Category: Basketball

Xavier Bell scored 24 points as Wichita State beat Florida Atlantic 75-68 on Thursday night. Bell shot 8 of 19 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line for the Shockers (16-10, 6-7 American Athletic Conference). Bijan Cortes scored 16 points and added seven assists.

Jacob Holt had 27 points and 13 rebounds in Sacramento State's 80-77 victory over Weber State on Thursday night. Holt's 3-pointer stretched Sacramento State's lead to 79-75 with 36 seconds left. Bailey Nunn split a pair of free throws for the Hornets to make it a five-point advantage with four seconds to go.

Rodney Johnson Jr. had 18 points in Tennessee Tech's 71-66 overtime win over UT Martin on Thursday night. Johnson added nine rebounds and three steals for the Golden Eagles (14-14, 9-8 Ohio Valley Conference). Jaylon Johnson scored 16 points while shooting 3 for 10 (1 for 7 from 3-point range) and 9 of 10 from the free-throw line and added seven rebounds and four steals.

Sean Newman Jr. scored 23 points as Louisiana Tech beat Middle Tennessee 85-74 on Thursday night. Newman also contributed six assists for the Bulldogs (18-9, 7-7 Conference USA). Al Green scored 16 points while shooting 5 for 10 (3 for 5 from 3-point range) and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line.

Lauren Betts scored 22 points, Kiki Rice added 16 and third-ranked UCLA pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 70-55 victory over No. 25 Illinois on Thursday night. Illinois, which had its eight-game winning streak snapped, got 18 points from Adalia McKenzie while Berry Wallace added 13. Betts, who missed Sunday's 75-69 victory over No. 22 Michigan State due to a right foot injury, blocked six shots, giving her a single-season school record 67.

Lamar Wilkerson's 14 points helped Sam Houston defeat Western Kentucky 78-62 on Thursday night. Wilkerson added 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Bearkats (11-16, 4-10 Conference USA). Cameron Huefner scored 11 points while going 2 of 9 from the floor, including 2 for 7 from 3-point range, and 5 for 5 from the line and added nine rebounds.

Nakyel Shelton's 18 points helped Eastern Illinois defeat Southern Indiana 63-54 on Thursday night. Shelton also added five rebounds and three steals for the Panthers (9-19, 5-12 Ohio Valley Conference). Artese Stapleton scored 17 points and added five rebounds and four steals.

Jordan Battle had 29 points in Coastal Carolina's 87-78 win against Southern Miss on Thursday night. Battle shot 7 for 13 (6 for 9 from 3-point range) and 9 of 12 from the free-throw line for the Chanticleers (9-19, 2-13 Sun Belt Conference). Colin Granger added 18 points while going 6 of 7 and 6 of 8 from the free-throw line while he also had 10 rebounds and three steals.

ILLINOIS 55 LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lauren Betts scored 22 points, Kiki Rice added 16 and third-ranked UCLA pulled away in the fourth quarter for a victory over No. Illinois. Illinois, which had its eight-game winning streak snapped, got 18 points from Adalia McKenzie while Berry Wallace added 13.

Kaylene Smikle scored 23 points and Saylor Poffenbarger scored 16 points and 21st-ranked Maryland beat Northwestern 85-79 on Thursday night. Sarah Te-Biasu added 16 points and Shyanne Sellers 12 for Maryland (21-6, 11-5 Big Ten), which helped its cause shooting 9 for 26 from 3-point range compared to Northwestern's 1-for-4 effort from long range. Reserve Melannie Dailey scored 22 points, Taylor Williams scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Caileigh Walsh 15 points and reserve Grace Sullivan 11 for Northwestern (9-16, 2-12).

Rodney Rice scored 22 points, Ja'Kobi Gillespie added 20 and No. 20 Maryland beat Southern California 88-71 on Thursday night for its eighth win in nine games. The Terrapins (21-6, 11-5 Big Ten) and Trojans (14-12, 6-9) met for the first time since 1990, when each was in a different conference. Maryland never trailed, opening each half with a flourish and keeping USC at bay.

Brendan Terry scored 25 points as Southeast Missouri State beat Western Illinois 87-66 on Thursday night to extended its winning streak to eight games. Terry added nine rebounds for the Redhawks (18-10, 13-4 Ohio Valley Conference). Tedrick Washington Jr. shot 7 for 15, including 5 for 8 from beyond the arc to add 19 points.