Syracuse stuns Louisville

GARY GRAVES AP Sports Writer Published:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Syracuse guard Michael Carter-Williams wasn't fazed by a shaky first half, nor two missed free throws in the final minute that gave No. 1 Louisville chances to win on Saturday.

The sophomore just knew he had to redeem himself, and his second-half recovery in several areas helped the sixth-ranked Orange rally for the 70-68 upset.

It was the second straight Saturday that No. 1 went down. Duke lost to then-No. 20 North Carolina State 84-76 a week ago.

A record crowd of 22,814 at the KFC Yum! Center saw Syracuse beat a No. 1 team for fourth time, all Big East teams.

Carter-Williams' most important contributions were a go-ahead 3-pointer with 5:28 remaining, followed by a steal and go-ahead dunk with 23 seconds left as he scored nine of his team's final 11 points, including the last four.

He added a rebound and another steal at the end to cap a 16-point, seven-assist game that made it easy for Carter-Williams to forget a five-point first half and those two missed free throws.

"I wasn't going to go out without a fight," said Carter-Williams, who finished with four assists and four steals. "They were pressuring us, coming at us in the first half. Things were going their way. The second half, I tried to fight back the best I could. I had two or three turnovers but I just kept flipping the page, flipping the page and ended up winning the game, which was great. ...

"Those free throws, I just had to have faith in myself and just try to do anything to get the win."

Brandon Triche was 9 of 13 from the field, including five of Syracuse's seven 3-pointers, to finish with 23 points as the Orange (17-1, 5-0 Big East) took control of the Big East Conference. He credited Carter-Williams for getting the win.

"Michael was the reason we won the game, getting the dunk," Triche said. "I might have kept us in the game, but he's the reason we won the game getting the two steals. That's winning stuff."

Jerami Grant and C.J. Fair both had 10 points for the Orange, who won their seventh straight and beat the Cardinals for the third time in a row.

Russ Smith's 25 points led Louisville (16-2, 4-1), which had its 11-game winning streak stopped. The Cardinals shot 41 percent (24 of 59) including 29 percent in the second half.

After taking a 68-66 lead on Smith's two free throws with 1:58 remaining, Louisville missed two shots and committed two turnovers.

"That was a great college basketball game and they made some really terrific defensive plays down the stretch," Louisville coach Rick Pitino said. "They made the plays, they made the shots when it counted and we didn't."

Louisville's final chance to tie ended with a pass inside around Gorgui Dieng's knees in the final seconds which Syracuse recovered to seal the victory.

For the Cardinals, it was disappointing end to a week that began with their second No. 1 ranking in school history.

"I'd rather have the No. 1 ranking at the end of the year," Louisville guard Peyton Siva said. "I really don't mind having the No. 1 ranking at all. We're going to work our way back up to that spot and hopefully get it at the end of the year."

Syracuse was 24 of 49 from the field (49 percent) and the Orange outrebounded the Cardinals 36-31.

More impressive, Syracuse didn't wilt each time Louisville seemed to get the momentum in a back-and-forth game.

"I thought both teams played incredibly hard," Orange coach Jim Boeheim said. "There were opportunities where we could've gotten discouraged. Michael turned it over for a layup. He made some mistakes, but he is a big-time player.

"It was great, but now we can forget about it and try to get ready for Cincinnati on Monday night."

Syracuse made seven of its first nine shots and hit 14 of 23 overall (61 percent) thanks to Triche, who made all four 3-point attempts and all seven overall for 18 points by halftime. His accuracy helped put the Orange ahead early and then rally late in the half to forge a 38-all tie.

Louisville hit 54 percent (15 of 28) with huge contributions from its bench. Montrezl Harrell was a big factor in the Cardinals outscoring Syracuse's reserves 15-4, hitting all four of his shots for eight points one game after playing 4 scoreless minutes and being limited by an illness.

Top 25

No. 4 Kansas 64, Texas 59

AUSTIN, Texas -- Ben McLemore scored 16 points and No. 4 Kansas stormed back from a late double-digit deficit to stun Texas for win its 15th straight win.

Jeff Withey added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Jayhawks (16-1, 4-0 Big 12), who trailed by 11 points in the second half before McLemore steered a rally that prevented the reeling Longhorns (8-9, 0-4) from a badly needed victory in this troubled season.

No. 7 Arizona 71, Arizona State 54

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Mark Lyons scored 24 points, Nick Johnson added 19 and No. 7 Arizona pulled away in the second half to beat rival Arizona State.

Arizona (16-1, 4-1 Pac-12) was solid at both ends and went on the decisive run after Arizona State point guard Jahii Carson picked up his fourth foul midway through the second half. Solomon Hill added 13 points for the Wildcats, who scored 18 points off turnovers and outscored the Sun Devils by 14 inside.

Arizona State (14-4, 3-2) never recovered after Arizona's run, thanks to 17 turnovers and a quiet game by second-leading scorer Carrick Felix, who had 5 points on 1-of-8 shooting.

No. 13 Butler 64, No. 8 Gonzaga 63

INDIANAPOLIS -- Roosevelt Jones stole an inbound pass with 3.5 seconds left and hit a floater from just inside the foul line right before the buzzer to help No. 13 Butler upset No. 8 Gonzaga 64-63 on Saturday night.

Jones finished with 20 points and the Bulldogs have now won 13 in a row including two straight without their top scorer, Rotnei Clarke. It's the first time Butler (16-2, 3-0 Atlantic 10) has ever beaten three top 10 teams in one season. They also defeated No. 9 North Carolina in November and No. 1 Indiana in December.

Gonzaga (17-2, 4-0 West Coast Conference) was led by Saw Dower and Elias Harris who each had 20 points. The loss ended the Zags eight-game winning streak.

No. 10 Florida 83, No. 17 Missouri 52

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Scottie Wilbekin had 13 points and 10 assists, his first career double-double, and No. 10 Florida thumped No. 17 Missouri.

The victory was coach Billy Donovan's 400th with the Gators, making him the third coach in Southeastern Conference history to accomplish that feat with the same school. He joined Kentucky's Adolph Rupp and LSU's Dale Brown in the 400-win club.

And the Gators (14-2, 3-0 SEC) aren't even fully healthy.

Erik Murphy scored 15 points despite playing with a broken finger, and Kenny Boynton added 14 against the Tigers (13-4, 2-2).

Wichita State 67, No. 12 Creighton 64

WICHITA, Kan. -- Carl Hall had 17 points and 13 rebounds, Malcolm Armstead hit two key free throws in the closing seconds to help Wichita State hold off beat Doug McDermott and No. 12 Creighton to forge a tie atop the Missouri Valley.

Cleanthony Early added 13 points and Demetric Williams had 10 for the Shockers (17-2, 6-1 MVC), who pushed their home-court winning streak to 17 games.

McDermott finished with 25 points for the Bluejays (17-2, 6-1), but he never got the ball with the game on the line.

Wyoming 58, No. 15 San Diego State 45

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Leonard Washington had 14 points and 14 rebounds to help Wyoming beat a cold shooting No. 15 San Diego State.

Larry Nance Jr. added 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Derrious Gilmore had 13 points for the Cowboys (15-2, 2-2 Mountain West).

SDSU (14-4, 2-2) lost its second game in a row, the first time this season the Aztecs have lost back-to-back games. SDSU fell to UNLV on Wednesday.

No. 16 Kansas State 69, Oklahoma 60

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Rodney McGruder scored 20 points and Will Spradling added 15 as No. 16 Kansas State defeated Oklahoma in a matchup of unbeaten Big 12 teams.

Romero Osby and Amath M'Baye both scored 12 points for Oklahoma.

The Sooners (12-4, 3-1) kept pace with the Wildcats most of the way thanks to snagging 36 rebounds to Kansas State's 24. That would not be enough to counteract the damage done by turnovers; Oklahoma gave the ball away 16 times.

Even so, Kansas State (15-2, 4-0) only got a double-digit lead in the second half. Oklahoma quickly responded with a 9-4 run that cut the Wildcats' lead to five points.

No. 20 Notre Dame 69, Rutgers 66

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Jack Cooley had 19 points, 10 rebounds and blocked a shot with 2 seconds left to help No. 20 Notre Dame hang on for a win over Rutgers, ending a two-game losing streak for the Fighting Irish.

Rutgers used a 6-1 run late to close to 67-66 when Eli Carter scored on a layup with 7 seconds left then forced a held ball on Eric Atkins two seconds later. Carter drove inside for the layup, but Cooley blocked the shot. Atkins then made a pair of free throws for the Irish (15-3, 3-2 Big East).

Myles Mack 3-point attempt at the buzzer missed as the Scarlet Knights (14-4, 3-3) lost for the ninth straight time at Notre Dame.

No. 21 Oregon 76, No. 24 UCLA 67

LOS ANGELES -- Tony Woods scored 18 points and No. 21 Oregon pulled away over the final 61/2 minutes to beat No. 24 UCLA, improving the Ducks to 5-0 in Pac-12 play for the first time in 39 years.

Dominic Artis added 14 points, and Arsaian Kezemi had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Ducks (16-2, 5-0), who snapped the Bruins' 10-game winning streak, including eight straight victories at home.

UCLA (15-4, 5-1) led by three points at halftime after shooting 55 percent. They led by five early in the second half and tied the game at 52-all before the Ducks' defense stepped up and sent the Bruins' shooting into a tailspin.

No. 22 VCU 90, Duquesne 63

PITTSBURGH -- Rob Brandenberg scored 22 points and No. 22 VCU dominated in winning its 13th consecutive game, 90-63 over Duquesne on Saturday night at Consol Energy Center.

The Rams' Treveon Graham had 17 of his 20 points in the first half, when VCU (16-3, 4-0 Atlantic 10) used a 26-2 run to seize control. It would cruise to extend what is the nation's second-longest active winning streak.

Derrick Colter had 15 points to lead the Dukes (7-11, 0-4), who have lost six straight.

Cincinnati 71, No. 25 Marquette 69

CINCINNATI -- Sean Kilpatrick scored seven of his career-high 36 points in overtime Saturday night, and Cincinnati blew a 16-point lead before rallying to a victory over No. 25 Marquette, ending the Bearcats' streak of three straight home losses.

Cincinnati (16-3, 4-2 Big East) pulled it out without point guard Cashmere Wright, who sprained his right knee during a 75-70 win at DePaul on Tuesday night. Without him, the Bearcats depended almost solely on Kilpatrick for points.

His driving layup with 4.3 seconds left in overtime broke the final tie. Junior Cadougan missed a driving jumper before the buzzer.

Marquette (13-4, 4-1) managed only 13 points in the first half and never led until overtime.

Big Ten

Nebraska 68, Penn State 64

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Shavon Shields scored a career-high 29 points, Ray Gallegos had 15 points and Nebraska held off Penn State in a 68-64 win.

Penn State trailed by three points with 24 seconds left in the game before Nebraska's Brandon Ubel was called for a flagrant foul on D.J. Newbill. The foul gave Penn State two extra free throws.

Newbill made one of two free throws and Ross Travis missed the next two from the line. Newbill failed to convert on two more free throws in the final 14 seconds, helping the Huskers (10-9, 1-5 Big Ten) escape with the victory.

Shields went 10 of 11 from the floor and made all eight of his free throws for Nebraska. As a team, the Huskers went 16 of 16 from the free throw line.

Jermaine Marshall scored all of his 18 points in the second half for Penn State (8-10, 0-6).

Purdue 79, West Virginia 52

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- D.J. Byrd scored 17 points to help Purdue defeat West Virginia.

Rapheal Davis added 16 points, Anthony Johnson 12 and Terone Johnson 11 for the Boilermakers (10-8), who won their third straight.

Eron Harris scored 10 points for West Virginia, which barely surpassed its season low of 50 points. Harris was the only Mountaineers player to reach double figures. The Mountaineers (8-9) have lost three straight and four of five.

Iowa 70, Wisconsin 66

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Aaron White scored 17 points and Iowa hung on to beat Wisconsin, knocking the Badgers out of first place in the Big Ten.

Devyn Marble added 13 for the Hawkeyes, which picked up their biggest win of the season on the 20th anniversary of the death of former player Chris Street.

Iowa (13-5, 2-3 Big Ten) jumped ahead by 20 points late in the first half and held off a late charge by the Badgers, which beat second-ranked Indiana 64-59 on Tuesday.

Wisconsin (13-5, 4-1) hit just one basket in the first 10 minutes of the game and Gabe Olaseni's lay-up put the Hawkeyes ahead by 20 with 4:56 left in the first half.

MAC

Eastern Michigan 65, Miami (Ohio) 58

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- Derek Thompson scored 16 points to lead Eastern Michigan to a victory over Miami (Ohio).

Glenn Bryant had 13 points for the Eagles (9-9, 2-2 Mid-American) and Daylen Harrison scored all 10 of his points in the first half for Eastern Michigan. The Eagles shot 58 percent in the first half in building a 38-25 lead.

Will Felder led the RedHawks (7-9, 2-2) with 12 points and nine rebounds. Allen Roberts finished with 11 points.

Akron 71, Kent State 67

KENT -- Zeke Marshall scored 17 points, five on last-minute free throws, to lead Akron over Kent State in Mid-American Conference action.

The Zips (13-4, 4-0) trailed 36-26 at halftime after a 16-2 Kent State run ended the half. They rallied behind Marshall (11 rebounds) and Demetrius Treadwell, who also posted a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds.

The Golden Flashes (11-7, 2-2), who got 19 points from Chris Evans and 14 apiece from Kris Brewer and Darren Goodson, last led at 63-60.

With the score tied 66-66 after Brewer's trey with 1:01 left to play, Marshall scored Akron's last five points on free throws to clinch it.

Ohio 76, Toledo 67

ATHENS -- Reggie Keely scored a career-high 24 points, making all nine of his shots, to lead Ohio to a Mid-American Conference victory over Toledo.

The senior forward has averaged 15.4 points in seven games since being moved into the starting lineup by the Bobcats (13-5, 4-0). They are 6-1 in those games, with wins in the past five.

Ivo Baltic's jumper put Ohio ahead to stay, 37-36, with 18:43 remaining after it trailed 36-33 at halftime, but the Rockets (6-9, 2-2) stayed close, keeping their deficit in single digits for all but 14 seconds the rest of the way.

Buffalo 68, Bowling Green 65

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Javon McCrae had 21 points and 14 rebounds and made the go-ahead layup as Buffalo rallied past Bowling Green 68-65 Saturday night to win its first Mid-American Conference game and snap a four-game losing streak.

Jordon Crawford, who led Bowling Green (6-11, 1-3) with 18 points, hit two foul shots with 7 seconds remaining, but Jarryn Skeete made 1 of 2 from the line and Crawford missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

Central Michigan 71, Ball State 57

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Kyle Randall scored 16 points, Olivier Mbaigoto and Blake Hibbitts added 12 apiece and Central Michigan beat Ball State.

Randall was 6 of 12 from the field for the Chippewas (9-8, 2-2 Mid-American), who used a 13-2 run just after halftime to turn a 41-35 deficit into a 48-43 lead and never trailed again. CMU improved to 5-1 at home.

Majok Majok had 14 points and 11 rebounds, his seventh double-double of the season, for the Cardinals (7-9, 1-3), who had won the previous five meetings between the schools and had never lost at McGuirk Arena. Jauwan Scaife chipped in 13 points.

Western Michigan 71, Northern Illinois 34

DEKALB, Ill. -- David Brown scored 13 points and Western Michigan held Northern Illinois to its lowest point total in 67 years, defeating the Broncos.

Ohio Colleges

Green Bay 77, Cleveland State 50

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Jordan Fouse had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Green Bay continued its strong defensive play at home, defeating Cleveland State 77-50 Saturday.

Bryn Forbes and Junior Lomomba had 12 points apiece for Cleveland State (10-10, 2-4), which fell behind by double digits within the first six minutes of the game.

Youngstown State 75, Milwaukee 72

MILWAUKEE -- Kamren Belin scored 21 points on an 8-for-15 shooting performance and Youngstown State shot over 50 percent from the field in a 75-72 win over Milwaukee on Saturday night.

Youngstown State (10-8, 2-3 Horizon) took an 8-2 lead to begin the game thanks to two 3-pointers by Blake Allen but the Panthers answered with a 23-10 run to take a 25-18 lead with 10:04 remaining in the first half. The Penguins answered right back however, going on a 23-10 run of its own capped off by another Allen 3-pointer to give Youngstown State a 41-35 lead and the Penguins never looked back.

Valparaiso 69, Wright State 63

VALPARAISO, Ind. -- Ryan Broekhoff scored five straight points in the final minute and Valparaiso handed Wright State its first Horizon League loss of the season.

The Crusaders (15-5, 5-1 Horizon) trailed by one point with 1:11 remaining when Broekhoff hit a layup and a 3-pointer to put Valparaiso up 65-61 with 26 seconds left. A pair of free throws from Reggie Arceneaux got Wright State (13-5, 4-1) within a basket, but a layup from Matt Kenney and two Broekhoff free throws sealed the win.

Others

UMKC 63, IPFW 59

FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- Estan Tyler scored 19 points, leading four UMKC players in double figures, and the Kangaroos defeated IPFW 63-59 Saturday night.

Frank Gaines led the Mastodons (9-12, 2-5) with 17 points. Mario Hines scored 13 and Joe Reed had 10 points as IPFW lost for the first time at home in eight games this season.

South Dakota 97, Oakland 78

ROCHESTER, Mich. -- South Dakota overcame a 14-point first-half deficit and had six men score in double figures to earn a victory over Oakland.

Oakland (8-13, 3-4) had four men score in double figures.

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