Auburn forward Walker Kessler blocks a shot by Texas A&M guard Marcus Williams during the Tigers 75-58 win on Saturday in Auburn, Alabama. Butch Dill/Associated Press
AUBURN, Ala. — Walker Kessler had a triple-double with 12 blocked shots, 12 points and 11 rebounds Saturday as No. 1 Auburn bounced back from a loss with a 75-58 victory over Texas A&M.
The 7-foot-1 North Carolina transfer rejected four of the Aggies’ first seven shots and delivered Auburn’s third triple-double and his second of the season. The Tigers (22-3, 11-1 Southeastern Conference) had their 19-game winning streak stopped by Arkansas in overtime earlier in the week.
Kessler got rebound No. 10 with 3:06 remaining after also managing the feat earlier against LSU, when a board was later added after film review. He is the fifth SEC player with multiple career double-doubles, a group led by Shaquille O’Neal’s six, and the only one nationally this season with two.
The Aggies (15-10, 4-8) dropped their eighth straight game and had one of their worst offensive performances of the season.
(4) ARIZONA 92, WASHINGTON 68: Bennedict Mathurin scored 25 points, Azuolas Tubelis added 21 points and 10 rebounds, and the Wildcats (22-2, 12-1 Pac-12) overcame a sluggish start to race past the Huskies (13-10, 8-5) for a convincing victory in Seattle.
The Wildcats won their sixth straight, erasing an early 14-point deficit and dominating the final 30 minutes. Take away Washington’s opening punch and Arizona’s performance was another example of why the Wildcats could be dangerous come March.
Arizona locked down the Huskies — aside from Terrell Brown Jr., who had 29 points — and efficiently found ways to pick apart Washington’s defense.
(5) KENTUCKY 78, FLORIDA 57: Oscar Tshiebwe scored 27 points and had 19 rebounds to lead the Wildcats (21-4, 10-2 SEC) to a win over the Gators (16-9, 6-6) in Lexington, Kentucky.
Tshiebwe collected a nation-leading 18th double-double of the season and his 11th in a row. The Wildcats have won six straight.
TyTy Washington had 10 points for Kentucky, including eight in the second half, before leaving the game with 12:51 remaining with a lower left leg injury. He didn’t return.
MEMPHIS 69, (6) HOUSTON 59: Landers Nolley II scored 20 points and Jalen Duren had 14 points and 11 rebounds as the Tigers (14-8, 8-4 American) rallied past Houston (20-4, 9-2) and snapped the Cougars’ 37-game home winning streak.
DeAndre Williams and Lester Quinones each scored 13 points as the Tigers won their fifth straight.
(7) DUKE 72, BOSTON COLLEGE 61: Paolo Banchero scored 16 points and had 14 rebounds and the Blue Devils (21-4, 11-3 ACC) pulled away midway into the second half for a victory over the Eagles (9-14, 4-9) in Boston.
Wendell Moore Jr. added 14 points, Trevor Keels had 13, and AJ Griffin and Mark Williams each had 10 for the Blue Devils.
(8) KANSAS 71, OKLAHOMA 69: Jalen Wilson scored a game-high 22 points and the Jayhawks (20-4, 9-2 Big 12) held off the stubborn Sooners (14-11, 4-8) in Lawrence, Kansas.
Kansas used a 15-2 run late in the game to come back from a deficit and take the game’s largest lead. The Sooners trimmed it to 70-69 before Wilson hit a free throw. Jordan Goldwire’s jumper in the final seconds caromed away.
(9) TEXAS TECH 82, TCU 69: Terrence Shannon scored 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting and the Red Raiders (19-6, 8-4 Big 12) beat the Horned Frogs (16-6, 5-5) after overcoming a 13-point deficit to remain undefeated at home.
The Red Raiders ended the first half with a 15-5 run, then went ahead to stay by scoring the first nine points after the break. They are 15-0 at home this season.
(10) BAYLOR 80, (20) TEXAS 63: Adam Flagler had 20 points with four 3-pointers and the Bears (21-4, 9-3 Big 12), after losing big man Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua to a gruesome left knee injury, went on to beat the Longhorns (18-7, 7-4) in Waco, Texas.
Flagler made his first five shots, including three 3s, while scoring 13 points in the first half when Baylor had two huge spurts – first a 12-0 run, and later a stretch of 13 consecutive points.
(11) PROVIDENCE 76, DePAUL 73: Jared Bynum scored 26 points off the bench and Al Durham and Nate Watson finished with 16 points apiece as the Friars (21-2, 11-1 Big East) held on for an overtime win over the Blue Demons (12-11, 3-10) in Providence, Rhode Island.
Durham went 12 for 12 at the free-throw line as the Big East-leading Friars won their eighth straight game.
DePaul’s David Jones finished with a team-high 19 points.
RUTGERS 73, (14) WISCONSIN 65: Ron Harper Jr. scored 21 points and the Scarlet Knights (15-9, 9-5 Big Ten) downed a ranked team for the third straight game, beating the Badgers (19-5, 10-4), in Madison, Wisconsin.
The Scarlet Knights knocked off then-No. 13 Michigan State 84-63 a week ago Saturday and No. 16 Ohio State 66-64 on Wednesday. This marks the first time in program history they’ve beaten a Top 25 team in three consecutive games.
(15) VILLANOVA 73, SETON HALL 67: Justin Moore scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and the Wildcats (19-6, 12-3 Big East) rallied from a seven-point deficit to beat the Pirates (15-8, 6-7) in Philadelphia.
Jermaine Samuels added 16 points while Brandon Slater had 10 points, including the go ahead layup with 1:26 left to play for the Wildcats. Collin Gillespie and Eric Dixon each scored 10.
(16) OHIO STATE 68, MICHIGAN 57: E. J. Liddell had 26 points, Cedric Russell added 12 and the Buckeyes (15-6, 8-4 Big Ten) beat the Wolverines (13-10, 7-6) in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The Buckeyes rebounded from a 66-64 loss at Rutgers on Wednesday to win for the second time in three games. Ohio State had lost four of its previous five road games.
(17) MICHIGAN STATE 76, INDIANA 61: Malik Hall scored 18 points, Tyson Walker came off the bench to add 15 and the Spartans (18-6, 9-4 Big Ten) snapped a two-game losing streak with a victory over the Hoosiers (16-8, 7-7) in East Lansing, Michigan.
BUTLER 85, (18) MARQUETTE 79: Bryce Golden scored a career-high 22 points and Bo Hodges added 11 points and 11 rebounds to help the Bulldogs (12-13, 5-9 Big East) hold on for a surprising victory over the Golden Eagles (16-9, 8-6) in Indianapolis.
The Bulldogs never trailed, and snapping a three-game losing streak.
(19) TENNESSEE 73, VANDERBILT 64: Zakai Zeigler came off the bench to score 16 points to lead the Volunteers (18-6, 9-3 SEC) to a victory over the Commodores (13-11, 5-7) in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Josiah-Jordan James had 14 points for the Volunteers, John Fulkerson had 12 and Santiago Vescovi 10.
(23) MURRAY STATE 57, MOREHEAD STATE 53: Tevin Brown made a go-ahead layup with 16 seconds remaining and KJ Williams added two free throws 12 seconds later as the Racers (24-2, 14-0 OVC) rallied past the Eagles (19-8, 11-3) in Morehead, Kentucky for their 14th consecutive victory.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
(7) INDIANA 76, MICHIGAN STATE 58: Grace Berger scored a career-high 29 points to lead Hoosier (18-3, 10-1 Big Ten) past the Spartans (13-11, 7-6) in Bloomington, Indiana.
Indiana led 32-27 at halftime before outscoring the Spartans 30-14 in the third quarter. Berger had 17 points in the period to top Michigan State’s entire total.
Michigan State (13-11, 7-6) was led by Alisia Smith’s 12 points and Nia Clouden’s 10.
(9) IOWA STATE 93, TCU 70: Ashley Joens had a season-high 32 points with 14 rebounds, and the Cyclones (21-3, 10-2 Big 12) beat the Horned Frogs (6-15, 2-10) in Fort Worth, Texas for their fifth consecutive win.
(10) BAYLOR 75, WEST VIRGINIA 57: NaLyssa Smith and Queen Egbo had double-doubles, Jordan Lewis made consecutive 3-pointers to finally put Baylor (19-5, 9-3 Big 12) ahead to stay and the Bears beat the Mountaineers (11-11, 4-8) in Waco, Texas.
Smith had 30 points to match her career high and Egbo scored 13. Both had 12 rebounds. It was the 44th career double-double for Smith, and 16th this season, while Egbo has 28 double-doubles at Baylor (19-5, 9-3 Big 12). Lewis finished with 18 points.
(16) TEXAS 78, (12) OKLAHOMA 63: Audrey Warren matched her career high with 21 points, Texas (17-6, 7-5 Big 12) thrashed Oklahoma in the third quarter, and the No. 16 Longhorns defeated the No. 12 Sooners (20-4, 9-3) in Austin, Texas.
Texas rolled through the first six minutes of the third quarter, outscoring Oklahoma 17-4 to build a 54-42 lead. Warren made three free throws after a foul on Skylar Vann and followed up five seconds later with two more free throws after a technical foul on the Oklahoma bench. In all, Texas made 9 of 11 free throws in the 6-minute run. By the end of the period Oklahoma had committed nine turnovers, made just 2 of 9 shots and was outscored 27-6.
(2o) BYU 84, SAINT MARY’S 69: Shaylee Gonzales scored a career-high 35 points with seven steals and six assists and the Cougars (21-2, 11-1 WCC) pulled away from the Gaels (12-12, 6-7) in Moraga, California.
The Gaels led for a good part of the first half but a Gonzales jumper in the final minute of the third quarter had the Cougars on top 64-61.
STETSON 58, (22) FLORIDA GULF COAST 55: Yazz Wazeerud-Din scored 15 points, Kiya Turner added 14 points and a career-high tying 11 rebounds and the Hatters (15-10, 8-4) beat No. 22 Florida Gulf Coast (22-2, 11-1) in Fort Myers, Florida, and snap the Eagles’ 33-game win streak in ASUN play.
Stetson, which snapped a 10-game skid against FGCU, has won seven in a row since a 71-48 home loss to the Eagles on Jan. 19.
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