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The third-ranked Wildcats outlasted Maryland in a game that featured little defense, while the top-ranked Jayhawks' win over UCLA means the Big 12 claims their series with the Pac 10. BC also opened up the ACC slate with a win over Miami on Sunday.
Norman, OK (Sports Network) – Willie Warren tallied a game-high 25 points and the Oklahoma Sooners rolled to a 79-62 victory over the Arizona Wildcats as part of the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.
Warren hit on 10-of-14 shots from the floor and 3-of-4 from long distance for Oklahoma (5-3), which has won three straight. Tiny Gallon added 14 points and seven rebounds, while Tony Crocker and Tommy Mason-Griffin checked in with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Nic Wise paced Arizona (3-4) in defeat with 15 points and three helpers. Jamelle Horne put forth 13 points and five boards, and Derrick Williams had 11 and six rebounds in the Wildcats’ third consecutive loss.
Oklahoma jumped out to a 20-9 lead and went 6-of-15 from beyond the arc in the first half, taking a 44-26 lead to the break.
The Sooners shot 47.6 percent from the floor and made all 13 of their free- throw attempts in the second half, as they coasted to the 17-point win.
Oklahoma knocked down 19-of-23 shots from the foul line on the night and also scored 21 points off 17 Arizona giveaways.
- Via Sports Network
Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) – Markieff Morris had 19 points and six rebounds to help top-ranked Kansas notch its first road win of the season, 73-61, over UCLA as part of the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series.
Xavier Henry hit four three-pointers en route to 16 points and Sherron Collins scored 14 for Kansas (7-0), which had won five of its previous six games by 30 or more points.
Cole Aldrich grabbed 12 rebounds, blocked three shots and added seven points to the win.
Michael Roll produced 16 points and three steals and Nikola Dragovic posted 14 points and seven rebounds for UCLA (2-5), which suffered its fourth consecutive loss. Malcolm Lee added 12 points in the loss.
Trailing by seven to start the second half, UCLA inched to within four on an early layup from Roll. But the Bruins were down nine moments later following a Marcus Morris dunk and a Henry three-pointer four minutes in.
J’mison Morgan’s layup and a Dragovic three got the Bruins within 50-43 approaching the 12-minute mark.
Kansas continued to keep UCLA at a distance, though, as Markieff Morris’ layup with 9 1/2 minutes to play dropped for a 57-46 advantage. Henry followed that up with a three-pointer and a Marcus Morris tip-in with five minutes remaining made it 66-52.
Close to 1 1/2 minutes later Henry sank his final three for a 15-point lead and the Jayhawks went unchallenged from there.
Consecutive buckets from Markieff Morris sparked an early 8-0 spurt for a 15-6 edge and an Henry layup with 8:41 left had the Jayhawks out in front, 21-9.
Tyler Honeycutt’s layup with 3 1/2 minutes to go had the Bruins within 10 and Dragovic drove the lane for two, then buried a three around a Collins jumper to cut the deficit to seven, 35-28, at the half.
UCLA holds a 10-5 advantage over Kansas in the all-time series between the two teams with the Bruins winning the previous meeting by a 68-55 final in the 2007 NCAA Tournament…Tyshawn Taylor had eight points and four steals for Kansas. Marcus Morris secured nine boards with four points…Reeves Nelson scored nine points and had nine rebounds for UCLA.
- Via Sports Network
Chestnut Hill, MA (Sports Network) – Reggie Jackson tallied 18 points and the Boston College Eagles nipped the Miami-Florida Hurricanes, 61-60, in the ACC opener for both clubs.
Jackson grabbed nine caroms and dished out three assists, as the Eagles (6-2, 1-0 ACC) stretched their winning streak to three games. Corey Raji was also a factor in the win, finishing with 17 points and nine rebounds.
Malcolm Grant was the only player to reach double figures for Miami (8-1, 0-1), posting 18 points and four assists off the bench.
The Eagles grabbed a 31-25 halftime lead despite shooting just 27.0 percent from the floor in the opening half. Courtesy of its offensive rebounding, BC was able to get off 13 more shots than Miami in the frame and that helped compensate for the low shooting percentage.
In the second half, BC extended its lead to 54-38 before Miami came roaring back to tie the game behind a 19-3 run. With the score now tied at 57-57, Jackson put the Eagles back in front on a layup with 1:48 left. Grant had a chance to give Miami the lead, but he missed a three-pointer with six seconds left. Jackson grabbed the board on the miss and converted pair of free throws at the other end that made the difference in the one-point win.
The Eagles simply dominated the boards, 46-21, and that included a 23-4 advantage on the offensive glass.
- Via Sports Network
If you've been reading my daily recap posts over at Blogging the Bracket (and if you aren't, now would be a great time to start), you know that conference play started in several of the mid-major leagues this week. Sunday afternoon, the ACC gets into the act with Miami's visit to Boston College.
The Hurricanes are currently unbeaten, thanks to the contributions of Durand Scott, James Dews and Villanova transfer Malcolm Grant, who's brought much needed leadership after Jack McClinton's depature. They'll be tested at Conte Forum by an Eagle squad led by juniors Corey Raji and Joe Trapani and super soph Reggie Jackson.
Both teams are trying to build on big wins in the ACC/Big Ten challenge on Wednesday. The Hurricanes knocked off Minnesota in Miami, while BC won at Michigan.
The Big 12/Pac 10 Hardwood Series also continues with two games. Currently, the Big 12 holds a 6-2 lead over their Western counterparts. With 12 total games in the series, the Heartland conference needs only one win to claim the series for the first time. They could very well get that at Pauley Pavillion today, where top-ranked Kansas faces struggling UCLA. The other matchup of the day should be much closer, as it features two teams who are still trying to find themselves in the early weeks of the season, Arizona and Oklahoma.
But the best game of the day may be right in my backyard, though a cold is keeping me from heading downtown. That matchup is Navy and George Washington at the BB&T Classic.
Just kidding. Even though the Colonials are resurgent so far this season and the Middies are always tough, the second game of the doubleheader should be a classic. Third-ranked Villanova, led by local product Scottie Reynolds, takes on Maryland, who should have the bulk of the support at the Verizon Center.
You can follow all of these games here at SB Nation.
FINAL: Boston College 61, Miami 60
The Eagles edged the Hurricanes to claim victory in the ACC opener.
Game discussion at BC Interruption
FINAL: No. 1 Kansas 73, UCLA 61
The Jayhawk win is the Big 12's seventh in the Big 12/Pac 10 Hardwood Series, giving the conference bragging rights.
Jayhawk game discussion at Rock Chalk Talk
Bruin game discussion at Bruins Nation
FINAL: Oklahoma 79, Arizona 62
The Sooners led by 18 at halftime and never looked back against the Wildcats.
Sooner game discussion at Crimson and Cream Machine
Wildcat game discussion at Arizona Desert Swarm
FINAL: No. 3 Villanova 95, Maryland 86
The Wildcats held off the pesky Terrapins in an offensive battle.
Game discussion at Testudo Times
For a complete rundown of today's televised action, visit Blogging the Bracket.
No. 3 Villanova 95, Maryland 86: Reynolds Leads The Way
Washington, DC (Sports Network) – Scottie Reynolds poured in 25 points to go with eight assists, leading No. 3 Villanova to a 95-86 victory over Maryland as part of the BB&T Classic at the Verizon Center.
Corey Stokes hit five of Villanova’s 16 three-pointers en route to an 18- point effort, and Corey Fisher was 4-of-6 from downtown for 20 points, as the Wildcats (8-0) narrowly missed their sixth double-digit win of the season.
Maryland (5-3) shot 52.8 percent from the floor but 19 turnovers turned into 32 points the other way. Villanova also had 23 offensive rebounds, compared to seven for the Terrapins, who were led by Sean Mosley’s 26 points.
Jordan Williams ended with 19 points and 12 boards in defeat, Maryland’s third in four games.
The Wildcats held a 49-39 lead at the break, and it was still a 10-point game, 61-51, in the early stages of the second half. Maryland put together eight straight points, as Eric Hayes’ trey made it a two-point game with 13 1/2 minutes remaining.
The Terrapins had three chances to inch closer but came away empty-handed, and Fisher’s three-ball jump-started Villanova’s own 8-0 rally.
Maryland had it as close as 85-79 following Williams’ three-point play with just over three minutes to play, but a turnover led to a Taylor King layup in transition for Villanova, and the Wildcats were able to keep it a two- possession game the rest of the way.
A trio of three-pointers from Villanova in the opening two-plus minutes set the stage for the game. Stokes hit the last one for a 9-3 lead, and Reynolds drained one from downtown for a 17-6 with six minutes gone.
Villanova, which attempted 39 threes, received eight points and 11 rebounds from Antonio Pena…The Wildcats next have a pair of Big 5 tests against Saint Joseph’s on Wednesday and Temple next Sunday…Maryland, which got 20 points out of Hayes, next plays Eastern Kentucky on Saturday…Greivis Vasquez ended with 12 points, seven assists and as many turnovers in defeat.
- Via Sports Network
Dec 06 10:36p by Chris Dobbertean - 0 comments