Eric Dixon scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half to propel host Villanova to a 68-66 upset of No. 9 UConn on Wednesday night.
In a raucous atmosphere in Villanova’s on-campus gym, Wooga Poplar added 18 points as the Wildcats (11-5, 4-1 Big East) snapped the Huskies’ eight-game winning streak.
UConn (12-4, 4-1) had a chance to take the lead with 3.1 seconds left, but Alex Karaban, who entered the game shooting 81.4 percent from the free throw line, missed two foul shots with the Huskies down by one.
In winning for the eighth time in its last nine games, Villanova weathered a UConn rally from 12 points down in the second half, which earned the Huskies a brief lead, 57-55, when Solo Ball (16 points) hit a 3-pointer with 8:38 left. But the Wildcats quickly regained the lead for good on layups by Dixon and Jordan Longino.
No. 5 Alabama 88, South Carolina 68
Mark Sears finished with 22 points and six assists to lead the Crimson Tide to a victory over the Gamecocks in Columbia, S.C.
The Crimson Tide (13-2, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) won their seventh in a row overall and 10th in a row against the Gamecocks (10-5, 0-2), who dropped their second consecutive game. Aden Holloway contributed 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting for Alabama.
Jacobi Wright led the Gamecocks with 20 points. Jamarii Thomas totaled 15 points, but fouled out with 6:03 left in the game.
No. 10 Texas A&M 80, No. 17 Oklahoma 78
Zhuric Phelps sank a go-ahead 3-pointer with 19.6 seconds left to cap a career-high 34-point outburst, leading the Aggies’ comeback win over the Sooners in Norman, Okla.
Texas A&M overcame an 18-point second-half deficit and a huge night from Oklahoma’s Brycen Goodine, who scored a season-high 34 points and hit 9 of 11 3-point attempts. The Aggies, playing without injured leading scorer Wade Taylor IV (15.7 ppg), still won their ninth consecutive game.
Solomon Washington scored 11 points and Pharrel Payne added 10 points for the Aggies (13-2, 2-0 SEC). Jeremiah Fears scored 13 points and Jalon Moore chipped in 11 points for the Sooners (13-2, 0-2), who absorbed their second loss in a row.
No. 11 Kansas 74, Arizona State 55
Zeke Mayo scored 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting to lead the Jayhawks back from a halftime deficit to beat Arizona State in Lawrence, Kan.
Hunter Dickinson added 15 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and three steals for the Jayhawks (11-3, 2-1 Big 12). He put Kansas ahead 43-42 by finishing a three-point play with 16:08 remaining in the game, part of an 11-0 start to the half for the Jayhawks.
Arizona State (10-4, 1-2) went scoreless for the first seven-plus minutes of the second half, breaking the ice on a 3-pointer by Adam Miller that cut Kansas’ lead to 45-42 before Kansas answered with an immediate 9-0 run.
No. 13 Illinois 91, Penn State 52
Senior Ben Humrichous scored 19 of his season-high 21 points in the first half to spark the Fighting Illini to a victory over the Nittany Lions in Champaign, Ill.
Illinois prevailed despite the absence of leading scorer Kasparas Jakucionis (forearm). Tre White contributed 20 points and seven rebounds for the Illini (12-3, 4-1 Big Ten). Freshman Morez Johnson Jr. added a career-high 20 points off the bench and pulled down 11 rebounds.
Nick Kern Jr. scored 13 points and Zach Hicks added 11 for the Nittany Lions (12-4, 2-3), who set a season low for points and finished 35 points below their average. Junior Yanic Konan Niederhauser blocked a career-high seven shots.
No. 18 Gonzaga 93, San Diego 80
Five Bulldogs scored in double figures as Gonzaga outgunned the Toreros in Spokane, Wash.
Ben Gregg pumped in a game-high 23 points for the Bulldogs (13-4, 4-0 West Coast Conference). Khalif Battle added 20. Graham Ike made just 1 of 5 field-goal attempts but still finished with 15 points and hauled in a game-high 19 rebounds.
Five players reached double digits for San Diego (4-13, 1-3), led by reserve Kjay Bradley with 21 points, but the Toreros took their 19th straight head-to-head loss against Gonzaga.
No. 23 Ole Miss 73, Arkansas 66
Malik Dia scored a season-high 21 points and drained a crucial 3-pointer with 1:10 remaining as the Rebels topped the Razorbacks in Fayetteville, Ark.
With Arkansas rallying and down 68-62, Dia — who had a team-high eight rebounds — took a pass from Jaylen Murray and canned a wide-open trey to lock down the win for the Rebels (13-2, 2-0 SEC). Sean Pedulla had 16 points and made 3 of 4 from deep for Ole Miss.
Adou Thiero led the Razorbacks (11-4, 0-2) with 17 points and nine boards. Johnell Davis had 15 points, while Boogie Fland had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists.
–Field Level Media
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