Recaps of Friday’s College Basketball games

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Kent State 111, Hiram 55

KENT

Jimmy Hall scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds and Jaylin Walker and Jerrelle DeBerry each had 13 points off the bench to lead Kent State past Division III-member Hiram. Hall’s 3-point play off a layup 10:33 before halftime put Kent State on top 28-5. The Golden Flashes led 54-24 at intermission. Mitch Peterson’s 3 put Kent State up 69-28 with 16:27 remaining. The Golden Flashes went on to score 57 points in the second half, and Kent State has now topped 50 points in its last three halves of play. Kyle Deckerd led the Terriers with 11 points. Kent State leads the all-time series with Hiram 21-13, and Friday’s game ended a 73-year gap in the series that started in the 1915-16 season. It was the first matchup between the two since the end of World War II.

UT Martin 85, Cleveland State 74.

MARTIN, TENN.

Javier Martinez had career highs of 23 points and 14 rebounds, Kedar Edwards scored 17 and tied a career best with seven assists and UT Martin beat Cleveland State. Jacolby Mobley hit three 3s and finished with 16 points while Fatodd Lewis scored 10 for the Skyhawks. Derek Sloan’s jumper 21/2 minutes in gave Cleveland State an 8-4 lead, but the Vikings went scoreless for the next 7-plus minutes and UT Martin (3-1) used a 38-5 run to open up a 30-point lead with 2:57 left in the half and led 50-23 at the break. Rob Edwards led Cleveland State (1-2) with 22 points, including four 3s.

Illinois 89, Detroit Mercy 69

CHAMPAIGN, ILL.

Malcolm Hill led the way for Illinois with 25 points Friday night and the Illini took care of business against Detroit Mercy in Champaign. Illinois (4-0) continued its strong start to the season with another complete game from different players in the opening game of the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament. The Illini had little trouble scoring, shooting 27of 52 from the field and 8 of 19 from 3-point range.

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No. 3 Villanova 96, Wake Forest 77

CHARLESTON, S.C.

Josh Hart scored a career-high 30 points with six 3-pointers and No. 3 Villanova powered past Wake Forest to reach the finals of the Charleston Classic. Hart, a preseason All-American, made five of his team’s first six baskets to open a 16-8 lead and the Wildcats (4-0) kept going.

No. 7 Kansas 86, Siena 65

LAWRENCE, KAN.

Frank Mason III scored 18 points to lead a late-game charge, Carlton Bragg added a career-high 15 points and 11 rebounds and Kansas beat pesky Siena. Devonte Graham added 13 points and nine assists, and Lagerald Vick scored 12 points off the bench, as the Jayhawks (2-1) extended their winning streak to 42 straight at Allen Fieldhouse. The Saints (1-2) never made it easy. Marquis Wright hit three straight 3-pointers midway through the second half, and the gritty senior guard’s three-point play got coach Jimmy Patsos’ team within 63-58 with about 71/2 minutes left.

No. 11 Xavier 83, Clemson 77

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA.

J.P. Macura scored a career-high 28 points and Trevon Bluiett contributed 21 as Xavier defeated Clemson in the second round of the Tire Pros Invitational. Macura hit six 3-pointers and Bluiett sealed the win with two free throws in the final moments. The Musketeers (3-0) held a comfortable lead for most of the second half before Clemson (3-1) surged within 63-62.

No. 13 Michigan State 100, Mississippi Valley State 53

EAST LANSING, MICH.

Miles Bridges scored 21 of his 24 points in the first half, grabbed 11 rebounds and had six assists in his home debut for Michigan State in a win over Mississippi Valley State.

The Spartans (1-2) got a confidence-boosting win after getting routed by No. 2 Kentucky and losing to No. 10 Arizona by two points.Ronald Strother had 12 points and Amos Given scored 10 for the Delta Devils (0-4).

No. 14 Gonzaga 109, Bryant 70

SPOKANE, WASH.

Przemek Karnowski scored 22 points and Johnathan Williams added 20 to help Gonzaga beat Bryant. Zach Collins added 18 points for Gonzaga (3-0), which is seeking a 19th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. Nisre Zouzoua scored 22 points and Adam Grant had 17 for undersized Bryant (1-2), which lost to Gonzaga the only previous time the teams met, in 2013. Both teams are known as the Bulldogs.

No. 18 Syracuse 71, Monmouth 50

SYRACUSE, N.Y.

Andrew White scored 18 points, Taurean Thompson added 12 and Syracuse routed overmatched Monmouth. The Orange (3-0) led 37-29 at the half. The Hawks (1-2) shot 21 percent from the field were 1 of 18 from 3-point range in the second half. For the game, the Hawks shot 31 percent and were 4 of 29 from on 3-pointers. Syracuse outscored Monmouth 34-21 in the second half.

No. 15 Purdue 64, Georgia State 56

WEST LAFAYETTE, IND.

Caleb Swanigan scored 18 points and Purdue scored the final 20 points of the game to rally and beat Georgia State in the Cancun Challenge opener. Trailing 56-44 with 7:08 to play, the Boilermakers (2-1) took over. Dakota Mathias hit two 3-pointers and P.J. Thompson one during the game-closing run. Center Isaas Haas added 11 points for Purdue, and Jeremy Hollowell had 15 to lead Georgia State (1-2), which also got 13 points from D’Marcus Simonds.

No. 22 Creighton 103, Washington State 77

ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

Cole Huff scored 19 points, and Creighton put Washington State away early en route to a victory in the opening round of the Paradise Jam tournament. Marcus Foster added 16 points and Justin Patton 10 for the Bluejays (3-0), who went up by double digits less than seven minutes into the first half, and led 60-36 at the break. Conor Clifford scored 29 points, Ike Iroegbu and Charles Callison had 11 each, and Josh Hawkinson added 10 for the Cougars (2-1).

Associated Press