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DePaul loses to Villanova 79-64, College Basketball Round-up

By Bruce Kropp Jan 9, 2022 | 10:02 AM

CHICAGO (AP) — Collin Gillespie scored a season-high 28 points, and No. 19 Villanova beat DePaul 79-64. Gillespie shot 5 of 9 from the field and sank all five of his free throws in the second half as the Wildcats earned their fourth straight win. Gillespie also added a team-high four assists and four rebounds. The Blue Demons got a career-high 34 points from guard Javon Freeman-Liberty. He also had six rebounds and three steals. The Blue Demons have lost 21 straight games to the Wildcats, dating back to 2008.

Elsewhere in Illinois:

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Setric Millner Jr. and RayJ Dennis scored 16 points apiece as Toledo romped to a 94-63 victory over Northern Illinois in Mid-American Conference play. Ryan Rollins added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Rockets (11-4, 3-1). Kaleb Thornton had 12 points for the Huskies (3-8), who were playing their MAC opener.

VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) — Marcus Domask tossed in 23 points to guide Southern Illinois to a 63-60 victory over Valparaiso in Missouri Valley Conference play. Domask hit 9 of 12 shots for the Salukis (9-5, 2-0) and added seven rebounds and six assists. Kobe King had 18 points and nine rebounds to pace the Beacons (8-8, 1-3).

In Saturday’s other top-25 games:

— It was a tough day for second-ranked Duke and No. 6 Kansas. Kameron McGusty hit a hanging layup in traffic with 22.8 seconds left and Miami survived a final-play shot to beat the Blue Devils, 76-74. Charlie Moore had 18 points and a career-high seven steals in the Hurricanes’ ninth win in a row. McGusty finished with 14 points for Miami, which shot 58% in the second half. Bryson Williams scored 22 points and Clarence Nadolny had a career-high 17 to send Texas Tech to a 75-67 win over the Jayhawks. Ochai Agbaji had 24 points with six 3-pointers for Kansas, which ended an eight-game winning streak and fell to 12-2.

— Top-ranked Baylor also survived a scare by turning a nine-point, second-half deficit into a 76-64 victory at TCU. Adam Flagler provided 18 of his 22 points in the second half to help the Bears stretch the nation’s longest current winning streak to 21 games. James Akinjo had 20 points and eight assists for the defending national champs.

— Trevion Williams provided 21 points and nine rebounds off the bench to carry third-ranked Purdue past Penn State, 74-67. Williams shot 9-for-12 from the field and scored 10 points in the final eight minutes after sitting out much of the second half in foul trouble.

— Anton Watson scored 19 points and Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren scored 18 each as No. 4 Gonzaga routed Pepperdine 117-83. The win extended the nation’s longest home winning streak to 60 games.

— Tyger Campbell scored 17 points and Johnny Juzang made a clutch 3-pointer late as No. 5 UCLA beat California 60-52. Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 14 points as the 10-1 Bruins made a victorious return to conference play after missing nearly a month due to COVID-19 issues.

— K.D. Johnson scored 23 points and No. 9 Auburn extended its winning streak to 11 with an 85-73 victory over Florida. Jaylin Williams netted a season-high 14 points for the Tigers and Wendell Green Jr. added 13 for an Auburn team that outscored Florida 35-9 in bench points.

— Umoja Gibson scored 20 points and Oklahoma rallied in the second half to defeat No. 11 Iowa State 79-66. Tanner Groves scored 16 points and Elijah Harkless added 13 for the 12-3 Sooners, who took control with a 14-0 run spanning five minutes late in the second half.

— Josh Carlton had 22 points and 12 rebounds to lead 12th-ranked Houston over Wichita State, 76-66. Taze Moore scored 17 points, Fabian White Jr. added 15 and Jamal Shead had 10 points and seven assists in the Cougars’ sixth straight win overall and 34th in a row at home.

— Keylan Boone came off the bench and scored a career-high 17 points, shooting 5 for 7 on 3-pointers and sending Oklahoma State past No. 14 Texas 64-51. Bryce Williams contributed nine of his 11 points in the final 6 1/2 minutes to help the Cowboys win for just the second time in their last six games.

— Missouri beat 15th-ranked Alabama, 92-86 as Kobe Brown scored a career-high 30 points and added 13 rebounds in the Tigers’ first win in three weeks. Jarron Coleman scored 18 points and Dajuan Gordon and Javon Pickett each had 15 for Missouri.

— Oscar Tshiebwe had a career-high 29 points and 17 rebounds for 16th-rated Kentucky in a 92-77 trouncing of Georgia. TyTy Washington Jr. added a school-record 17 assists with 17 points for the Wildcats, who pulled away by shooting 63% after halftime.

— Nate Watson had 22 points and 11 rebounds to help No. 16 Providence win for the ninth time in 10 games, 83-73 versus St. John’s. It was the 300th career victory for Friars coach Ed Cooley, including his five seasons at Fairfield.

— Tari Eason capped a 24-point, 12-rebound performance with a pivotal dunk in transition with 1:21 left to highlight No. 21 LSU’s 79-67 victory against 18th-ranked Tennessee. Darius Days scored 15 before fouling out in the final minutes and Brandon Murray added 13 points for the 14-1 Tigers.

— Matt Bradley scored 26 points and San Diego State handed No. 20 Colorado State its first loss of the season, 79-49.

— Kadary Richmond poured in 27 points, including 17 straight in the second half and the go-ahead bucket in overtime to push No. 24 Seton Hall past UConn, 90-87.

— Tenth-ranked Michigan State’s game at Michigan was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak among the Wolverines.