Category: Basketball

Bennett Stirtz scored 20 points to guide Drake to a 65-46 victory over Belmont on Sunday as the Bulldogs ran their win streak to 12 to begin the season. Stirtz made 8 of 16 shots from the floor and all four of his free throws for the Bulldogs (12-0, 2-0 Missouri Valley Conference). He added four assists and three steals.

Xavier Bell had 29 points in Wichita State's 87-72 victory over Friends University on Sunday. Bell shot 11 of 16 from the field and 5 of 5 from the free-throw line for the Shockers (10-3). Quincy Ballard added 17 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks.

Smith sank 12 of 22 shots, including 6 of 13 from 3-point range, for the Boilermakers (9-4). Trey Kaufman-Renn contributed 23 points on 11-of-14 shooting and Fletcher Loyer added 17 points for Purdue. Smith scored 17 of his points in the opening half to guide Purdue to a 39-28 halftime advantage.

Aziaha James scored 15 points and Saniya Rivers scored 12 of her 14 in the second half for N.C. State (10-3, 2-0 ACC). Hannah Kohn's 3-pointer gave the Tigers a one-point lead with 9:28 to play, but Hayes hit from beyond the arc 27 seconds later to make it 64-62 and N.C. State led the rest of the way. The Wolfpack used an 8-0 spurt to take their biggest lead of the game at 77-67 with 4:03 remaining.

Barrington Hargress scored 24 points and Nate Pickens made two free throws with less than a second remaining to help UC Riverside slip past St. Thomas-Minnesota 81-79 in overtime on Sunday. Pickens' foul shots came after Nolan Minessale made a free throw on both sides of a timeout to tie the game with 13 seconds to go. Isaiah Moses made two free throws for UC Riverside with 17 seconds left to force OT tied at 73.

Sasa Ciani had 16 points in UIC's 73-67 victory over Illinois State on Sunday. Ciani had nine rebounds for the Flames (9-4, 1-1 Missouri Valley Conference). Javon Jackson scored 14 points while going 4 of 10 from the floor, including 2 for 3 from 3-point range, and 4 for 6 from the line.

Marcus Banks scored 28 points and Anthony Valentine hit the game-winning layup with 24 seconds remaining in double overtime as UMBC knocked off American 96-93 on Sunday night. Banks also added nine rebounds for the Retrievers (8-7). Bryce Johnson scored 19 points, shooting 8 of 12 from the field and 3 for 3 from the line.

Lauren Betts scored 21 points in her return, Kiki Rice added 18 and top-ranked UCLA routed Nebraska 91-54 on Sunday in its Big Ten home opener. Betts, the Bruins’ leading scorer, was back after missing two games with a leg injury she sustained at Long Beach State on Dec. 14.

Sophomore guard Jackson Shelstad scored 16 points to lead No. 9 Oregon to an 89-49 victory over Weber State on Sunday. Brandon Angel was 5 for 5 from the floor while scoring 14 points to go with seven rebounds for the Ducks (12-1). Jadrian Tracey also added 14 points for Oregon, while TJ Bamba and Kwame Evans Jr. scored 10 apiece.

Treysen Eaglestaff's 19 points helped North Dakota defeat Waldorf College 97-57 on Sunday night. Eaglestaff shot 6 of 11 from the field, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 5 for 6 from the line for the Fightin' Hawks (6-9). Mier Panoam added 13 points and six rebounds.

Great Osobor and Zoom Diallo each scored a dozen points and Washington rolled to a 90-53 win over NJIT Sunday in its final tune-up before diving full-time into the Big Ten season.

Cameron Haffner scored 13 points as Evansville beat Missouri State 57-40 on Sunday to snap a five-game losing streak. Haffner went 5 of 12 from the field (3 for 7 from 3-point range) for the Purple Aces (4-9, 1-1 Missouri Valley Conference). Joshua Hughes added 11 points, nine rebounds and four steals.