Tuesday’s basketball: Central Michigan keeps Eastern at bay
Mount Pleasant — David DiLeo had 20 points, Shawn Roundtree scored seven of his 15 points down the stretch and Kevin McKay pitched in with a double-double as Central Michigan held off Eastern Michigan 86-82 on Tuesday night.
DiLeo hit three 3-pointers and all five of his free throws as the Chippewas (15-6, 4-4 Mid-American Conference) ended a three-game losing streak by beating the Eagles (9-12, 3-5) for the first time since 2015. Roundtree added three from distance, none bigger than his third, which extended CMU’s lead to 80-75 with 2:36 remaining. McKay finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Larry Austin Jr. had 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds and Robert Montgomery scored 12 as all five starters reach double figures.
Paul Jackson topped the Eagles with 21 points, while Kevin McAdoo scored a season-high 20. EMU’s James Thompson IV, who averages a double-double, battled foul trouble and finished with five points and eight boards.
Jackson hit two straight jumpers to pull EMU within 77-75, but Roundtree’s 3 made it a two-possession game. Jackson twice got the Eagles within two points, but Roundtree answered with four straight free throws to wrap up the win.
Western game postponed
Western Michigan’s basketball game against Kent State on Tuesday night has been postponed until Thursday because of inclement weather. The game will start at 6 p.m. on Thursday, then both WMU and Kent State have games scheduled for Saturday. Kent State’s game at Ball State on Saturday is scheduled to start at noon.
Big Ten
(At) No. 21 Maryland 70, Northwestern 52: Bruno Fernando had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Terrapins (17-5, 8-3 Big Ten), who bounced back nicely from an embarrassing loss to Illinois at Madison Square Garden. It was the fourth straight double-double and 13th of the season for Fernando, a 6-foot-10 sophomore who helped Maryland finish with a 44-28 rebounding advantage.
No. 24 Wisconsin 62, (at) Nebraska 51: Brad Davison scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half and Wisconsin (15-6, 7-3 Big Ten) won its fourth straight game. Ethan Happ and Nate Reuvers scored 10 points apiece for Wisconsin. The Cornhuskers (13-8, 3-7), playing their first game without injured forward Isaac Copeland, lost their fourth straight and sixth in eight games. Isaiah Roby, who moved from center to power forward in Copeland’s absence, had 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Top 25
No. 1 Tennessee 92, (at) South Carolina 70: Admiral Schofield had 20 of his 24 points in the second half to lead Tennessee to its school record-tying 15th straight victory. Grant Williams added 23 points for the Vols (19-1, 7-0 Southeastern Conference). Chris Silva had 28 points – only six the second half – and 10 rebounds for South Carolina.
No. 3 Virginia 66, (at) No. 23 North Carolina State 65, OT: Kyle Guy hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with two minutes left in overtime to help Virginia hold off North Carolina State. Ty Jerome had 12 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Cavaliers (19-1, 7-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). The Wolfpack (16-5, 4-4) caught a break when De’Andre Hunter fouled Markell Johnson on a desperation 3 for the tie with 0.9 seconds left. But Johnson missed the first free throw, made the second and then sank the third while apparently trying to miss. Jerome then inbounded the ball to Guy, who flung it to the other end of the court as time expired.
No. 8 Nevada 87, (at) UNLV 70: Caleb Martin had 26 points and six rebounds in leading Nevada (20-1, 7-1 Mountain West) to its six straight victory. The Runnin’ Rebels (11-9, 5-3) lost their second in a row and third in five games. Jordan Caroline added 18 points and 10 rebounds for Nevada, his 12th double-double of the season. Cody Martin chipped in with 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Kris Clyburn paced UNLV with 23 points and eight rebounds. Amauri Hardy scored 17.
No. 7 Kentucky 87, (at) Vanderbilt 52: P.J. Washington had a double-double by halftime and finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds as Kentucky (17-3, 6-1 Southeastern Conference) earned its seventh straight victory. Vanderbilt (9-11, 0-7) has lost eight straight. Saben Lee led the Commodores with 15 points.
No. 9 North Carolina 77, (at) Georgia Tech 54: Cameron Johnson scored 22 points and North Carolina (16-4, 6-1 ACC) won its fourth straight game. Coby White added 19 points and shot 5 of 9 from 3-point range for North Carolina, which made 13 of 27 from beyond the arc. Abdoulaye Gueye scored 14 points to lead Georgia Tech (11-10, 3-5).
(At) Texas 73, No. 11 Kansas 63: Dylan Osetkowksi scored 16 points and Texas (12-9, 4-4 Big 12) used stifling defense to snap a 10-game losing streak to Kansas, which has lost three of its last four. Texas hadn’t beaten the Jayhawks since 2014. Ochai Agbaji led Kansas (16-5, 5-3) with 24 points.
(At) No. 18 Buffalo 83, Ball State 59: Dontay Caruthers scored 21 points and Buffalo (19-2, 7-1 Mid-American Conference) cruised to its 21st straight home victory. CJ Massinburg had 16 points and nine rebounds. K.J. Walton scored 18 before fouling out for Ball State (11-10, 2-6), which dropped its third straight.