top 25 roundup \ Tuesday’s games

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No. 2 Kentucky 81, Mississippi State 75, OT

STARKVILLE, Miss. — John Wall scored 18 points, including five in overtime, and came within two assists of a triple-double to lead No. 2 Kentucky. Wall’s three-point play opened the scoring in overtime, then he added two free throws and blocked Dee Bost’s layup attempt with 36 seconds left to push the Wildcats (25-1, 10-1 Southeastern Conference) to their sixth straight win and snap a three-game losing streak to the Bulldogs (18-8, 6-5). DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson both scored 19 points. Wall had 10 rebounds and eight assists. Kentucky trailed 67-60 with 3 minutes left, but scored the final seven points of regulation, the last two on Patterson’s 15-foot jumper that tied it at 72. Bost scored 22 points for Mississippi State, which was without its leading scorer, Ravern Johnson, who was suspended before the game.

No. 22 Baylor 88, Texas Tech 70

WACO, Texas — LaceDarius Dunn scored 30 points and Ekpe Udoh had 13 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocks for Baylor which reached 20 wins for the third consecutive season. Dunn scored 10 points in the final 5 1/2 minutes of the first half, after being held scoreless until then, to put the Bears (20-5, 7-4 Big 12) ahead to stay. It is only the sixth 20-win season for Baylor, which has won five of its last six games. David Tairu had 16 points for Texas Tech (16-9, 4-7). Tweety Carter had 12 points and 11 assists for Baylor, which shot 54 percent from the field (33 of 61). Udoh needed a block for his second triple-double of the season. He finished with his 12th double-double of the season and extended his season school record block total to 109.

Virginia Tech 87, No. 23 Wake Forest 83

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Malcolm Delaney scored 10 of his 31 points in the decisive final seven minutes for Virginia Tech. The Hokies (21-4, 8-3) remained unbeaten in 14 home games this season, moved into second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference and got the kind of victory they sorely need down the stretch to help offset one of the nation’s weakest nonconference schedules. Wake Forest (18-6, 8-4), which moved into the Top 25 for the first time this week, led most of the game until a 15-4 run by the Hokies pulled them even with 8:30 to play. Then Delaney got hot and the Hokies held on for their fifth consecutive victory. Al-Farouq Aminu led Wake Forest with 25 points, but scored only four on limited touches in the second half. Dorenzo Hudson added 21 points and J.T. Thompson had 16 for Virginia Tech.

WOMEN

No. 22 St. John’s 76, No. 4 Notre Dame 71

NEW YORK — Shenneika Smith scored 23 points and Da’Shena Stevens added 21 to help St. John’s upset Notre Dame for the biggest win in the program’s history. Sky Lindsay scored 13 points for the Red Storm (21-5, 9-4 Big East), who had never beaten a top five opponent. They are off to the best start in coach Kim Barnes Arico’s eight-year tenure. They were coming off a 66-52 loss at top-ranked UConn — the closest any team has come in the conference to the Huskies this season. The close loss helped St. John’s move up to No. 22 in the poll Monday — its highest ranking since 1983-84. Skylar Diggins scored 18 of her 20 points in the second half and Brittany Mallory added 17 to lead the Fighting Irish (23-2, 10-2), who had won eight straight since losing to Connecticut on Jan. 16 — its only other loss of the season.

No. 9 West Virginia 55, Rutgers 51

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Sarah Miles scored 16 points and Korinne Campbell had 14 points and 12 rebounds for West Virginia. The Mountaineers (23-3, 10-2 Big East) saw a 13-point lead melt away in the second half but they survived despite being held without a field goal over the final 7 minutes. Brittany Ray had 16 points for Rutgers (15-11, 7-5), committed 24 turnovers and saw its season-high three-game winning streak snapped. Playing with their highest-ever ranking, West Virginia improved to 16-0 at home and can complete its first perfect season at The Coliseum in 18 years with a win over Marquette on Feb. 27.

Associated Press