WEDNESDAY’s TOP 25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL GAMES

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No. 10 North Carolina 97, North Carolina State 73

RALEIGH, N.C.

Joel Berry II scored 18 points to help No. 10 North Carolina beat rival North Carolina State to stay alone in first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Luke Maye added a career-high 13 points for the Tar Heels (22-5, 10-3), who shot 56 percent while dominating both the paint and the glass to blow out the Wolfpack for the second time in a month. UNC had won the first meeting 107-56 for the second-worst loss in N.C. State’s history. UNC finished with a 60-22 edge in points in the paint and a 41-25 rebounding advantage that led to a 27-13 edge in second-chance points. Freshman Dennis Smith Jr. scored 27 points but little else went right for the Wolfpack (14-13, 3-11), who continued their accelerating descent that has led to growing uncertainty about the future of sixth-year coach Mark Gottfried.

No. 12 Duke 65, No. 14 Virginia 55

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.

Jayson Tatum scored 21 of his 28 points in the second half and No. 12 Duke pulled away late to beat No. 14 Virginia, the surging Blue Devils’ sixth victory in a row. Tatum hit three 3-pointers as the shot clock approached 0:00 in the second half, all coming after the Cavaliers pulled within 43-42. Luke Kennard added 16 points for the Blue Devils (21-5, 9-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who are now tied for second in the league with Florida State and Louisville. All three are a game behind No. 10 North Carolina. London Perrantes scored 14 points to lead Virginia (18-7, 8-5) and Ty Jerome had 13.

No. 18 Cincinnati 68, South Florida 54

TAMPA, FLA.

Kevin Johnson scored 14 points and Gary Clark had 13 points and 14 rebounds as No. 18 Cincinnati bounced back from its first loss in two months with a victory over South Florida. The Bearcats (23-2, 12-1 American) shrugged off last Sunday’s nine-point loss to SMU and surpassed their victory total for last season. Kyle Washington had 13 points and nine rebounds, while Jacob Evans overcame early foul trouble to finish with 10 points. USF (7-18, 1-13) snapped a 12-game losing streak last weekend and found a way to keep it relatively close until Cincinnati began the second half on an 11-2 run to build its lead to 41-24. Geno Thorpe led the Bulls with 19 points. Cincinnati never trailed and limited USF to 36 percent shooting, while blocking eight shots and forcing 21 turnovers. The Bearcats led 30-22 at halftime and by as many as 24 points after the break.

No. 19 SMU 80, Tulane 75

DALLAS

Semi Ojeleye scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half, including consecutive 3-pointers in the SMU run that finally put the 19th-ranked Mustangs ahead in avictory over Tulane. With the rally from a 15-point halftime deficit, SMU (23-4, 13-1 American) extended its home winning streak to 20 games in a row, including all 16 this season. The AAC-leading Mustangs have a nine-game winning streak and have won 19 of their last 20 games overall. Jarrey Foster had 19 points, including three consecutive dunks in one stretch for SMU.

Seton Hall 87, No. 20 Creighton 81

NEWARK, N.J.

Khadeen Carrington tallied the final 10 points of his career-high 41 in the closing minute and Seton Hall made a big stride toward the NCAA Tournament with a victory over No. 20 Creighton. Desi Rodriguez had 18 points and big man Angel Delgado got going in second half and added 17 points and 17 rebounds as the Pirates (16-9, 6-7 Big East) opened a crucial three-game home stand with a big win. Marcus Foster had 23 points, six rebounds and six assists for Creighton (21-5, 8-5), which lost for only the second time on the road this season. Justin Patton added 15 points and Khyri Thomas and Cole Huff had 13 apiece for the Bluejays.

Arkansas 83, No. 21 South Carolina 76

COLUMBIA, S.C.

Jaylen Barford tied his career high with 23 points and Arkansas got its first road win over a ranked opponent in almost three years with a victory over No. 21 South Carolina. Dusty Hannahs added 20 points for the Razorbacks (19-7, 8-5 Southeastern Conference) including nine straight after the Gamecocks had cut a 10-point deficit to 55-54 with less than 11 minutes remaining to restore the margin. South Carolina (20-6, 10-3) closed to 77-76 on PJ Dozier’s layin with 1:04 to go. But Manuale Watkins hit a running jumper that rattled home with 29.3 seconds left as the shot clock sounded.

No. 23 Maryland 74, Northwestern 64

EVANSTON, ILL.

Melo Trimble scored a career-high 32 points on 12-for-17 shooting, and No. 23 Maryland strengthened its position in the Big Ten with a victory over Northwestern. Trimble repeatedly came up with big plays for the Terrapins (22-4, 10-3), driving inside for layups or connecting from long range. The junior guard made four of Maryland’s eight 3-pointers and also contributed four rebounds. Anthony Cowan added 13 points and Damonte Dodd had 12 as Maryland moved into a tie with Purdue for second in the conference, just a half-game behind Wisconsin. The Terrapins visit the Badgers on Sunday. Freshman Isiah Brown led Northwestern (19-7, 8-5) with a career-high 19 points. Vic Law had 12 points and eight rebounds, and Dererk Pardon finished with 11 points.

No. 24 Butler 110, St. John’s 86

INDIANAPOLIS

Avery Woodson scored a season-high 20 points and Andrew Chrabascz also had 20 as No. 24 Butler blew out St. John’s. The Bulldogs (20-6, 9-5 Big East) ended a two-game home losing streak. Federico Mussini had 20 points to lead the Red Storm (12-15, 6-8), who never had a chance after giving up the first seven points of the game. The Bulldogs extended the lead to 21-7 and then used a 7-0 run to make it 39-25. The Bulldogs closed out their highest scoring first of the half season with a 54-35 lead. Butler’s nine 3-pointers in the first half matched St. John’s total field goals, and the Bulldogs had a 24-8 rebounding advantage in the first 20 minutes.

WOMEN

No. 2 Maryland 89, Wisconsin 40

COLLEGE PARK, MD.

Shatori Walker-Kimbrough scored 16 of her 22 points in the first half, and No. 2 Maryland breezed past Wisconsin for its 14th straight victory. The Terrapins (26-1, 14-0 Big Ten) bolted to a 16-0 lead, went up 43-14 at halftime and emptied the bench well before the finish against the Badgers (6-20, 1-12). Off to the best start in school history, Maryland can clinch its third straight Big Ten regular-season title by beating second-place Ohio State on Monday.

West Virginia 66, No. 24 Kansas State 59

MORGANTOWN, W.VA.

Chania Ray had 14 points and 10 assists, and West Virginia held on to beat Kansas State after blowing most of a 19-point lead. Katina Pardee hit four 3-pointers and also had 14 points, and Lanay Montgomery added 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Mountaineers (18-8, 6-8 Big 12). Kindred Wesemann had 14 points for K-State (18-8, 8-6).

Associated Press