game in the first half due to injury, had four blocks in just eight minutes of action.

NO. 22 MICHIGAN STATE 81, TOLEDO 68

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Max Christie had 14 points, Gabe Brown scored 12 and Michigan State built a big lead early to beat Toledo.

Tyson Walker added 11 points and six assists, and Marcus Bingham Jr. contributed 10 points and six rebounds for the Spartans (7-2). A.J. Hoggard had 10 points and four assists.

Michigan State took control with a 33-5 outburst in the first half and led by as many as 26 points before the break.

Toledo (6-2) was led by Ryan Rollins, who had 21 points. Sedric Millner Jr. had in 17 points and RayJ Dennis added 13 points and 10 rebounds.

N0. 23 WISCONSIN 89, MARQUETTE 76

MADISON, Wis. -- Johnny Davis scored 25 points to lead four Wisconsin players in double figures as the Badgers downed in-state rival Marquette.

Brad Davison had 20 points and Steven Crowl and Chucky Hepburn added 15 apiece for the Badgers (7-1).

Justin Lewis scored 14 to lead Marquette (7-2).

N0. 24 MICHIGAN 72, SAN DIEGO STATE 58

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Hunter Dickinson had 23 points and 14 rebounds, freshman Caleb Houstan scored a season-high 17 points and Michigan beat San Diego State.

The Wolverines (5-3) led by just two points at halftime, coming off a 21-point loss at North Carolina. They bounced back and pulled away with a 17-2 run to take a 64-45 lead.

The Aztecs (5-3) were led by Matt Bradley, who scored 22 points.

N0. 25 SETON HALL 113, NYACK 67

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. -- Seton Hall had a trio come off the bench and combine for 66 points, leading the Pirates over Division II Nyack.

Tyrese Samuel had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Jamir Harris had 23 points and Tray Jackson had 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists for Seton Hall (7-1).

Joel Bailey had 15 points, six rebounds and three assists to lead Nyack (2-5).

Upcoming Events