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No. 2 UCLA withstands Bellarmine rally, wins 75-62

By WJBD Staff Nov 23, 2021 | 6:54 AM

UNDATED (AP) — Peyton Watson had 19 points, Johnny Juzang added 13 and No. 2 UCLA beat Bellarmine 75-62 in the Empire Classic.

Watson shot 9 of 12 and had four rebounds, easily outpacing his 3.3 points average through four games this season. David Singleton added 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting for the Bruins, who will face No. 1 Gonzaga in a rematch of last season’s Final Four on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs won 93-90 in overtime on a buzzer-beater from Jalen Suggs.

In other T25 action:

— No. 5 Duke beat The Citadel 107-81 after Bulldogs coach Duggar Baucom collapsed on the court early in the first half and was taken to a hospital. Baucom fell along the sideline barely a minute into the game and was taken to Duke University Hospital. The 61-year-old Baucom was conscious as he was helped out of the gym. Associate head coach Jack Castleberry took over on The Citadel’s bench.

— TyTy Washington Jr. scored 20 points for the second straight game and No. 10 Kentucky beat Albany 86-61 for its fourth consecutive victory.

— Fabian White Jr. scored 21 points and No. 12 Houston rode a dominating first half to a 70-52 win over Butler in the opening round of the Maui Invitational. The Cougars overwhelmed Butler early, scoring the game’s first 17 points while building a 21-point halftime lead. Next up for Houston is a semifinal matchup with Wisconsin.

— Connor Vanover scored 14 points, Chris Lykes was perfect from the foul line down the stretch and No. 13 Arkansas survived after blowing most of an 18-point lead to beat Kansas State 72-64 in the Hall of Fame Classic. Kansas State will play No. 14 Illinois for third place.

— Mike Saunders Jr. scored 20 points, Jeremiah Davenport added 19 and Cincinnati overcame an early 15-point deficit to blow out No. 14 Illinois 71-51 in the semifinals of the Hall of Fame Classic. The Bearcats will play the winner of No. 13 Arkansas and Kansas State on Tuesday night.

— Meechie Johnson Jr. made a game-winning 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left and Ohio State beat No. 21 Seton Hall 79-76 in the Fort Myers Tip-Off. Seton Hall guard Jamir Harris stole it and raced for a fast-break layup to tie it at 76 with 15.9 seconds left. Ohio State elected not to call a timeout and Johnson made his team’s 11th 3-pointer — from NBA range.

— Colin Castleton scored 16 points, Tyree Appleby added 15 and No. 23 Florida handled California 80-60 in an opening game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off. Myreon Jones added 13 points for the Gators, who will meet Ohio State for the title on Wednesday.