College Basketball National Roundup
Published 12:00 am Saturday, December 12, 2009
Associated Press
The national roundup …
KANSAS CITY, Mo. ó Freshman Xavier Henry scored a season-high 31 points, Markieff Morris had a double-double and No. 1 Kansas beat La Salle 90-65 on Saturday at the Sprint Center.
Kansas (9-0) used defense to overcome early rebounding problems, turning a tight game into a rout by holding its eighth opponent under 40 percent shooting this season.
No. 2 Texas 87, Texas St. 54
AUSTIN, Texas ó Damion James got his 40th career double-double with 21 points and 16 rebounds to lead Texas.
Avery Bradley added 15 points in a win that could be costly for the Longhorns (8-0).
Texas has won its first eight games by at least 15 points, the first time that’s happened.
No. 4 Kentucky 90, Indiana 73
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ó Eric Bledsoe scored 23 points and Patrick Patterson had 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead Kentucky.
John Calipari matched Adolph Rupp’s record start for a first-year Kentucky coach by improving to 10-0, and the Wildcats moved within two wins of becoming the first Division I men’s basketball program with 2,000 victories.
No. 5 Purdue 73, Alabama 65
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ó Robbie Hummel scored 23 points and No. 5 Purdue used stifling defense to rally from a 16-point second half deficit.
The Boilermakers (9-0), who struggled for much of the game against the Crimson Tide’s full-court press, held the Alabama (5-3) without a field goal over the final 8:45.
No. 6 West Virginia 69, Coppin St. 43
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. ó Kevin Jones had 22 points and 11 rebounds to help the Mountaineers overcome the absence of two starters.
Da’Sean Butler added 16 points and Darryl Bryant scored 11 for West Virginia (7-0), which held a second straight opponent under 50 points to win its 28th straight home game against a non-league foe.
Kansas State 95, No. 18 UNLV 80
LAS VEGAS ó Jacob Pullen hit seven 3-pointers and scored 28 points to lead Kansas State to its sixth straight win.
Pullen was 7 of 10 from beyond the arc and finished 10 of 16 from the fieldfor the Wildcats (9-1).
Tre’Von Willis led UNLV (8-1) with 17 points, while Chace Stanback had 14.
No. 22 Butler 74, No. 13 Ohio St. 66
INDIANAPOLIS ó Gordon Hayward scored 24 points, and Butler beat a ranked team for the first time in four tries this season.
Willie Veasley had 15 points for the Bulldogs (7-3), who had lost to Minnesota, Clemson and Georgetown this season.
William Buford scored 20 points and David Lighty added 17 for the Buckeyes (7-2), who played for the first time without Evan Turner, who was averaging a double-double this season. He fractured his lower back when he hit the court on a dunk attempt on Dec. 5.
No. 15 Georgetown 74, No. 17 Washington 66
ANAHEIM, Calif. ó Julian Vaughn scored a career-high 18 points, and Georgetown pulled away in the in the Wooden Classic.
Greg Monroe had 15 points and seven rebounds for the Hoyas (8-0), who scored 12 straight points after halftime during a 21-2 run. The impressive surge abruptly blew open a previously tight game in the annual doubleheader held to honor John Wooden, UCLA’s famed 99-year-old coach.
New Mexico 84, No. 16 Texas A&M 81
HOUSTONó Roman Martinez scored 22 points, including two key free throws in the final seconds, to lead New Mexico, which is 10-0 for the first time since the 1995-96 season.
No. 20 Wisconsin 72, Marquette 63
MADISON, Wis. ó Jon Leuer scored 24 points to lead Wisconsin over its in-state rival.
It was career victory No. 200 at Wisconsin for Bo Ryan and the second straight big scoring performance by Leuer for the Badgers (7-2), who jumped into the Top 25 after beating Duke last week ó only to lose at Wisconsin-Green Bay on Wednesday despite getting a career-high 26 points from Leuer.
Lazar Hayward scored 21 points for Marquette (7-3), which has lost three of its last four games.
Wisconsin snapped a two-game losing streak to their in-state rivals and now leads the all-time series 63-53.
No. 25 Mississippi 83, McNeese St. 67
OXFORD, Miss. ó Chris Warren scored 20 points and Eniel Polynice had all 12 points and four steals over the final 10 minutes of the game to rally Mississippi.
The Rebels (8-1) trailed by as many as 15 points early in the second half.