TOP 25 MEN
NO. 24 CINCINNATI 93, MARSHALL 91, OT
CINCINNATI -- Troy Caupain rebounded his missed shot and made a short jumper with 0.7 seconds left in overtime on Thursday night, rallying No. 24 Cincinnati to a 93-91 victory over Marshall.
The Bearcats (10-2) trailed by as many as 15 points in regulation and held the lead only briefly, 75-74 on Tre Scott's free throw with 2:49 left. A three-pointer by Jacob Evans III off a Marshall turnover tied it at 80 and sent it to overtime.
Gary Clark led Cincinnati with 26 points and 10 rebounds.
Stevie Browning scored 28 points for Marshall (7-5) and made a career-high six threes, leading a perimeter attack that took control at the outset. Marshall made five of its first six shots from beyond the arc -- each by a different player -- while pulling ahead 19-4.
The Thundering Herd made a season-high 14 three-pointers in the first half alone, taking a 50-38 lead to the locker room. Browning had 21 points in the half.
Marshall hasn't beaten a ranked team since its 75-71 victory over West Virginia on Jan. 19, 2011.
The Thundering Herd came in averaging 86.2 points per game, ranked 17th nationally. Marshall has scored 70 points in 32 consecutive games, 11 shy of the school record.
The Bearcats emphasize defense and rebounding, but repeatedly gave up open three-pointers that got Marshall going. They hadn't allowed more than 10 three-pointers in a game this season until Thursday night, when Marshall went 17 of 30.
Cincinnati's ragged showing in its only game this week -- against a team that hasn't won a game on the road this season -- won't help its cause and could cost it votes in the poll rankings.
NO. 16 INDIANA 97, AUSTIN PEAY 62
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- James Blackmon Jr. scored 24 points and Robert Johnson added 20 as No. 16 Indiana blew out Austin Peay.
Indiana (10-2) extended its home-court winning streak to 26 games -- the fifth-longest in school history.
Josh Robinson had 21 points for the Governors (4-9), who have lost seven consecutive.
Austin Peay kept the score close -- until the Hoosiers figured out how to beat their zone defense.
Center Thomas Bryant had three consecutive threes that extended Indiana's 17-15 lead to 26-18 midway through the first half. The Hoosiers pulled away by making 11 of 18 threes in the half including a half-court buzzer beater.
They finished 15 of 26 from beyond the arc.
Johnson's first 10 shots all were threes and he wound up making a career high six. Josh Newkirk had 11 points and a career-high 11 assists for Indiana.
John Murry had 18 points for Austin Peay, which trailed 48-31 at halftime and never got any closer in the second half.
The soft part of the schedule is over for Indiana and now the defending Big Ten champs' margin for error shrinks. But in the process, they have put together a solid resume that includes two victories over opponents ranked No. 3 (Kansas and North Carolina), a loss to No. 18 Butler and the inexplicable overtime loss at Fort Wayne.
SEC
TENNESSEE 72, EAST TENNESSEE STATE 68
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- Detrick Mostella scored a career-high 25 points off the bench and put Tennessee ahead for good by sinking two free throws with 1:11 remaining Thursday as the Volunteers outlasted East Tennessee State 72-68.
Mostella's free throws put Tennessee ahead 67-65. The junior guard added a jump shot with 29 seconds left to make it 69-65, the first time since midway through the second half that either team led by more than two points.
The Buccaneers led 65-64 on a Hanner Mosquera-Perea basket with 2:13 left before Tennessee went on an 11-0 run to pull ahead for good.
ETSU (9-3) was hosting Tennessee (7-5) for the first time since 1963. T.J. Cromer and Desonta Bradford each scored 14 points for ETSU. A.J. Merriweather had 11 points and David Burrell had 10.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 85,
MOREHEAD STATE 76
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Quinndary Weatherspoon had a career-high 27 points to lead Mississippi State to a victory over Morehead State at Humphrey Coliseum.
Weatherspoon had 15 points in the second half as the Bulldogs (8-3) overcame a 10-point halftime deficit. Weatherspoon also set a career-high with 10 made field goals on 17 attempts from the floor.
I.J. Ready had 19 points for Mississippi State and Aric Holman added 12.
Xavier Moon led Morehead State with 22 points while Lamontray Harris had 20 points and Jordan Walker 10 for the Eagles.
The first half featured six ties and three lead changes in the first six minutes. But Morehead State used a 13-4 run midway through the first half to grab control. The Eagles (3-9) shot 57 percent in the first half, including a 5-of-10 showing on three-pointers, and held a 41-31 halftime advantage.
Meanwhile, Mississippi State shot just 44 percent in the first half and made just 1 of 8 beyond the arc.
Sports on 12/23/2016