NO. 5 XAVIER 90, NO. 1 VILLANOVA 83
CINCINNATI -- J.P. Macura got Xavier rolling with 19 points off the bench, and freshman point guard Edmond Sumner had 19 points and nine assists as fifth-ranked Xavier got the victory that had eluded it, knocking off top-ranked Villanova 90-83 on Wednesday night.
The Musketeers (25-3, 13-3) led most of the way in the first matchup of Top 5 teams since the Big East was reconfigured, pulling away at the end against the only team they had never beaten in league play.
Villanova (24-4, 13-2) was the first No. 1 team to play in the Cintas Center, which opened for the 2000-01 season. The Wildcats couldn't overcome foul trouble or Xavier's balance, losing for only the second time in their last 18 games.
Xavier got ahead by 15 points late and held on with free throws. The Musketeers dominated the boards 42-33.
Kris Jenkins scored 22 for Villanova but fouled out with 8:47 left. Daniel Ochefu also sat most of the second half with four fouls.
It was one of those measuring-up games for Xavier, which aspired to be one of the Big East's best when it left the Atlantic 10. The Musketeers had beaten every team except Villanova -- going 0-6 -- in the reconfigured league and knew this was the last obstacle to challenging the Wildcats' hold on the top of the league.
Sumner fell hard in the opening minutes of Villanova's 95-64 victory at Philadelphia on Dec. 31 and was taken to a hospital with a concussion. He missed three games and has finally gotten back into form in the last few weeks, scoring 20 points twice in the last six games.
He made a driving bank shot to open the game on Wednesday, showing he was ready to make a difference.
Jenkins made three of his first four shots from beyond the arc, including one that sparked a 7-0 run and put Villanova ahead 19-13, its biggest lead of the game. The Wildcats made eight of their first 11 shots.
Macura scored all of the points during a 7-0 run -- two layups and a three-point play -- that got Xavier rolling on a 14-3 surge. Macura's back-to-back three-pointers pushed it to 36-27.
Ryan Arcidiacono made his first basket -- a three-pointer -- as Villanova cut Xavier's lead to 40-37 at halftime. Jenkins had 19 points in the half, and opened the second half with a three-point play. He then picked up a pair of quick fouls, giving him four with 18:09 to go and costing the Wildcats their hottest shooter.
Villanova's troubles were compounded when Ochefu picked up his fourth foul as well. Sumner's three-point play and a pair of layups built the lead to 63-52.
Jenkins got back into the game and immediately picked up his fifth foul with 8:47 to go. Sumner's free throws pushed the lead to 12 points with 8:10 go, and Xavier led by as many as 14 down the stretch.
In other games involving top 25 men’s teams, Ryan Spangler scored a career-high 26 points to help No. 3 Oklahoma beat Oklahoma State 71-49. Buddy Hield scored 17 points and Isaiah Cousins added 7 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds for the Sooners (22-5, 10-5 Big 12), who moved into a tie with West Virginia for second place in the conference. … Brice Johnson had 22 points and 11 rebounds to help No. 7 North Carolina beat North Carolina State 80-68. Justin Jackson added 17 points for the Tar Heels (23-5, 12-3 ACC), who shook off a slow start and an early 13-point hole to extend their recent dominance against their nearby rivals. … Bronson Koenig scored 15 points and Wisconsin upset eighth-ranked Iowa 67-59, handing the Hawkeyes their third loss in four games. Zak Showalter’s layup with 1:15 left put Wisconsin ahead 64-58, and a steal and two free throws by Koenig put the game out of reach. … Josh Scott scored a season-high 26 points and Colorado overcame his two late turnovers to beat No. 9 Arizona 75-72. George King added 14 points and Josh Fortune had 13 for Colorado (20-9, 9-7 Pac-12). … Quentin Snider scored 14 points, Damion Lee added 13 and No. 11 Louisville pulled away from Pittsburgh in the final minutes of a 67-60 victory. The Cardinals (22-6, 11-4 ACC) made their last nine field goals, with former walk-on David Levitch hitting a three-pointer with 2:34 remaining that put Louisville up for good. … Zach Auguste had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 23 Notre Dame beat Wake Forest 69-58. Steve Vasturia added 16 points and Demetrius Jackson had all 15 of his in the second half for the Fighting Irish (19-8, 10-5 ACC).
SEC MEN
Aggies squeeze by
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Danuel House had 16 points, including two free throws with 2.1 seconds remaining, to lift No. 21 Texas A&M to a 68-66 victory over Mississippi State.
Craig Sword tied it 66-66 with a jump shot with 24 seconds left before freshman star Quinndary Weatherspoon fouled out on House’s shot attempt that led to the winning free throws.
The Bulldogs had a chance to tie it after that, but Tonny Trocha-Morelos stole the inbound pass from Travis Daniels.
Freshman Tyler Davis had 15 points for the Aggies (21-7, 10-5 SEC).
Sword led Mississippi State (12-15, 5-10) with 24 points and Weatherspoon added 14.
In other games involving SEC men’s teams, TJ Lang scored a career-high 21 points and T.J. Dunans and Bryce Brown made key free throws late to help Auburn survive an 84-81 victory over Georgia. The Tigers (11-16, 5-10 SEC), who had lost eight of their past nine games, built a 19-point lead late in the first half. … Duane Notice had 17 points off four three-pointers and South Carolina ran past Tennessee 84-58, matching the team’s most victories in 10 years. The Gamecocks (23-5, 10-5 SEC) built a 15-point lead by halftime and finished with their largest margin of victory against an SEC opponent since defeating Texas A&M 80-52 here two seasons ago.
Sports on 02/25/2016