The Michigan State Spartans got a big road win Saturday, stomping the Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington, 73-56. Sophomore Gary Harris set a new career mark with 26 points, after scoring 21 on the road at Indiana last season. This was the Spartans' first win against Indiana in their last four tries.
College basketball scores: Michigan State blows out Indiana, 73-56
Gary Harris had a career-high 26 as the Spartans cruised in their Big Ten opener in Bloomington.
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Harris was deadly from all over the floor, shooting 5-10 from beyond the three-point line and scoring buckets in transition. The sophomore even stole an inbounds pass midway through the second half, and scored off the miscue to open up a 14-point Michigan State lead.
Keith Appling scored all 14 of his points in the second half, breaking Indiana's press to get easy looks at the basket. For the Hoosiers, Yogi Ferrell led the way with 17 points, and Will Sheehey chipped in 13 points in the losing effort.
The Arizona Wildcats rallied past the Washington Huskies in the second half as Aaron Gordon and Nick Johnson combined for 23 points in the latter period. Johnson finished with 24 on the game, with Gordon collecting 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. The Huskies led by as many as five in the second half, but couldn't maintain the pace necessary to pull off the upset.
Another top-ranked team that trailed in the second half, the Syracuse Orange managed to hold off the Miami Hurricanes in a hard-fought game. C.J. Fair scored 15 points, but took 14 shots as the Orange made just 36 percent of their field goals. It was Syracuse's worst shooting since their squeaker against St. Francis of New York back in November. The Orange, however, improve to 14-0 on the season and 1-0 in their first year of ACC play.
The Ohio State Buckeyes cruised against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, improving to 15-0 behind 15 points from Amedeo Della Valle. Shannon Scott and Marc Loving added 13 apiece as Ohio State opened up a big lead in the second half. For Nebraska, sophomore Terran Petteway scored 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting.
No. 12 Florida 67, Richmond 58
A team effort from the Florida Gators held off a late charge from the Richmond Spiders to avoid the upset. The Spiders led with ten minutes to play, but four Gators scored in double digits to secure the win for Billy Donovan. Michael Frazier II dropped 18 for Florida, with Patric Young scoring 15 from the center position. Casey Prather and point guard Scottie Wilbekin were the other Gators in double digits, with 12 and 10 points respectively.
No. 13 Iowa State 73, Texas Tech 62
Georges Niang scored 17 and pulled down seven rebounds as the Iowa State Cyclones improved to 13-0 with a win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders. It's the best Iowa State start ever, as they ride the longest win streak in school history. Melvin Ejim added 16 as the Cyclones dominated the inside, getting to the free-throw line for 29 attempts. Texas Tech was led by Jaye Crockett, who had 20 points and 11 rebounds in the losing effort.
SMU 74, No. 17 Connecticut 65
The SMU Mustangs handed the Connecticut Huskies their second straight loss, riding guard Nic Moore to a nine-point victory. The sophomore guard had 20 points and six assists as the Mustangs shot 47 percent from the field. For UConn, Naismith Award nominee Shabazz Napier was off all game. The senior shot just 2-9 from the field, but hit eight free throws to finish the game with 12 points.
The Cincinnati Bearcats went into Memphis and pulled off the upset, using their defense-first approach to stifle the Memphis Tigers on Saturday. The sneaky-good Bearcats forced 16 turnovers and held Memphis to 33 percent shooting from the field. On offense, Cincy got 18 points from Sean Kilpatrick. Forward Justin Jackson had 13 points and eight rebounds to go along with seven blocked shots.
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