Caleb McConnell collected 16 points and 10 rebounds as host Rutgers scored 17 straight points midway through the second half and pulled away for a 63-48 victory over No. 10 Indiana on Saturday afternoon in Piscataway, N.J., in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
In his third game back from a knee injury, McConnell made 4 of 12 shots, including the 3-pointer that sparked the decisive run, and also made six free throws to help Rutgers (6-2, 1-0 Big Ten) beat Indiana for the sixth straight time and eighth time in 11 meetings under coach Steve Pikiell. The Scarlet Knights improved to 10-3 at home against ranked teams since the start of the 2019-20 season.
Derek Simpson added 10 of his 14 points in the decisive run, hitting two layups, a mid-range jumper, a 3-pointer and a free throw as Rutgers turned a 37-35 deficit with 13:13 remaining into a 15-point lead a little over five minutes later. He then added an open 3-pointer from the top of the key with 2:25 left to make it 59-46 and essentially seal it.
Aundre Hyatt chipped in 11 for Rutgers, which survived shooting 36.7 percent and a quiet showing from Clifford Omoruyi. Omoruyi did not play the final 16:40 of the first half after picking up two fouls and compensated for being held to six points by making two key defensive plays down the stretch.
Miller Kopp scored 21 points for Indiana (7-1, 0-1) but the rest of the Hoosiers experienced frustrating showings against Rutgers’ varied defenses. Indiana shot a dreadful 30.4 percent and missed 19 of 25 3-point tries after shooting 55 percent through the first seven games.
No. 1 Houston 53, Saint Mary’s 48
J’Wan Roberts registered 15 points and eight rebounds and the Cougars remained unbeaten with a victory over the Gaels in the Battleground 2k22 at Fort Worth, Texas.
Houston star Marcus Sasser had 13 points before leaving with a left shoulder injury with 1:10 remaining as the Cougars (8-0) won their second straight game since becoming No. 1 for the first time in nearly 39 years.
Logan Johnson recorded 17 points, six rebounds and five assists for Saint Mary’s (6-3), which lost its third straight game. Aidan Mahaney added 14 points and Kyle Bowen collected 12 rebounds for the Gaels. Houston shot just 36.8 percent from the field, including 3 of 11 from 3-point range. The Cougars committed just five turnovers while forcing 17.
No. 3 Virginia 62, Florida State 57
Kihei Clark scored a game-high 18 points and the defense of the Cavaliers stifled the Seminoles, leading to a win in the teams’ Atlantic Coast Conference opener.
Jayden Gardner had 10 points and seven rebounds, Armaan Franklin added nine points and Ben Vander Plas and Reece Beekman finished with seven points apiece for Virginia (7-0, 1-0 ACC).
The Seminoles (1-9, 0-1), who lost their fifth straight game, were led by Darin Green Jr., who had 17 points, four rebounds and two assists. Matthew Cleveland added 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, with Jalen Warley and Caleb Mills each scoring seven points.
No. 11 Alabama 78, South Dakota State 65
Behind a career-high 22 points from Noah Clowney, the Crimson Tide rallied for a win over the Jackrabbits.
Mark Sears (19 points, three assists) and Brandon Miller (16 points, nine rebounds) played well for the Crimson Tide (7-1). Nimari Burnett (nine points, two assists) and Charles Bediako (four points, six rebounds) were also key contributors.
The Jackrabbits’ Charlie Easley finished with 17 points after scoring a team-high 11 in the opening half. Alex Arians finished with (17 points, six rebounds), followed by William Kyle III (eight points, six rebounds, five assists) and Zeke Mayo (12 points, seven rebounds).
No. 11 Arkansas 99, San Jose State 58
Trevon Brazile poured in a career-high 23 points, prized freshman Nick Smith Jr. scored 16 points in his long anticipated first start, and the Razorbacks crushed the visiting Spartans in Fayetteville, Ark.
Leading by only five at halftime, Arkansas (7-1) opened the second by hitting five of its first six shots, extending the lead to 52-41 in the first five minutes. It outscored the visitors 18-7 in the first 10 minutes to blow it open, eventually routing the Spartans (6-3) by a 59-23 margin over the final 20 minutes.
Brazile connected on 8 of 9 field goals, grabbed five rebounds, handed out two assists and blocked two shots. Ricky Council IV had 17 points and Jalen Graham added 11. The Spartans got a season-high 21 points from Omari Moore, while Sage Tolbert III had 12 and Ibrahima Diallo 10.
No. 17 Duke 75, Boston College 59
Kyle Filipowski’s 13 points and 10 rebounds gave the freshman forward his fifth double-double as the Blue Devils blew past the visiting Eagles in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.
Mark Mitchell posted 13 of his 15 points in the second half for the Blue Devils (8-2, 1-0 ACC), who remained undefeated in six home games. Jacob Grandison had 10 points off the bench.
CJ Penha had a strong second half to finish with 16 points for the Eagles (5-4, 0-1), who have lost two games in a row for the first time this season. Jaeden Zackery added 14 points and Devin McGlockton posted 10 points.
No. 25 Ohio State 96, Saint Francis (Pa.) 59
Brice Sensabaugh scored 15 points off the bench and the Buckeyes used a dominant second half to post a victory over the visiting Red Flash in Columbus, Ohio.
Bruce Thornton scored 13 points, Roddy Gayle Jr. chipped in 12, Zed Key added 11 and Sean McNeil and Felix Okpara each had 10 points for the Buckeyes (6-2), who outscored the Red Flash 52-23 over the final 20 minutes.
Josh Cohen had 18 points for Saint Francis (2-7), which has lost three straight games. Cam Gregory scored 15 points and Maxwell Land added 14.
–Field Level Media
