The Associated Press
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Devin Booker scored 18 points, Aaron Harrison added 13 and No. 1 Kentucky matched its best start under coach John Calipari with a 58-43 victory over South Carolina on Saturday.
The Wildcats (19-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) pulled away with 14 straight points after the Gamecocks (10-8, 1-5) took their last lead at 24-23 with 4:31 in the opening half.
Kentucky’s lead never fell below double digits after that.
The Wildcats were 19-0 in 2010, Calipari’s first season in Kentucky when he had eventual NBA standouts John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins.
Sindarius Thornwell had 11 points for the Gamecocks, who shot 4 for 27 in the final 24 minutes. Duane Notice, South Carolina’s leading scorer this season, was held to two points, nine fewer than his average, and missed all five field goal tries.
No. 3 Gonzaga 91, Pacific 60
SPOKANE, Wash. – Przemek Karnowski and Gary Bell Jr. each scored 13 points as No. 3 Gonzaga routed Pacific, extending the nation’s longest home winning streak to 36 games.
Silas Melson added 12 points and Byron Wesley 11 for Gonzaga (20-1, 9-0 West Coast), which is off to the best start in program history. The Zags have won 13 consecutive games since their only loss at No. 7 Arizona in overtime.
Eric Thompson and T.J. Wallace scored 12 points each for Pacific (10-11, 2-7), which lost its second straight.
Mark Few has never failed to win at least 20 games in 16 seasons as Gonzaga’s coach.
No. 6 Wisconsin 69, Michigan 64
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Frank Kaminsky scored eight of his 22 points in overtime, and Wisconsin held off Michigan.
Derrick Walton’s 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left in regulation tied the game at 57, but the Badgers never trailed in the extra session. Kaminsky opened the scoring in overtime with a three-point play, and a 3-pointer by Josh Gasser put the Badgers (18-2, 6-1 Big Ten) ahead by six.
Michigan (12-8, 5-3) is without standout guard Caris LeVert, who is out for the season following foot surgery. Walton scored 17 points for Michigan
Texas Tech 78, No. 9 Iowa State 73
LUBBOCK, Texas – Devaugntah Williams scored a career-high 22 points and Toddrick Gotcher added 17, leading Texas Tech over Iowa State for its first Big 12 win.
Fans swarmed the court after the victory.
Gotcher made five of Texas Tech’s 11 3-pointers, tying the team’s high for the season. Williams, a junior transfer, added three 3s for the Red Raiders (11-9, 1-6).
Monte Morris scored 20 points and Matt Thomas added 12 for the Cyclones (14-4, 4-2).
The win for the Texas Tech was the first over a top 10 team since March 2009 when they beat ninth-ranked Kansas.
NO. 11 Kansas 75, No. 17 Texas 62
AUSTIN, Texas – Cliff Alexander had 15 points and nine rebounds, and Kansas beat Texas for a key road win in the rugged Big 12.
The Jayhawks easily handled Texas’ size advantage inside and got timely 3-point shooting to break the game open in the second half. Brannen Greene made four 3-pointers and four Jayhawks scored in double figures. Kansas (16-3, 5-1) was nearly flawless with the ball, committing just three turnovers.
Isaiah Taylor scored 23 for Texas (15-4, 3-3) in his best game since returning from a long layoff with a broken wrist.
No. 15 North Carolina 78, Florida State 74
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Brice Johnson had 18 points and 14 rebounds to help North Carolina beat Florida State.
Marcus Paige scored 19 points to lead the Tar Heels (16-4, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won their fifth straight league game. The Tar Heels led nearly all day, though they struggled to put the game away and ended up doing enough to hang on down the stretch against freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes and the Seminoles.
Rathan-Mayes scored a school freshman record 35 points and hit five 3-pointers to lead the Seminoles (10-10, 2-5), including three in the final 35 seconds to keep FSU in it all the way to the horn.
No. 18 West Virginia 86, TCU 85 (OT)
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Jevon Carter sank two free throws with 1 second left in overtime to lift West Virginia past TCU.
West Virginia (16-3, 4-2 Big 12) narrowly avoided another meltdown after falling 77-50 at No. 17 Texas a week ago.
Devin Williams and Juwan Staten had 18 points apiece for the Mountaineers. Jonathan Holton added 15 points and Daxter Miles Jr. scored 10.
Kyan Anderson scored 22 points to lead six players in double figures for the Horned Frogs (14-5, 1-5).
No. 21 Baylor 69, No. 19 Oklahoma 58
WACO, Texas – Lester Medford had 17 points, Rico Gathers provided the rim-rocking highlight in a game-clinching run and Baylor went on to a victory over Oklahoma.
Medford hit a 3-pointer in a late 10-0 run that finally put the Bears (15-4, 3-3 Big 12) ahead to stay. Then came a long defensive rebound by Kenny Chery and a pass ahead to Royce O’Neale, who grabbed the ball while in the air and in one motion passed to Gathers for a run-punctuating slam for a 56-49 lead.
Chery’s 3-pointer with 6:45 left had tied it at 49. Oklahoma (12-7, 3-4) didn’t score again until Frank Booker’s 3-pointer with 3:29 left ended a four-minute scoring drought. Chery finished with 13 points.
No. 22 Dayton 63, Richmond 60
DAYTON, Ohio – Dyshawn Pierre scored 21 points, and Dayton led a double-digit lead slip away before rallying to beat Richmond, remaining unbeaten at home.
The Flyers (16-3, 6-1 Atlantic 10) led by 10 points at halftime but went cold at the start of the second half, allowing the Spiders (10-9, 3-3) to make it a game. Scoochie Smith’s two free throws put Dayton up 63-60 with 13.6 seconds left, and ShawnDre’ Jones’ attempt at a tying 3-point shot was short as time ran out.
The Flyers moved into the Top 25 this week for the first time this season and got drubbed 77-60 at Davidson on Tuesday night, their most lopsided loss of the season.
T.J. Cline led the Spiders with 14 points.
Purdue 67, No. 25 Iowa 63
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Rapheal Davis scored 16 of his 24 points in the first half to lead Purdue past Iowa.
Basil Smotherman and A.J. Hammons each scored 13 points for the Boilermakers (12-8, 4-3 Big Ten), who have won two of three.
Mike Gesell scored 18 points and Gabriel Olaseni finished with nine points and 16 rebounds for the Hawkeyes (13-7, 4-3).
Davis made the go-ahead 3-pointer to give Purdue a 65-63 lead with less than a minute remaining and the Boilermakers held on the rest of the way.
