ETSU-WOFFORD
Wofford beats East Tennessee State 72-64
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) β Karl Cochran scored 14 points with five assists and three rebounds as Wofford held on to beat East Tennessee State 72-64 on Saturday night.
Cochran finished with 4-of-11 shooting from the field, including 2-of-9 from distance. He also sank 4 of 4 free throws. Lee Skinner posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Terriers (16-5, 7-1 Southern Conference). Spencer Collins added 12 points and Jaylen Allen had 10. The team hit 44.4 percent from the field overall, 75 percent from the free throw line and outrebounded East Tennessee State 38-25.
East Tennessee State sank 20 of 47 (42.6 percent) from the field including just 3 of 16 (18.8 percent) from 3-point range.
Jalen Riley led the Buccaneers (12-7, 6-4) with 25 points and three steals. A.J. Merriweather chipped in 12 points and four rebounds.
NORFOLK ST-SC STATE
Norfolk State beats South Carolina State 76-63
ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) β Jeffery Short scored 20 points with seven rebounds, three assists and two steals as Norfolk State beat South Carolina State 76-63 on Saturday night.
D’Shon Taylor and Malik Thomas added 16 points apiece for the Spartans (13-9, 6-1 MEAC). RaShid Gaston had 13 points and led the team with 11 rebounds. The Spartans hit 65.9 percent from the field overall, 61.1 percent from the line and outrebounded South Carolina State 40-31.
Norfolk State led 35-32 at the break and continued to dominate in the second period for the win.
South Carolina State finished shooting just 22 of 67 (32.8 percent) from the field overall, 13 of 27 (48.1 percent) from the line and 6 of 27 (22.2 percent) from beyond the arc.
Edward Stephens led the Bulldogs (6-15, 4-3) with 16 points. Karon Wright added 14.
GARDNER-WEBB-CHARLESTON SOUTHERN
Charleston Southern hits 15 3-pointers; beats Gardner-Webb
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) β Saah Nimley hit seven 3-pointers and scored a career-high 37 points β his fourth straight 30-plus point game β as Charleston Southern cruised past Gardner-Webb 93-80 on Saturday.
Nimley was 11 of 21 from the field, including 7 of 12 on 3-pointers, and hit 8 of 11 free throws. He has scored 146 points (18, 30, 30, 31, and 37) during Charleston Southern’s five-game winning streak.
Arlon Harper hit three 3-pointers and had 20 points for Charleston Southern (12-7, 6-2 Big South). Will Saunders hit 5 of 6 3-pointers and finished with 17 points.
Nimley, Harper and Saunders hit all 15 of Charleston Southern’s 3-pointers and combined for 74 points.
Tyrell Nelson and Adonis Burbage scored 19 points apiece for Gardner-Webb (13-8, 5-3). Harold McBride hit four 3-pointers and finished with 17 points, and Jarvis Davis added 11 as the Bulldogs hit 12 of 28 3-pointers.
T25-NOTRE DAME-CLEMSON
Loyd scores 17 as No. 6 Notre Dame beats Clemson 74-36
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) β Jewell Loyd scored 17 points and Brianna Turner added 15 points and 10 rebounds as No. 6 Notre Dame routed Clemson 74-36 on Saturday.
The No. 6 Fighting Irish (19-2, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) showed little fatigue despite playing their fourth game in 10 days. They won them all by double-digits including victories over No. 5 Tennessee and 12th-ranked North Carolina.
Notre Dame did turn the ball over on its first two possessions and Clemson (9-11, 1-6) led 5-2 a little over two minutes into the game. But the Irish went on a 40-6 run over the next 14 minutes as they improved to 26-1 in the ACC since joining the league two seasons ago.
Clemson has lost 70 of its last 71 games against Top 25 teams. The Tigers have been to 15 NCAA tournaments, but none since 2002.
CAMPBELL-WINTHROP
Winthrop slips past Campbell 71-63
ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) β Andre Smith scored 23 points and Keon Moore pumped in 18 more while grabbing nine rebounds to lead Winthrop to a 71-63 comeback win over Campbell on Saturday.
Smith shot 8 of 13 from the floor and sank all six of his free throws, while Moore was 4 of 11 from 3-point range. Keon Johnson added 10 points to help Winthrop (10-9, 5-3 Big South) snag its first consecutive conference win of the season and clinch the program’s 600th win.
Trailing most of the game, Winthrop took the lead midway through the second half during a 14-4 run capped by Smith’s back-to-back buckets to make it 50-44 with 11:27 remaining.
Campbell (7-14, 1-7) led by as many as 10 in the first half but couldn’t stop Winthrop’s second-half surge.
Reco McCarter and Andrew Ryan led Campbell with 14 points apiece, and D.J. Mason had 12 points.
PRESBYTERIAN-COASTAL CAROLINA
Coastal Carolina beats Presbyterian 63-52
CONWAY, S.C. (AP) β Josh Cameron scored 16, and Badou Diagne had 10 points and 11 rebounds, to help Coastal Carolina beat Presbyterian for the 11th-striaght time 63-52 on Saturday.
Warren Gillis added 11 points and Shivaughn Wiggins had 10 points and six assists for the Chanticleers (15-5, 6-2 Big South), who outrebounded Presbyterian (7-14, 3-5) 44-22, including 19-3 on the offensive glass. Tristan Curtis had a season-high 10 rebounds.
Coastal Carolina made just 7 of 30 field goal attempts in the first half, but converted 14 offensive rebounds into nine second-chance points and took a 26-20 lead into halftime.
A dunk by DeSean Murray pulled Presbyterian within three with 13:35 to play, but a 3-pointer by Gillis sparked a 17-4 run which gave Coastal Carolina a 50-34 lead when Diagne hit a 3 with 7:40 remaining.
Jordan Downing led the Blue Hose, who trailed by double digits the rest of the way, with 17 points.
STETSON-SC-UPSTATE
Greene ties career-high; USC Upstate beats Stetson 91-67
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) β Ty Greene hit five 3-pointers in the second half and tied a career-high with 29 points to lead South Carolina Upstate past Stetson 91-67 on Saturday.
Greene was 8 of 12 from the field, including 6 of 7 from 3-point range, and hit seven of his eight free throws. He’s now in the top 5 in school history for free throws made, 3-pointers made, steals and career points.
ShunQuez Stephens and Michael Buchanan added 15 points apiece for USC Upstate (14-7, 2-3 Atlantic Sun). Buchanan grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Fred Miller made three of USC Upstate’s 15 3-pointers and finished with 11 points.
USC Upstate closed the first half on an 8-0 run and opened the second half by scoring 12 unanswered, highlighted by seven consecutive points by Greene.
Divine Myles paced Stetson (5-15, 0-5) with 19 points and six assists.
THE CITADEL-VMI
VMI overpowers The Citadel, 85-75
LEXINGTON, Va. (AP) β Julian Eleby scored 15 points off the bench, including hitting 10 of 13 at the free throw line, to lead VMI to an 85-75 win over The Citadel on Saturday.
Brian Brown finished with 12 points and three steals and Trey Chapman added 11 points for the Keydets (8-13, 4-6 Southern Conference), whose win was their first at home over the Bulldogs in conference play since 1996.
VMI led just 35-31 at halftime, but opened the second half on a 14-3 run, capped off by a Jordan Weethee 3-pointer. The Keydets led by as many as 20 in the second period.
Ashton Moore scored 20 to lead The Citadel (8-12, 3-6), which struggled offensively shooting just 37.5 percent with 21 turnovers.
This was VMI’s second game without leading scorer QJ Peterson, who is currently on a medical furlough.
ALLEN-FURMAN
Furman rolls over Allen 82-46
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) β Stephen Croone scored 20 points, including 3 of 4 3-pointers, Geoff Beans added 12 β all 3s β and Furman rolled over NAIA member Allen University 82-46 on Saturday.
Kendrec Ferrara added 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds off the bench and the Paladins (6-13) shot 10 of 28 from distance (35.7 percent) and never trailed. Kris Acox had nine boards and Furman’s bench outscored Allen’s starters 28-21.
Croone scored nine straight points, including two 3-pointers, and Furman opened with a 15-2 run and never looked back. Beans scored back-to-back 3s and the Paladins led 45-22 at halftime.
The Yellow Jackets went scoreless for nearly seven minutes in the second half while Furman continued to pour it on, scoring 13 unanswered points for a 61-30 lead and at one point led by 36.
Johnny Ellis led Allen (4-13) with 13 points off the bench and Emaray Johnson had 11.
WAKE FOREST-CLEMSON
Smith’s putback gives Clemson 59-57 win over Wake Forest
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) β Josh Smith’s offensive rebound and layup with 0.5 seconds left gave Clemson a 59-57 win over Wake Forest on Saturday.
The Tigers (11-8, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) led for exactly 24 seconds, but got the final possession of the game when Codi Miller-McIntyre turned it over with the score tied at 57 with 25 seconds to go. Rod Hall missed a tough layup, but Smith got the rebound and made a quick banking shot to win, making up for his 2-of-6 shooting from the foul line.
Miller-McIntyre also missed two short shots with the game tied at 56 with about a minute to go. Wake Forest (9-11, 1-6) didn’t make a basket in the final five minutes of the game.
The Demon Deacons have now lost 37 of their last 39 ACC road games.
T25-KENTUCKY-S CAROLINA
Booker leads No. 1 Kentucky to 58-43 win
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) β Devin Booker scored 18 points, Aaron Harrison added 13 and No. 1 Kentucky matched its best start under coach John Calipari with a 58-43 victory over South Carolina on Saturday.
The Wildcats (19-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) pulled away with 14 straight points after the Gamecocks (10-8, 1-5) took their last lead at 24-23 with 4:31 in the opening half.
Kentucky’s lead never fell below double digits after that.
The Wildcats were 19-0 in 2010, Calipari’s first season in Kentucky when he had NBA standouts John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. That run ended in this building with South Carolina’s 68-62 stunner. The sold out crowd was just as loud after Sindarius Thornwell’s 3-pointer put the Gamecocks out front.
Tyler Ulis started the comeback for Kentucky with a steal and basket before Booker made two fouls shots and a jam and the Wildcats were on their way.
COLL OF CHARLESTON-DREXEL
Lee gives Drexel win over College of Charleston 53-51
PHILADELPHIA (AP) β Damion Lee scored 21 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 17.1 seconds left, and Drexel held College of Charleston scoreless for the final three minutes to pull out a 53-51 win on Saturday.
Lee’s fourth trey, from the left wing, made it 52-51 a possession after he committed a turnover that gave the Cougars another chance to put the game away, which turned into a miss on the front end of a one-and-one free throw. The Cougars (6-15, 1-7 Colonial Athletic) missed their last four shots plus a free throw and had a turnover after Cameron Johnson’s 3-pointer at 3:04 gave them a 51-47 lead.
The Dragons (5-15, 3-5) got a free throw from Mohamed Bah with 4.2 seconds left and then Canyon Barry missed a running one-hander from the top of the key as time expired.
Canyon Barry had 16 points for Charleston, which led 28-22 at the half.
