College Basketball roundup | Recaps of Wednesday’s games

No. 8 Creighton 75, No. 12 Butler 64

OMAHA, NEB.

Maurice Watson Jr. scored 21 points and No. 8 Creighton matched its best start in program history with a victory over No. 12 Butler. The Bluejays (16-1, 4-2 Big East) rode hot shooting in the first half to build a big lead that Butler (14-3, 3-2) couldn’t overcome with its star Kelan Martin still struggling with his shot. Watson made 9 of 14 shots and had seven assists but committed a season-high eight turnovers.

No. 11 North Carolina 93, Wake Forest 87

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.

Justin Jackson hit a huge 3-pointer with 1:03 left and No. 11 North Carolina did just enough to hold off Wake Forest. Jackson finished with 19 points for the Tar Heels (15-3, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), while Kennedy Meeks added 18 points and 11 rebounds. UNC twice blew second-half leads when it was in control, first letting a 19-point lead slip to one and then losing much of a nine-point margin in the final 4 minutes.

No. 14 Louisville 85, Pittsburgh 80

LOUISVILLE, KY.

Quentin Snider scored 22 points, including two free throws with 25.3 seconds remaining, and Deng Adel added a free throw 8 seconds later as No. 14 Louisville survived Jamel Artis’ career-high 43 points to outlast Pittsburgh. The Cardinals appeared in good shape with a 59-35 lead midway through the second half before Artis’ 32-point second half rallied the Panthers within 81-76 with 45 seconds remaining.

Michigan State 65, No. 24 Minnesota 47

EAST LANSING, MICH.

Miles Bridges scored all 16 of his points in the first half, helping Michigan State build a huge lead it used to cruise to a victory over No. 24 Minnesota. The Spartans (12-6, 4-1 Big Ten) started the night in a five-way tie atop the conference with the Golden Gophers (11-7, 3-2) and moved a half-game ahead of No. 17 Purdue, Maryland and Nebraska. Michigan State led the entire game.

WOMEN

No. 2 Baylor 77, TCU 54

WACO, TEXAS

Freshman Lauren Cox made her first seven shots and scored 19 points as second-ranked Baylor won its 51st consecutive home game, beating TCU. Alexis Jones added 14 points and Alexis Prince 10 for the Lady Bears (16-1, 5-0 Big 12), who had their smallest margin in a conference game so far but trailed for only a 12-second span after TCU made a 3-pointer for its first basket of the game.

No. 3 Maryland 89, Penn State 83

COLLEGE PARK, MD.

Brionna Jones tied the Maryland school record with 42 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to help the third-ranked Terrapins beat Penn State. Jones went 15 for 19 from the field and sank 12 of 14 free throws to match the school’s previous single-game high, set by Marissa Coleman against Vanderbilt on March 29, 2009. Jones previous career best scoring effort was 30 points against St. Peter’s on Dec. 16.

No. 14 Miami 82, No. 15 Virginia Tech 75

CORAL GABLES, FLA.

Adrienne Motley scored 18 points, Jessica Thomas had 17 and No. 14 Miami used a 17-7 run in the fourth quarter to hand No. 15 Virginia Tech its first loss of the season. Emese Hof added 14 points, Laura Cornelius 13 and Sarah Mortensen 10 as the three reserves helped the Hurricanes (14-3, 3-2 ACC) to a 39-2 advantage in bench points.

Texas Tech 75, No. 18 West Virginia 66

LUBBOCK, TEXAS

Recee’ Caldwell scored 21 points and Texas Tech had a 17-point lead erased in the fourth quarter but recovered with a 10-2 run to close out a upset win over No. 18 West Virginia. Ivonne Cook-Taylor added 17 points and Arella Guirantes scored 14. The Red Raiders (11-5, 3-2 Big 12) led 56-39 with 9:41 left before the Mountaineers (14-3, 2-3) scored 10 straight and later tied it at 60-all with 3:02 left.

No. 22 Oklahoma 67, Iowa State 56

AMES, IOWA

Vionise Pierre-Louis had 18 points and a career-high 16 rebounds and No. 22 Oklahoma held off Iowa State. Gabbi Ortiz and Gioya Carter added 11 points apiece and Maddie Manning had 10 for the Sooners (13-4, 4-1 Big 12). Iowa State pulled within 57-55 on a jumper by Seanna Johnson with 4:49 to play but from there the Cyclones missed their last four shots.

Associated Press