UNDATED (AP) — Fourth-ranked Kansas has won its first-round game at the ESPN Events Invitational.
Ochai Agbaji had 18 points and Christian Braun added 16 as the Jayhawks downed North Texas, 71-59. Agbaji became the 63rd player to reach 1,000 points in Kansas history when he hit a 3 to open the scoring 2½ minutes into the game.
North Texas got 23 points from Tylor Perry.
In other top-25 men’s basketball action:
— Matthew Mayer scored 15 points to help sixth-ranked Baylor hold off VCU 69-61 in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals. Freshman Kendall Brown added 14 points for the reigning national champions, who had to clean up a mistake-filled first half to improve to 6-0. The Bears led by just two before opening the second half on a 9-0 run.
— Freshman Jabari Smith had 14 points and 19th-ranked Auburn regrouped from a double-overtime loss to Connecticut by defeating Loyola Chicago 62-53 in the consolation round at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. The 4-1 Tigers built a 10-point edge in the second half by holding the Ramblers to two field goals over an 11-minute stretch.
— A.J. Hoggard hit the go-ahead free throws with 30.3 seconds left while Michigan State closed on a 9-0 run to beat No. 22 Connecticut, 64-60 in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals. Gabe Brown scored 16 points for the 5-1 Spartans, who blew a 14-point lead before halftime and shot just 32% after the break. Tyson Walker hit a clinching free throw with 2.5 seconds left to make it a two-possession game.
— No. 24 Southern California was a 70-55 winner over Saint Joseph’s as Boogie Ellis provided 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting. The Trojans went ahead for good while Ellis scored seven points in a 19-4 that made it 23-9. Joshua Morgan added 13 points to the win, while Chevez Goodwin chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds.
UConn’s Whaley sits after fainting
UNDATED (AP) — UConn held out forward Isaiah Whaley from Thursday’s game against Michigan State after he fainted following a first-round game at the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Whaley was laying on the sideline in front of the bench immediately after a wild 115-109 double-overtime win against No. 19 Auburn on Wednesday. After a few moments, he was back on his feet with a smile and joined the handshake line.
Whaley played 43 minutes on Wednesday, but UConn said its team medical and training staff determined his fainting was no cause for concern.
