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No. 4 Connecticut 81, Harvard 52
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Kemba Walker’s 20 points and a suffocating defense led No. 4 Connecticut to an overwhelming win over Harvard on Wednesday night, hiking the Huskies’ record to 10-0.
It was the ninth straight game in which Walker scored 20 or more points for UConn, which also had Jeremy Lamb (11) and Alex Oriakhi (10) in double figures.
UConn’s man-to-man defense blanketed the Crimson (7-3), holding them to 30 percent shooting, including 4 of 31 from 3-point range. Keith Wright topped Harvard with 18 points.
Harvard missed its first 12 shots and did not make a field goal until 11:53 remained in the first half as UConn took a 13-2 lead. The Huskies stretched the margin to 48-21 at halftime as the Crimson shot just 23.3 percent, including 1 of 15 on 3s.
No. 5 Syracuse 93, Drexel 65
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Kris Joseph had a career-high 25 points, Scoop Jardine added 21 and Rick Jackson had his ninth double-double of the season as No. 5 Syracuse remained unbeaten after drubbing Drexel.
It was the final nonconference game for Syracuse (13-0), which begins Big East play on Tuesday, at home against Providence. Drexel (8-2) had won six straight since a 74-68 loss at Rhode Island in the third game of the season.
After missing five of its first six shots, Syracuse made 27 of its next 35, putting the game well out of reach by hitting 18 of its first 20 shots in the second half. The Orange shot 71.9 percent in the period and outrebounded the Dragons 38-27 in the game. Drexel entered the game with a rebound margin of 14.2, second in the country.
No. 6 Pittsburgh 61, American 46
PITTSBURGH — Brad Wanamaker scored 19 points and led a first-half surge in which Pittsburgh held American to a lone basket for 10 minutes, and the Panthers captured their 200th victory under Jamie Dixon.
Dixon, in his eighth season, reached the mark in his 255th game, faster than all but 11 other coaches in NCAA history. Clair Bee of Rider and Long Island accomplished it in a record 231 games during the 1930s.
Gilbert Brown, coming off a 28-point game against Maryland-Eastern Shore, added 15 points as the Panthers wrapped up their non-conference schedule — and in a game that was much closer than they probably expected.
No. 8 Villanova 76, Monmouth 36
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. — Corey Fisher had 20 points and Corey Stokes added 19 to lead No. 8 Villanova past Monmouth in front of 3,896 fans.
In a rematch of a 2006 NCAA tournament first-round game — one the Wildcats struggled to win, 58-45 — Villanova (10-1) left no doubts this time around, treating the sellout crowd — including many who made the 90-mile drive from the Big East school’s campus — to a fair share of power and precision befitting of a Top Ten team.
After trailing 2-0, the Wildcats took over. They held a 44-17 halftime lead en route to their fifth consecutive victory.
Phil Wait had eight points for the Hawks (4-8).
No. 18 Texas 67,
No. 12 Michigan St. 55
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Jordan Hamilton scored 21 points, Tristan Thompson had 17 points and 15 rebounds and No. 18 Texas beat No. 12 Michigan State.
The Longhorns (10-2) became the first nonconference team to win at the Breslin Center since Duke on Dec. 3, 2003, snapping a 52-game winning streak.
The Spartans (8-4) have failed to live up to their preseason billing as the second-ranked team in country with only one quality win over then-No. 13 Washington in the Maui Invitational.
No. 13 Kentucky 89, Winthrop 52
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Doron Lamb’s 32 points set a Kentucky record for most in a game by a freshman.
Lamb broke the record of 31 set by Jamal Mashburn on Feb. 3, 1991, on a layup that put the Wildcats up 28 with 6:38 remaining. He walked off to a standing ovation moments later after making 11 of 12 field goals, including 7 of 8 3-pointers.
Brandon Knight shook off a bruised left knee to finish with 21 points and five rebounds for the Wildcats (9-2).
Matt Morgan led Winthrop (5-7) with 18 points.
No. 15 Baylor 83, San Diego 50
HONOLULU — After losing for the first time this season last weekend to Gonzaga, No. 15 Baylor took out its frustrations on another team from the West Coast Conference.
Quincy Acy and Anthony Jones each scored 14 points, LaceDarius Dunn added 13 and the Bears overwhelmed San Diego 83-50 in the opening round of the Diamond Head Classic on Wednesday.
The Bears (8-1) had five players finish in double figures and they blew the game open at the start as they bounced back from Saturday’s loss to the Bulldogs. Freshman Perry Jones III added 11 points and six rebounds while reserve Nolan Dennis had 10 points.
No. 20 Florida 66, Radford 55
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Erving Walker scored 20 points, Kenny Boynton added 11 and No. 20 Florida beat overmatched Radford 66-55 on Wednesday night.
The Gators bounced back from a numbing home loss to Jacksonville, but probably did little to avoid falling out of the rankings for the second time this season.
Chandler Parsons finished with nine points, eight rebounds and five assists for Florida (9-3), which opened the season ranked ninth but dropped steadily after close wins over Morehead State, Florida Atlantic and Florida State. The Gators fell out of the AP poll following a three-point loss to Central Florida earlier this month.
No. 22 Notre Dame 93, UMBC 53
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Tim Abromaitis had 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead No. 22 Notre Dame to a 93-53 victory over winless Maryland-Baltimore County on Wednesday night.
It was the second double-double of the season for Abromaitis and the third in his career. He equaled a career high in rebounds.
Scott Martin added 15 points — his 10th straight game in double figures — for the Irish (11-1), while Carleton Scott added 12 and Ben Hansbrough 10.
Chris De La Rosa had 15 points for the Retrievers (0-12) and Jamar Wertz added 11.
No. 24 Central Florida 64,
Massachusetts 59
AMHERST, Mass. — Isaac Sosa scored 14 points in his first start of the season and No. 24 Central Florida held off Massachusetts 64-59 on Wednesday night in the Knights’ debut as a nationally ranked team.
Keith Clanton added 13 points and Marcus Jordan returned from an ankle injury after halftime and scored all seven of his points in the second half for UCF (11-0), which joined the AP Top 25 this week for the first time in school history.
Jordan, son of Michael Jordan, hit five free throws in the final minute to seal it for the Knights, who rushed the Minutemen (7-4) into some poor shots as they tried to rally down the stretch.
Anthony Gurley led Massachusetts with 17 points. He was the only UMass player to score in double figures.
