Saint Louis honors Majerus with victory

ST. LOUIS — Dwayne Evans wanted to honor Rick Majerus with a win less than 24 hours after the former coach's death.

Evans scored 17 points and Jordair Jett added 14 points to lead Saint Louis to a 62-49 victory over Valparaiso on Sunday. Mike McCall Jr. added 10 points for the Billikens (4-3).

Majerus, 64, passed away Saturday at a Los Angeles hospital due to heart failure. The Milwaukee native compiled a 517-216 record over 25 years with Saint Louis, Ball State, Utah and Marquette.

Coach dedicated his life to basketball, Evans said. I can't think of a better tribute than to get a win.

Majerus guided the Billikens to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 12 years last season. The Billikens, who finished 26-8, upset Memphis before losing to Michigan State.

Majerus, who had a history of heart problems, took a leave of absence due to health issues in August. The school announced last month that he would not return.

The team found out about his passing after practice on Saturday.

It was upsetting, tears were shed, forward Cody Ellis said. But it brought us together as a team. It helped us regroup. ... We definitely came today to play for him.

Saint Louis guard Kwamain Mitchell said he learned more than just basketball from Majerus.

He developed me into a man, Mitchell said.

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin used first-half runs of 14-0 and 12-0 to take control and put together an 11-0 run early in the second half as it cruised past previously unbeaten California.

Four Wisconsin players scored in double digits. Ben Brust led the Badgers (5-3) with a season-high 22 points. Jared Berggren had 18 points, Ryan Evans 13, and Sam Dekker added 10 points for the home team.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Janee Thompson scored 13 points, including a 3-pointer with 8.4 seconds left, to lift No. 9 Kentucky to a 48-47 comeback victory over No. 6 Louisville Sunday night.

The freshman guard finished with 13 points and scored the final six for the Wildcats (6-1), who trailed by 14 points in the second half before rallying down the stretch behind tough defense that held Louisville without a field goal for the final 4:54.

SPOKANE, Wash. — Chiney Ogwumike had 21 points and 11 rebounds to help Stanford beat Gonzaga.

Taylor Greenfield added a career-high 18 points, hitting six 3-pointers, for Stanford (8-0). Joslyn Tinkle added 16 points.

Taelor Karr and Haiden Palmer led cold-shooting Gonzaga (6-2) with 10 points each.

The Bulldogs shot just 25 percent in the game, in which Stanford looked every bit the top team in the nation while Gonzaga bore little resemblance to the team that has made three straight trips to the round of 16.

DURHAM, N.C. — Tricia Liston scored 22 points to help Duke beat California.

Chelsea Gray added 13 points for the Blue Devils (6-0), who built a big lead early with a 22-2 run in the first half. Elizabeth Williams had 12 points and Alexis Jones had 11 points as Duke won for the 65th time in its last 67 home games.

STATE COLLEGE — Maggie Lucas scored 24 points and Penn State overwhelmed Fairleigh Dickinson, rebounding from its first loss of the season with a victory.

Four other players scored in double figures for the Lady Lions (6-1), who used a 43-11 run over the last 13 minutes of the first half to take control against the Knights (1-5).

Fairleigh Dickinson led 10-7 at 12:53 of the half before star guard Lucas and Penn State turned up the pressure. Lucas ran the floor and burned Fairleigh Dickinson from 3-point range. After missing her first two shots, she finished 7 of 14 from the field, including 6 of 9 on 3-point attempts.

ATLANTA — Jasmine Hassell scored 22 points and No. 8 Georgia held Georgia Tech to 30 percent shooting in a victory over their in-state rival.

NORMAN, Oklahoma — Aaryn Ellenberg scored 18 points and Whitney Hand grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Oklahoma over Marist 68-55, extending the Sooners winning streak to six games.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Sam Ostarello had 23 points and nine rebounds to help Purdue defeat Central Michigan.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Meighan Simmons scored a career-high 33 points and exceeded the 1,000-point mark for her career as Tennessee routed North Carolina for its sixth consecutive victory.

LOS ANGELES — Markel Walker had 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to lead five players in double figures, and UCLA routed Loyola Marymount.

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Carolyn Davis scored 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, helping Kansas rally in the second half to remain unbeaten with a victory over Minnesota.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Christal Caldwell scored 17 of her 19 points in the second half to rally No. 25 West Virginia to a victory over Virginia in a nonconference game.

TEMPE, Ariz. — Ally Malott scored 20 points and Dayton rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to beat Arizona State in the championship game of the ASU Classic.