Coleman Hawkins had 20 points and 10 rebounds as Kansas State defeated No. 16 Cincinnati 70-67 in the Big 12 opener for both teams on Monday night in Manhattan, Kansas.
The Wildcats (7-5, 1-0 Big 12) also got 17 points from Doug McDaniel and 13 points from David Nguessan.
Dan Skillings Jr. led the Bearcats with 18 points after making 3-of-15 3-pointers to start Monday, but 4-of-8 from deep. Dillon Mitchell had 15 points and 11 boards.
After Cincinnati (10-2, 0-1) tied the score at 31 early in the second half, McDaniel scored six straight points for the Wildcats. Kansas State soon extended its lead to nine points, and the Bearcats tied it again at 56-56. Nguessan then nailed a 3-point play to give Kansas State a 59-56 lead, and the Wildcats would never trail again.
2nd place Auburn 87, Monmouth 58
Joni Bloom and Dylan Cardwell each recorded a double-double as the host Tigers defeated the stubborn Hawks in Auburn, Alabama.
Bloom led all Auburn scorers with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Cardwell finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds as Auburn (12-1) won its fifth straight. Monmouth (2-11) lost for the third time in its last four games.
The Hawks continued to compete with the nation’s best team for more than 13 minutes in the first half, but the Tigers, playing for the first time since Dec. 21, went on an 18-0 run to break a 28-28 tie and close out the first game. half.
3rd place Iowa State 79, Colorado 69
In the Big 12 opener for both teams, Curtis Jones scored 20 points and Keshon Gilbert added 14 points as the Cyclones defeated the Buffaloes in Boulder, Colorado.
Joshua Jefferson had 13 points, seven rebounds and eight steals for Iowa State (11-1, 1-0 Big 12), which won its eighth straight game.
Julian Hammond III led Colorado (9-3, 0-1) with 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting. RJ Smith scored 14 points and Javon Ruffin added nine points for the Buffaloes, who lost 8-1 at home.
14. Houston 60, Oklahoma State 47
The Cougars opened conference play by defeating the Cowboys in Stillwater, Oklahoma, with Jawan Roberts scoring a season-high 20 points and recording his first double-double of the season.
Roberts grabbed 11 rebounds and led the Cougars (9-3, 1-0 Big 12) to their fifth straight win. Houston took control with a 17-1 run to end the first half and led 28-18 at intermission.
Brandon Newman had 12 points for Oklahoma State (8-4, 0-1) and Robert Jennings had 10 points. Marcellus Avery, the Cowboys’ leading scorer for the season, had just five points on 2-of-8 shooting.
17. Mississippi State University 87, Bethune Cookman 73
Riley Kugel scored 22 points off the bench and the Bulldogs used an improved defense in the second half to pull away from the Wildcats in Starkville, Mississippi.
Josh Hubbard scored 16 points, RJ Melendez and Claudelle Harris Jr. each added 12 points, and the Bulldogs (12-1) allowed 45 points in the first half, but the Wildcats (3-10) scored in the second half. (Loss) was limited to 28 points. Mississippi State forced 17 total turnovers and won 24 points.
Trey Thomas and Brayon Freeman each scored 21 points to lead Bethune-Cookman, but only 15 points came off the bench compared to Mississippi State’s 34 points.
18. Michigan State 80, Western Michigan 62
The Spartans defeated the Broncos in East Lansing, Michigan, with Jayden Akins scoring 18 points and extending their winning streak to six games.
Carson Cooper had 13 points and six rebounds in the nonconference game for Michigan State (11-2). The Spartans finished with a 20-7 edge in scoring at the foul line.
Chauncey Willis Jr.’s 12 points overcame Western Michigan (3-9), which had lost five straight. Max Burton added 10 points.
No.19 Gonzaga 89, Pepperdine 82
Khalif Battle scored 21 points and the Bulldogs held off a wild second-half rally to defeat the host Waves in Malibu, Calif., for their 29th straight West Coast Conference-opening victory.
Gonzaga has defeated Pepperdine 48 times in a row, a winning streak dating back to 2002. Gonzaga’s Braden Huff scored 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field for the Bulldogs (10-4, 1-0 WCC).
Jackson Olvera led the Waves (6-9, 0-2) with a game-high 27 points, and Mo Odum scored all 24 of his points in the second half. Pepperdine outscored Gonzaga 50-39 in the second half, closing in on a four-point lead with just over two minutes remaining, but could not make the comeback.
No. 23 Arkansas 92, Oakland 62
Adu Tierro scored 16 of his 20 points in the first half, Boogie Frand scored 21 of his 24 points in the second half, and the Razorbacks defeated the Golden Grizzlies in Fayetteville, Ark.
Tierro had six rebounds, six assists and three steals and Carter Knox scored 17 points for Arkansas (11-2). The Razorbacks shot 60.3 percent from the field and held Oakland to 40 percent.
Tubul Naivalua had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Allen Mukeba had 17 points and six boards as Oakland (4-10) suffered its sixth loss in seven games.
–Field level media
