college basketball roundup

college basketball roundup

Wednesday’s games

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Nebraska 72, No. 11 Michigan State 71

EAST LANSING, MICH.

Shavon Shields scored 28 points, playing through hip pain, and Denzel Valentine missed a shot just before the buzzer to allow Nebraska to hold on for a win over No. 11 Michigan State. The Cornhuskers (12-8, 4-3 Big Ten) have won four straight, three on the road, this season. Michigan State (17-4, 3-4) has lost three straight and suddenly looks nothing like the top-ranked team it was earlier in the season. The Spartans trailed by eight late in the game, but pulled within two with 45.8 seconds to go when Eron Harris connected on a 3-pointer. Shields made a floater over Valentine on the ensuing possession. Valentine’s 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds left cut the deficit to one point.

No. 2 North Carolina 83, Wake Forest 68

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.

Brice Johnson had 27 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 2 North Carolina beat Wake Forest for its 10th straight win. The Tar Heels (17-2, 6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) had little trouble extending their best start to conference play since 2000-01. They never trailed and overcame one of their worst shooting performances of the season (38.4 percent) by forcing Wake Forest into 19 turnovers and turning them into 21 points.

Texas 56, No. 6 West Virginia 49

MORGANTOWN, W.VA.

Javan Felix scored the final nine points for Texas and led the Longhorns to a victory over No. 6 West Virginia. Felix, who finished with 17 points, shot 4 of 9 from the field, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range, and was 7 of 8 from the foul line against a Mountaineers team (15-3, 4-2 Big 12) that had not lost at the WVU Coliseum this season. During the key stretch, Felix had a one-hand follow-up shot, two free throws, a 3-pointer and two more foul shots for the Longhorns (12-6, 4-2). Because of light snow, slush and ice, Texas’ team bus failed to arrive at the WVU Coliseum until 6:15 p.m., just 45 minutes before the tip.

WOMEN

No. 1 UConn 106, UCF 51

HARTFORD, CONN.

Breanna Stewart had 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals to lead No. 1 UConn to a victory over Central Florida. Natalie Butler added a season-high 20 points, six rebounds and three assists for the Huskies (17-0, 7-0 AAC), who have won 54 straight games, tying Louisiana Tech (1980-82) for the third-longest winning streak in Division I women’s basketball history. Starting forward Morgan Tuck, who is averaging 14.9 points and 5.9 rebounds, did not play for UConn due to soreness in her right knee.

No. 5 Maryland 90, Wisconsin 65

MADISON, WIS.

Shatori Walker-Kimbrough scored 22 points and made a career-best six 3-pointers, leading No. 5 Maryland to a victory over Wisconsin, the 900th win in program history. After a sluggish start, the Terrapins (17-2, 6-1 Big Ten) took control by outscoring the Badgers 34-10 in the second quarter. Brionna Jones also had 22 points. The center formed a potent inside-outside duo with guard Walker-Kimbrough during a 14-2 run to open the second quarter that gave Maryland a 29-22 lead. Tiffany Pfirman paced the Terrapins late in the quarter with 11 straight points, including three straight 3s.

No. 6 Texas 65, TCU 58

FORT WORTH, TEXAS

Imani Boyette had 19 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks, and No. 6 Texas bounced back from its first loss by rallying in the second half for a victory against. Brooke McCarty had a pair of 3-pointers during a 10-2 run in the fourth quarter that put the Longhorns (17-1, 6-1 Big 12) ahead for the first time since the 6-minute mark of the first quarter.

Memphis 88, No. 15 South Florida 87 OT

MEMPHIS, TENN.

Ariel Hearn scored a career-high 33 points, including two free throws with three seconds left, and grabbed 10 rebounds to help Memphis beat No. 15 South Florida. Shalethia Stringfield tied the game at 79-all with 3:17 left in overtime, but USF did not make its next field goal until Courtney Williams’s 3-pointer cut its deficit to 86-84 with 3.9 seconds left. Hearn hit two free throws for a two-possession game and Stringfield made a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Asianna Fuqua-Bey had 16 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for Memphis (10-9, 4-4 American).

Associated Press