college basketball roundup

college basketball roundup

Tuesday’s games

REGIONAL MEN

Penn State 78, Akron 72

STATE COLLEGE, PA.

D.J. Newbill scored 29 points, Penn State outscored Akron by 19 points in the second half. Brandon Taylor was 4 of 11 from 3-point range and added 14 for the Lions, who trailed 45-32 at the half. Geno Thorpe scored 10 points. Penn State (5-1) opened the second half by holding Akron (3-2) scoreless for 6:19 and built a 47-45 lead off a 15-0 run. Deji Ibitayo scored 17 points and Noah Robotham 16 for the Zips, but Akron’s second-half shooting woes opened the door for the Nittany Lions.

TOP 25 MEN

No. 1 Kentucky 92, Texas-Arlington 44

LEXINGTON, KY.

Devin Booker scored 19 points for his second career best in as many games, Karl-Anthony Towns added 13 with 11 rebounds, and Kentucky had no trouble with Texas-Arlington. The Wildcats (6-0) concluded a busy season-opening stretch of six games in 11 days with a complete effort on both ends. Besides shooting 57 percent from the field, Kentucky held the Mavericks (3-2) to 27 percent shooting. Booker followed Sunday’s 18-point effort by shooting 7 of 8, including five 3-pointers. Towns added three blocks and four assists for Kentucky.

No. 3 Arizona 72, Kansas State 68

LAHAINA, HAWAII

Kaleb Tarczewski scored 18 points, Gabe York added 15 and Arizona held off Kansas State in the Maui Invitational semifinals to win its first close game of the season. Arizona (5-0) rolled through its first four games despite some slow starts and shot 53 percent against Kansas State, yet couldn’t shake the scrappy Wildcats. Trailing by nine in the second half, Kansas State (3-2) whittled the lead down to a single possession in the final minute.

No. 7 Texas 78, Saint Francis, Pa. 46

AUSTIN, TEXAS

Freshman forward Myles Turner had 25 points and 10 rebounds, leading Texas over Saint Francis for its first 5-0 start since 2009.

No. 8 Virginia 79, Tennessee State 36

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.

Justin Anderson was 7 for 7 from the field and scored 20 points, and Virginia had a 32-point run spanning halftime to beat Tennessee State. Anderson made five 3-pointers and Mike Tobey added 13 points and a career-high 16 rebounds for the Cavaliers (5-0), off to their best start since the 2007-08 team also won its first five. Tennessee State (2-3), which has only one returning player and 12 newcomers in coach Dana Ford’s first season, trailed 19-2 after 7 minutes and 42-17 at halftime.

No. 14 VCU 77, Oregon 63

NEW YORK

Melvin Johnson scored 19 points and Treveon Graham had 13 to lead Virginia Commonwealth past Oregon. The Rams (4-1) led by as many as 14 and never trailed in the Legends Classic consolation game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. They bounced back from their first loss of the season with a 12-0 run that opened the game against the Ducks (3-2).

No. 23 Creighton 75, Eastern Illinois 53

OMAHA, NEB.

Reserve center Geoffrey Groselle scored a career-high 15 points, and Creighton beat Eastern Illinois in the Emerald Coast Classic. The Bluejays celebrated coach Greg McDermott’s 50th birthday with a victory in their first game as a ranked team this season. The 7-foot Groselle made his first five shots and finished 7 of 8 from the field. Toby Hegner added 13 points for Creighton (5-0).

No. 25 Arkansas 78, SMU 72

DALLAS

Bobby Portis scored 22 points and Arkansas won its first game as a ranked team in seven years, beating previously ranked SMU. The Razorbacks never trailed after Portis made a 3-pointer for the game’s first basket. They are 4-0 for the first time since the 2006-07 season. SMU, coached by Larry Brown, was No. 22 in the AP Top 25 before consecutive road losses last week against No. 10 Gonzaga and Indiana. The Mustangs (2-3) dropped out of the poll Monday.

Associated Press