Mississippi guard Matthew Murrell (11) dribbles past falling Troy guard Aamer Muhammad during the first half of an NCAA basketball game Tuesday in Oxford, Miss.
AP photo
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OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Matthew Murrell scored 18 points and added 10 steals, and No. 25 Mississippi improved to 11-0 with 74-53 win over Troy on Tuesday night.
Jaemyn Brakefield scored 17 points, Jaylen Murray added 16 points and Allen Flanigan had 13 points and a game-high eight assists and seven rebounds for the Rebels.
“We had special individual performances tonight and it’s always been a player’s game,” Mississippi coach Chris Beard said. “But, it’s special for Matthew because it’s his birthday today, too.”
Ole Miss built a 31-22 halftime lead, highlighted by a 15-3 run capped by a 3-point shot from Murray. The Rebels connected on nine consecutive shots to open the second half and Troy never got closer than 14 points again.
Tayton Conerway led Troy (5-6) with 13 points while Aamer Muhammad added 11. The Trojans finished with 25 turnovers but won the rebounding battle, 33-32.
Ole Miss finished 27 of 59 from the floor, 46%, after shooting 3 of 12 in the opening eight minutes. The Rebels were 10 of 24 from 3-point range, including four by Murray.
Troy struggled from the field, hitting 17 of 47, 36%, and 8 of 22 from the 3-point line. The Trojans were 2 of 10 from 3-point range in the second half.
Memphis 77, Virginia 54
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — David Jones scored 26 points, Caleb Mills added 11 and No. 23 Memphis built a second-half lead to pull away from No. 22 Virginia 77-54 on Tuesday night.
Jones was 8 of 15 from the floor, including 2 of 3 from outside the arc as Memphis (9-2) won its fourth straight.
Reece Beekman led the Cavaliers (9-2) with 13 points, while Jake Groves added 12 points. Ryan Dunn finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds as Virginia saw its five-game winning streak snapped.
While Virginia’s defense is ranked high in several categories, it was the Memphis pressure and the Tigers style that allowed them to hold a double-digit lead midway through the second half.
The advantage would stretch to 65-44 as Memphis crafted a 13-0 rally.
Virginia got down early and could never really recover. A major factor was Virginia’s 18 turnovers. They average eight a game.
The Cavaliers uncharacteristically struggled with ballhandling in the half committing a half dozen turnovers. But the Memphis pressure defense gave up inside baskets to allow Virginia to trail 38-32 at the break.
James Madison 87, Coppin State 48
HARRISONBURG, Va. — TJ Bickerstaff scored 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds to lead No. 20 James Madison to a victory over Coppin State.
Terrence Edwards Jr. added 16 points for the Dukes (11-0) and Julien Wooden finished with 13 points, six rebounds and four steals.
Justin Winston had 13 points and eight rebounds to lead Coppin State (1-12).
Ten different Dukes scored, with four in double figures, including Noah Freidel with 10.
Both teams started fast and the game was tied 14-all just six minutes in before JMU, favored by more than 26 points, went on a 20-5 run to pull away.
Indiana 69, Morehead State 68
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Anthony Walker tied a career high with 18 points, Malik Reneau blocked a shot at the buzzer and Indiana overcame a 15-point deficit to beat Morehead State 69-68 on Tuesday night.
Indiana trailed 64-49 with 8:58 remaining. But the Hoosiers scored the next 17 points, taking their first lead — 65-64 — since it was 16-15. The Eagles missed nine consecutive shots during the run.
Walker made two free throws with 1:55 remaining, but his teammates went 1 for 4 the rest of the way to keep Morehead State in it. Dieonte Miles made a hook shot in the lane with 48.5 seconds left to pull the Eagles within one point. After Indiana missed two free throws, Jordan Lathon dribbled down the clock before taking a long jumper that was deflected by Reneau to come well short of the rim as the horn sounded.
Trey Galloway, who scored a career-high 28 points in a 75-71 loss to No. 2 Kansas on Saturday, added 14 points for Indiana (8-3). Freshman Mackenzie Mgbako reached double figures for the sixth straight game with 13 points and Kel’el Ware added 10. Walker’s previous scoring high came on Dec. 19, 2020 while playing for the Miami Hurricanes.
Morehead State (8-4), which entered on a six-game winning streak, was seeking its first win over a Big Ten opponent in 25 games.
The Citadel 65, Notre Dame 45
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Elijah Morgan scored a career-high 19 points against his former team and The Citadel rolled past Notre Dame.
The Citadel (7-5) secured its first win over a Power 5 opponent since defeating Pittsburgh 78-63 on Nov. 9, 2021. It was the program’s second win over an ACC opponent in the last 44 matchups.
Morgan, a former Notre Dame walk-on guard, made 5 of 7 3-pointers. Notre Dame missed its last 19 3-pointers.
Morgan banked in a 3-pointer with 10:18 left in the second half to give The Citadel the first double-digit lead of the game at 48-37. It came during The Citadel’s 23-4 run — for a 55-39 lead — as the Irish missed 11 of 12 shots.
Notre Dame made just four of its first 18 shots of the second half (22%) and finished 17 of 64 (27%).
USC 79, Alabama State 59
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Arrinten Page scored 12 points and Bronny James provided a second-half spark with two quick 3-pointers in USC’s victory over Alabama State.
A few days shy of five months after suffering cardiac arrest, James had a strong second half to help the Trojans (6-5) snap a three-game losing streak. The son of NBA superstar LeBron James hit a pair of 3s in less than two minutes after Alabama State (4-6) dropped a 26-point margin down to 14.
Isaiah Collier and Kobe Johnson both scored 11 points for USC. Johnson also had eight rebounds and Collier had six assists.
TJ Madlock led Alabama State with 17 points and Isaiah Range had 13.
It was the third college game for the freshman James, who made 2 of 5 3-pointers and had three rebounds.
WOMEN
South Carolina 93, Bowling Green 62
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Chloe Kitts scored a career-best 21 points, Bree Hall added 18 and No. 1 South Carolina quickly ended any thoughts Bowling Green may have had of pulling off an historic upset, rolling to a win.
Hall made three 3-pointers and the Gamecocks (11-0) hit their first 10 shots while opening an 18-point lead in the first quarter against the Falcons (6-3), who were facing the nation’s top-ranked team for the first time in school history.
It was more than an average non-conference game for South Carolina as the matchup was also a reunion with first-year Bowling Green coach Fred Chmiel, an assistant with the Gamecocks for eight seasons under Dawn Staley.
While Chmiel was at South Carolina, the Gamecocks went 247-32, developed numerous All-Americans and won national championships in 2017 and 2022. Chmiel’s relationship with Staley stretches back nearly 20 years when he was an assistant for the WNBA’s Charlotte Sting and she was their best player.
South Carolina star center Kamilla Cardoso scored 11 before leaving in the fourth quarter with a lower leg injury that didn’t appear serious.
Morgan Sharps made seven 3-pointers and scored 25 to lead Bowling Green.
Chmiel knew what his team was in for, and the Gamecocks, coming off a 70-point win over Presbyterian, showed why they’re a unanimous No. 1 in the AP poll.
Hall, a junior from Dayton, Ohio, set the tone with her outside shooting and the Gamecocks made their first five 3s before a long miss drew a roar from the sellout crowd of 4,195 fans inside The Stroh Center on BG’s campus.
South Carolina then ramped up its defensive intensity in the second quarter, went on an 18-4 tear and took total control. The Gamecocks led by 21 at halftime, pushed it to 31 after three and 87-47 in the fourth.