LEXINGTON, Ky. — Top-ranked Kentucky gave up the first 11 points, still trailed at halftime and finally shook off a slow start to beat pesky Columbia 56-46 on Wednesday night. ADVERTISING LEXINGTON, Ky. — Top-ranked Kentucky gave up the first
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Top-ranked Kentucky gave up the first 11 points, still trailed at halftime and finally shook off a slow start to beat pesky Columbia 56-46 on Wednesday night.
In a college basketball season already marked by several big upsets, the Wildcats (10-0) got their toughest challenge yet from the Ivy League Lions. Columbia led for nearly 27 minutes before Aaron Harrison and the Wildcats took control.
Set to face North Carolina, UCLA and Louisville in their next three games, the Wildcats had trouble from the outset against Columbia (5-3). Coach John Calipari called a timeout as the Lions took an 11-0 lead.
The Wildcats clamped down on defense to make several stops in the second half and took the lead for good at 36-34 on Derek Willis’ two free throws with 13:18 remaining.
Harrison scored 14 points and Willie Cauley-Stein added 10 points and 10 rebounds for Kentucky. Injured freshman guards Tyler Ulis and Devin Booker didn’t play.
Maodo Lo scored 16 points for Columbia.
No. 5 WISCONSIN 93, MILWAUKEE 54
MILWAUKEE — Frank Kaminsky scored 18 points and Sam Dekker added 17 as Wisconsin extended its dominance over in-state rival Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
The Badgers (9-1) increased their winning streak to 22 games against the Panthers and their series lead to 31-1, completing a five-day Milwaukee sweep. Wisconsin defeated Marquette 49-38 on Saturday.
Matt Tiby with 17 points was the only player in double figures for the Panthers (4-6), whose lone victory in the series was 77-72 at Madison on Dec. 12, 1992.
Nigel Hayes added 13 points and Bronson Koenig added 10 for Wisconsin, which shot 60.9 percent from the field.
No. 9 GONZAGA 81, WASHINGTON STATE 66
SPOKANE, Wash. — Przemek Karnowski tied a career high with 22 points and Gonzaga beat Washington State.
Kyle Wiltjer added 21 points and Byron Wesley had 20 for Gonzaga (8-1), which was coming off an overtime loss at No. 3 Arizona.
Josh Hawkinson had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Washington State (4-5), which has lost four straight to the Bulldogs. DaVonte Lacy and Ike Iroegbu scored 14 apiece.
Gonzaga star guard Kevin Pangos, who hit the floor hard when he was blocked by Jordan Railey while trying a layup in the opening minutes, was held scoreless for the first time in his career.
No. 12 OHIO STATE 97, HIGH POINT 43
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Kam Williams scored a career-high 23 points, including 13 in a row for Ohio State in the first half against High Point.
D’Angelo Russell had 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Buckeyes (7-1), who hit 35 of 56 shots from the field for 63 percent. Jae’Sean Tate scored 12, Shannon Scott added 11 points and seven assists, and Sam Thompson scored 10.
No. 13 UTAH 65, BYU 61
PROVO, Utah — Delon Wright had 16 points and 11 rebounds to help Utah beat BYU.
Wright scored nine points in the second half and sparked a 10-0 run that helped the Utes (7-1) overcome a 31-30 halftime deficit. Wright also had two steals and was 6 of 7 on free throws.
Kenneth Ogbe added nine points and freshman forward Brekkott Chapman had eight first-half points.
Tyler Haws led BYU (7-3) with 23 points, and Kyle Collinsworth added 17.
No. 18 SAN DIEGO STATE 60, LONG BEACH STATE 59
SAN DIEGO — Dwayne Polee II hit a tying 3-pointer and JJ O’Brien made a go-ahead putback as San Diego State rallied with a 19-10 closing run to beat Long Beach State.
Polee scored 16 points for SDSU (7-2), which trailed by eight with 8 1/2 minutes left following the second of two 3-pointers by Mike Caffey.
Polee made a 3-pointer with 3:15 left to tie it. Winston Shepard had a steal and Angelo Chol missed from in close, but O’Brien scooped up the ball and put it back to give SDSU the lead for good, 56-54.
No. 19 MARYLAND 67, NC CENTRAL 56
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Richaud Pack scored 17 points, Jake Layman added 15 and Maryland took control in the first half before coasting past North Carolina Central.
The Terrapins (9-1) used a 21-2 run to go up by 21. Maryland connected on five 3-pointers during the surge, including two apiece by Layman and freshman Jared Nickens.
No. 23 NORTHERN IOWA 65, DENVER 55
DENVER — Seth Tuttle had 12 points and Deon Mitchell scored nine of his 11 in the first half, when Northern Iowa missed only two shots from the floor against Denver.
Northern Iowa hit 15 of 17 attempts (88.2 percent) in the opening half to build a lead that stretched to 22 points. That cushion was enough as the Panthers held off a Pioneers squad that usually plays them tough, with all three of the previous meetings decided by six points or fewer.
No. 24 ST. JOHN’S 74, FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 52
NEW YORK — D’Angelo Harrison scored 26 points and Phil Greene IV had 16 to lead St. John’s past Fairleigh Dickinson.
Sir’Dominic Pointer added 12 points and Chris Obekpa had 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Red Storm (7-1) in their first game as a ranked team since 2011.
