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Home Blog Page 14

Things looking up for Grizzlies as they visit Bulls


The Memphis Grizzlies received good news Friday as it became clear star point guard Ja Morant is moving closer to a return.

The face of the franchise is with the team in Chicago and is listed as doubtful for Saturday night’s game against the Bulls.

It is the first time Morant hasn’t been ruled out since sustaining hip and pelvic injuries in a hard fall during a contest against the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 6. The Grizzlies are 4-3 without him.

Getting Morant back in the mix would be a good development for a team that recently saw shooting guard Desmond Bane return from an oblique injury.

Bane enjoyed his best outing in four games since his return during Wednesday’s 117-111 home win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

He recorded 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and knocked down five 3-pointers. Bane was just 2 of 16 from 3-point range over the previous three games.

“It’ll come around,” Bane told reporters of his 3-point shooting. “With me, it always does. I just trust the work I’ve put in, and I know I’m building up my conditioning and getting everything back. My teammates and coaches believe in me, so I don’t really worry about any of that stuff.”

The victory over Philadelphia also marked the 215th career win for coach Taylor Jenkins, surpassing the franchise record held by Lionel Hollins.

Jenkins is in his sixth season with the Grizzlies.

“It’s an unbelievable honor to be among the company of so many great coaches that have come before me,” Jenkins said. “I always talk about the unbelievable responsibility of being the coach of this franchise. It’s a privilege and an honor.

“It’s not about me at the end of the day. We’ve got a lot more work to do. But I wake up every day being happy. It’s an absolute blessing to be in this position.”

The Bulls beat the Grizzlies in Memphis on Oct. 28 in their first meeting of the season. Zach LaVine scored 30 points in the 126-123 victory. LaVine has three straight solid games, averaging 26 points during the stretch while making 15 of 29 3-point attempts.

In Friday’s 136-122 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks, LaVine scored 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field. He made four 3-pointers.

LaVine said his recent solid shooting is due to an increase in comfort level.

“I’m picking my spots better this year,” he said. “You want to have everybody have a rhythm. If I need to come out aggressive, I should do that, but you don’t want to have guys not touch the ball until the third quarter when it really matters.”

LaVine is averaging 22.3 points in 14 games this season. He is displaying the form that led him to average more than 23 points per game in five straight seasons before last season’s injury-riddled campaign limited him to 25 games and a 19.5-point average.

LaVine eventually underwent season-ending foot surgery. He also dealt with more criticism than he had ever previously faced, and his attitude dropped a notch due to the frustration that came with not being able to play.

“I can’t make everybody happy,” LaVine said. “I can’t control if people are wrong or right about their own opinions. I can just go out here and try to continue to do the best I can for myself, my family, my team. I’m being true to myself. That’s a peace in itself.”

Last month’s victory was Chicago’s fourth straight over Memphis.

–Field Level Media

NFL News: Not Purdy: 49ers hit Green Bay with backup QB, no Nick Bosa


Quarterback Brock Purdy and defensive end Nick Bosa are not available for the San Francisco 49ers as they enter Green Bay with designs on finding their finishing kick on Sunday afternoon.

Purdy is out with a right shoulder injury and won’t leave the sideline at Lambeau Field, head coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday. Shanahan also declared Bosa out and confirmed journeyman Brandon Allen would make his 10th career start at quarterback.

“Outside of here people haven’t seen a lot of Brandon. But it’s his second year (with the 49ers),” Shanahan said. “Obviously guys want Brock up, but guys are excited to see Brandon play.”

Shanahan said the 49ers are “a little surprised” Purdy experienced tightness and discomfort in his shoulder after an MRI exam on Monday that showed no long-term cause for concern.

“The way it responded this week, it’s really up in the air for next week,” Shanahan said of Purdy’s long-term prognosis.

Allen’s most recent NFL start on the road was with the Cincinnati Bengals at the Baltimore Ravens in 2020. Allen completed 6 of 21 passes for 48 yards with two interceptions. He finished with a passer rating of 0.0 in a 38-3 loss.

“It’s definitely an opportunity for me to go out and play well and put our guys in a good position to win the game,” Allen said Friday. “And obviously we want Brock back and healthy and all that, but for time being, it is an opportunity for me.”

Purdy took the practice field Thursday with the intent to participate. His shoulder tightened significantly, and the 49ers ushered him off the field to meet with trainers.

Purdy beat the Packers in the NFC divisional playoffs at San Francisco in January, but Allen is familiar to Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.

LaFleur was an assistant coach with the Rams during Allen’s two-year run in Los Angeles. Allen broke into the NFL in 2016 with the Jacksonville Jaguars and is 2-7 in nine career starts. He went 1-2 with the Denver Broncos in 2019 and 1-5 in six starts over two years with the Bengals in 2020 and ‘21.

A victory against the visiting 49ers on Sunday would bolster the Packers’ playoff chances, send a conference rival below .500 and avenge a bitter playoff defeat.

Those seemingly rank in no particular order for the Packers (8-3), although they don’t shy from living at least partially in the past ahead of a Week 12 showdown.

San Francisco eliminated Green Bay 24-21 in the NFC divisional playoffs last season, scoring 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.

“That’s what you’ve got to sit with all offseason, is going back, watching the game, trying to see what you could have done better,” Packers quarterback Jordan Love said. “What you could have done differently in that game. … Just knowing that’s the team that knocked us out, we’re definitely hungry for this game.”

Ditto for San Francisco. The 49ers fell to 5-5 after last week’s 20-17 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks, done in by Geno Smith’s 13-yard touchdown run with 12 seconds to play.

Still only a game behind NFC West-leading Arizona, the reigning conference champion 49ers are just 1-3 in division play and can ill afford to lose more ground.

A visit to the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills awaits after the trip to Green Bay.

While they’re dealing with plenty of not-so-good news on the injury front, the 49ers do anticipate the return of George Kittle. The tight end does not carry an injury designation and is eager to play after a nagging hamstring injury sidelined him against the Seahawks.

“Very excited,” Kittle said. “Can’t pass up playing the Packers, so no, I will be out there for sure.”

While Kittle likely will play on Sunday, cornerback Charvarius Ward has been ruled out and will miss his third game following the death of his 1-year-old daughter. Linebacker Tatum Bethune (knee), defensive lineman Kevin Givens (groin) and wide receiver Jacob Cowing (concussion) also have been ruled out, while offensive tackle Trent Williams (ankle) and offensive lineman Jon Feliciano (knee) is questionable.

As for the Packers, cornerback Jaire Alexander (knee) and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (hamstring) have been ruled out and defensive end Colby Wooden (shoulder) is questionable for Sunday’s game.

Allen was a three-year starter at Arkansas but has been a journeyman backup since entering the NFL in 2016 as the 201st overall pick of the Jaguars.

Shanahan and LaFleur have been fierce competitors since twice working together, first as low-level assistants with the Houston Texans in 2008, then on the so-called “dream team” staff in Washington that also included Sean McVay, Mike McDaniel and Raheem Morris; and two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons (2015, 2016) where LaFleur was quarterbacks coach and Shanahan called the plays.

Shanahan scored the most recent win over LaFleur in January. Green Bay has won seven of the past eight regular-season meetings between the franchises.

But the familiarity and shared-brain approach to offense that has the coaches completed each other’s play calls has led to some tight games. The past three at Lambeau Field were all decided by three points.

Green Bay, which hosts a home game on Thanksgiving next Thursday, is starting a run of three games in 12 days. They’ll play back-to-back Thursday games. Their Week 14 game is at Detroit.

That might make it good news for LaFleur that surprising contributors have emerged of late.

Packers wideout Christian Watson had a career-best 150 receiving yards on only four catches during last week’s 20-19 road win against the Chicago Bears. His diving 60-yard reception in the fourth quarter put the Packers in position for Love’s go-ahead, 1-yard scoring run with 2:59 to play.

Watson entered the game with eight catches for 83 yards over his previous three contests, but LaFleur assured Watson remains a “big part” of the attack.

“He’s a guy who’s got every measurable known to man in terms of the size, the speed, and it’s not like those were easy plays he was making,” LaFleur said. “He was making tough, contested catches.”

San Francisco will aim to generate more pressure against Love than the Bears, who sacked him just once. The 49ers collected four sacks against the Seahawks, with Bosa and Leonard Floyd contributing 1.5 apiece.

Recent regular-season history between the Packers and 49ers at Lambeau Field has favored Green Bay.

The Packers have won seven of their past eight home games against the 49ers and are 22-11 versus San Francisco at home all-time. Green Bay leads the series 34-28-1.

–Field Level Media

Top 25 roundup: Cooper Flagg, No. 12 Duke down No. 17 Arizona


Cooper Flagg scored 24 points and No. 12 Duke picked up its first victory against a power-conference team this season by defeating No. 17 Arizona 69-55 on Friday night at Tucson, Ariz.

Kon Knueppel scored most of his 13 points courtesy of three 3-pointers as Duke’s top two scorers were freshmen in the team’s first true road game of the season. The Blue Devils overcame 8-for-13 shooting on free throws.

Duke avenged a loss to Arizona last November on the Blue Devils’ home court.

Jaden Bradley led Arizona (2-2), which won its first two home games, with 18 points and five steals. KJ Lewis added 12 points. Wildcats guard Caleb Love, a transfer from North Carolina, managed just eight points on 3-for-13 shooting, including 1-for-9 on 3-point attempts.

No. 7 Houston 80, Hofstra 44

Joseph Tugler scored 17 points on 6-of-6 shooting off the bench while Emanuel Sharp made all five of his three-point attempts, leading the Cougars to a wire-to-wire victory over the visiting Pride.

Sharp finished with 16 points and is now 11-of-15 from 3-point range this season. Terrance Arceneaux scored 12 points for Houston (3-1) on 5-of-7 shooting.

Cruz Davis Hofstra (4-2) with Pride with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting.

No. 9 Kentucky 108, Jackson State 59

Koby Brea scored 22 points as the Wildcats used a potent fastbreak attack and impressive 3-point shooting to remain undefeated, beating the visiting Tigers at the BBN Invitational in Lexington, Ky.

The Wildcats (5-0) scored 43 fastbreak points and hit a season-best 17 3-pointers on 39 attempts (43.6 percent) en route to their third 100-point game this season. Kentucky outscored Jackson State 44-32 in the paint and threw down 11 dunks to the Tigers’ two.

Jackson State (0-6) led for just 16 seconds in the early going and trailed by double digits for the game’s final 31:53. Marcus Watson Jr. paced the Tigers with 12 points.

No. 10 North Carolina 87, Hawaii 69

RJ Davis scored 18 points, Elliot Cadeau notched 12 of his 17 points in the second half and the Tar Heels began their week on the Hawaiian islands by pummeling the Rainbow Warriors in Honolulu.

North Carolina (3-1) went on an 11-0 run early in the second half to create separation against Hawaii (4-1), which had been chipping away at a first-half deficit of as many as 11 points.

Gytis Nemeiksa and Tanner Christensen each recorded double-doubles for the Rainbow Warriors. Nemeiksa scored a team-high 16 points and Christensen added 10, with both grabbing 10 rebounds.

No. 11 Tennessee 77, No. 13 Baylor 62

Chaz Lanier poured in 25 points, all of them in the first half when he knocked down seven 3-pointers, as the Volunteers built a huge early lead and waltzed past the Bears in the title game of the Baha Mar Hoops Championship in Nassau, Bahamas.

Tennessee (6-0) led by as many as 28 points and easily contained Baylor, which never got closer than 15 points in the second half. Jordan Gainey added 16 points for the Volunteers, who outshot Baylor 52.2 percent to 42.4 percent.

Norchad Omier led the Bears (4-2) with 22 points and 10 rebounds and freshman VJ Edgecombe, a Bahamas native, added 20 points.

Nebraska 74, No. 14 Creighton 63

Juwan Gary scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds and helped make Ryan Kalkbrenner a non-factor on offense as the Cornhuskers beat the Bluejays in Omaha, Neb.

Brice Williams also finished with 16 points for Nebraska (4-1). Connor Essegian had a season-high 15 points.

Nebraska’s frontcourt smothered Kalkbrenner, the Bluejays’ star center who is considered one of the best players in college basketball. He was held to 0-for-1 field-goal shooting and four points. Pop Isaacs led Creighton (4-1) with 25 points.

No. 19 Wisconsin 86, UCF 70

John Blackwell scored 17 points and John Tonje added 15 to lead the Badgers to a win over the Knights at the Greenbrier Tip-Off in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.

Wisconsin advances to the final on Sunday to face Pitt, a 74-63 winner over LSU on Friday. UCF will play in the consolation game on Sunday vs. LSU. The Badgers (6-0) also got 14 from Kamari McGee on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor. Nolan Winter scored 13 and grabbed a game-high 10 boards.

Jordan Ivy-Curry led the way for UCF (4-1) with 13 points despite shooting 3-for-14 from the floor.

No. 20 Arkansas 79, Little Rock 67

Adou Thiero had 23 points, eight rebounds and six steals for the Razorbacks, who withstood a late charge from the Trojans in Fayetteville, Ark.

Boogie Fland (21 points), D.J. Wagner (11) and Zvonimir Ivisic (10) also finished in double figures for Arkansas (4-1). Fland added seven assists.

Mwani Wilkinson paced Little Rock (3-3) with 18 points while Johnathan Lawson had 15 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.

No. 21 Florida 93, Southern Illinois 68

Alijah Martin poured in a game-high 32 points and made eight 3-pointers, the most by a Gators player since January 2019, in a lopsided win over the Salukis in Gainesville, Fla.

Thomas Haugh came off the bench to add 19 points for Florida (6-0), which entered the game hitting 28.9 percent of its 3-pointers and finished the night with a season-high 16 on 39 attempts (41 percent).

Ali Dibba scored 17 points to pace Southern Illinois (2-3). Leading scorer Elijah Elliott, who came in averaging 16.5 points and shooting 55.3 percent from the field, made just 1 of 6 and managed only four points before leaving the game with 16:33 left after sustaining an apparent leg injury.

No. 22 St. John’s 80, Virginia 55

RJ Luis Jr. scored nine of his 18 points during a decisive first-half run for the Red Storm, who cruised past the Cavaliers in the consolation game of the Baha Mar Championship in Nassau, Bahamas.

Deivon Smith (10 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists) just missed a triple-double for St. John’s (5-1), which fell to No. 13 Baylor 99-98 on Jeremy Roach’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer in double overtime Thursday night.

Elijah Sanders scored 12 points while Andrew Rohde had 11 points off the bench for Virginia (3-2).

–Field Level Media

No. 10 North Carolina breezes to victory at Hawaii


RJ Davis scored 18 points, Elliot Cadeau notched 12 of his 17 points in the second half and No. 10 North Carolina began its week on the Hawaiian islands with an 87-69 win over Hawaii on Friday in Honolulu.

The Tar Heels (3-1) went on an 11-0 run in early in the second half to create separation against the Rainbow Warriors (4-1). The quick burst put a halt to a gradual chipping away at a first-half deficit of as many as 11 points for Hawaii.

The Rainbow Warriors pulled within three points just before halftime, and they were down by five after Tanner Christensen’s dunk 27 seconds into the second half. North Carolina then ripped off the next 11, part of an overall run of 19-4 that expanded the gap to 60-40.

The Tar Heels’ advantage remained in double-digits the rest of the way, though Hawaii had a few opportunities to pull within nine or 10 points midway through the half. A missed Gytis Nemeiksa free throw with Hawaii down by 12 points led to a Cadeau layup, igniting a 14-6 Tar Heels run that blew the game open.

Seth Trimble joined Cadeau in pacing North Carolina in the second half, scoring 11 of his 13 points after intermission. Trimble finished 6-for-7 from the foul line, part of the Tar Heels’ 26-for-34 night at the charity stripe.

Ian Jackson came off the North Carolina bench to score 11 points, six on a perfect performance from the free-throw line.

The Tar Heels were able to get to the stripe consistently by attacking the rim, which also helped produce 44 points in the paint. North Carolina limited Hawaii to 26 points on the interior.

Nemeiksa and Christensen each recorded double-doubles for the Rainbow Warriors. Nemeiksa scored a team-high 16 points and Christensen added 10, with both grabbing 10 rebounds.

Akira Jacobs shot 3-of-6 from 3-point range and finished with 13 points off the bench, and Marcus Greene contributed 10 points.

The Tar Heels begin play in the Maui Invitational against Dayton on Monday. Hawaii plays host to Hawaii Pacific on Tuesday.

–Field Level Media

Stanford looks to avenge last season’s loss to Santa Clara


Stanford will look to remain undefeated when the Cardinal leave home for the first time this season for a game at Santa Clara on Saturday night.

Maxime Raynaud posted his fifth straight double-double and Jaylen Blakes scored 18 points Wednesday night as the Cardinal (5-0) completed an unbeaten five-game, season-opening homestand with a 70-63 victory over Norfolk State.

Raynaud, who put up 20 points and 10 rebounds on Wednesday, will get a chance to exact some personal revenge against Santa Clara (2-3). Fellow Frenchman Adama-Alpha Bal contributed 23 points for the Broncos in their 89-77 road win over the Cardinal last November.

The loss stung worse than most for Raynaud, who finished with 26 points and seven rebounds in that contest.

“I was kind of upset about that. I wanted to win against him,” Raynaud said. “I’m so proud of him.”

After playing for France in international competitions, including winning the U20 European Championships in the summer of 2023, both are back in Northern California and leading their respective programs again.

Raynaud, who was named Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week on Monday, leads the ACC with 12.2 rebounds per game and is second in scoring at 21 points per contest.

Meanwhile, Bal has scored in double figures in four of Santa Clara’s five games, the most recent of which was a 96-54 blowout of visiting UC Riverside on Tuesday.

Bal, who had 17 points and went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc against the Highlanders, acknowledged he has a friendly rivalry with Raynaud.

“All the French prospects, we all played together (when we were) younger. We always knew we had something special coming,” Bal said. “People are starting to recognize that we have a lot of very good players in France right now.”

Santa Clara has split its two home games this season. Bal scored 18 points as the Broncos lost 88-80 in overtime to North Dakota State on Nov. 13.

–Field Level Media

Tyler Harris scores 27 as Washington tops pesky Alcorn State


Tyler Harris scored a career-high 27 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds as Washington pulled away late to defeat Alcorn State 77-60 on Friday night in a nonconference game in Seattle.

Zoom Diallo added 15 points for the Huskies (4-1) in a game that featured seven ties and seven lead changes. Great Osobor, a preseason all-Big Ten selection who entered the game leading UW with 14.8 points and 13.0 rebounds per game, managed just eight points on 2-of-4 shooting from the field and four boards in 29 minutes.

Keionte Cornelius led a balanced attack with 13 points for the Braves (0-6). Marcus Tankersley scored 12 and Michael Pajeaud added 10 points and a team-high six rebounds.

Washington shot 49 percent from the field and won the rebounding battle 36-30. The Huskies had a 32-18 advantage in points in the paint and 17-6 on second-chance points.

The Huskies led 14-8 when Alcorn State’s Omari Hamilton sparked an 8-0 run, scoring six points during the span.

The Braves increased their lead to 30-24 with 4:49 left in the half before the Huskies’ Jase Butler made a 3-pointer that ignited a 6-0 run to even the score. Washington led 36-34 at the half on Mekhi Mason’s putback at the buzzer.

Harris, a sophomore transfer from Portland, led the UW with 12 points at the intermission. Hamilton, Jalyke Gaines-Wyatt, Cornelius and Tankersley scored six points apiece for the Braves before the break.

The Huskies didn’t take a double-digit lead until Diallo’s two free throws capped a 9-0 run to make it 60-50 with 9:25 remaining.

Alcorn State entered the game last in NCAA Division I in shooting percentage (.329) and second to last in scoring with 52 points per game.

The Braves shot 48.1 percent in the first half (13 of 27) and surpassed their season scoring average when Cornelius made two free throws with 7:10 left to cut Washington’s lead to 63-54. Alcorn State made just 10 of 31 attempts in the second half to finish the game at 39.7 percent.

–Field Level Media

Pair of freshmen lead No. 12 Duke’s win over No. 17 Arizona


Cooper Flagg scored 24 points and No. 12 Duke picked up its first victory against a power-conference team this season by defeating No. 17 Arizona 69-55 on Friday night at Tucson, Ariz.

Kon Knueppel scored most of his 13 points courtesy of three 3-pointers as Duke’s top two scorers were freshmen in the team’s first true road game of the season. The Blue Devils overcame 8-for-13 shooting on free throws.

Duke avenged a loss to Arizona last November on the Blue Devils’ home court.

Duke’s Kahman Maluach and Tyrese Proctor both had eight points despite not scoring in the second half.

Jaden Bradley led Arizona (2-2), which won its first two home games, with 18 points and five steals. KJ Lewis added 12 points.

The Wildcats couldn’t muster much of a rally in large part because of too many problems offensively. They shot 39.6 from the field, committed 15 turnovers and collected only six offensive rebounds.

Guard Caleb Love of Arizona managed just eight points on 3-for-13 shooting, including 1-for-9 on 3-pointers. He is a transfer from North Carolina and he previously tormented the Blue Devils when he played for their Atlantic Coast Conference rivals and in last year’s meeting for Arizona.

Flagg made 10 of 22 shots from the field. He posted 16 of Duke’s 35 points in the second half. The Blue Devils made only 42.6 percent of their shots from the floor.

Duke was up 47-33 after Flagg’s dunk with about 12 1/2 minutes to play. That advantage was cut to 55-48 about seven minutes later.

Knueppel drained two 3-pointers in the final 5 1/2 minutes to help cut off potential momentum for the Wildcats. The second of those shots gave the Blue Devils a 62-49 lead.

Duke received key production in several areas, with Maliq Brown’s seven rebounds off the bench helping the team’s 43-30 advantage on the boards. Knueppel also had seven rebounds.

Duke led 34-27 at halftime, aided by the Wildcats’ 3-for-12 shooting on 3-pointers. Both teams committed eight turnovers.

–Field Level Media

UCLA rides defense to demolition of Cal State Fullerton


Kobe Johnson scored 12 points, grabbed six rebounds and added five assists, and a stifling UCLA defense shut down Cal State Fullerton en route to an 80-47 victory on Friday in Los Angeles.

UCLA (5-1) won its fourth straight game, all by double-digit margins, and remained perfect at home, thanks in part to a strong defensive effort. The Bruins held Cal State Fullerton (1-5) to 15-of-52 shooting from the floor, 28.8 percent, while forcing the Titans into 21 turnovers.

UCLA converted those takeaways into 27 points.

Although the Bruins never trailed, their defense did not completely take over until late in the first half. Cal State Fullerton trailed 28-23 with 5:38 remaining before intermission thanks to a Davis Bynum 3-pointer, part of his 10 points on the night.

The Titans managed only two more points the rest of the half, and UCLA went on a 20-4 run that carried over to the first media timeout of the second half.

The Bruins sealed the win with a 13-1 surge midway through the second half.

UCLA’s offense, meanwhile, committed just seven turnovers. The Bruins shot 30-for-60 from the floor, with 22 of their made baskets coming from assists. Johnson’s five led seven UCLA players with at least two assists, including Dylan Andrews with four.

Five Bruins scored in double figures, including Aday Mara and Trent Perry with 10 points apiece off the bench. Tyler Bilodeau and Eric Dailey Jr. each had 11 points.

Keith Richard matched Bynum’s 10 points for Cal State Fullerton’s team high. Donovan Oday finished with seven points.

Bynum and Zachary Visentin each grabbed eight rebounds for the Titans. Cal State Fullerton grabbed 13 offensive rebounds but managed just seven second-chance points.

–Field Level Media

BYU hopes to cap homestand on high note vs. MVSU


BYU will try to add to its undefeated start to the season Saturday night when it concludes a five-game homestand against Mississippi Valley State in Provo, Utah.

The Cougars (4-0) won their first four games at the Marriott Center by an average of 28 points. Most recently, BYU earned a 95-71 come-from-behind win over Idaho on Nov. 16.

The Delta Devils (1-4) are in the midst of a six-game trip that will include a three-game stretch against Big 12 teams — Kansas State, BYU and Utah.

Arthur Tate scored 16 and Antonio Sisk netted 15 points in Mississippi Valley State’s 74-56 loss at Kansas State on Tuesday. The Delta Devils come into the Saturday matchup having lost three consecutive games, including losses at Missouri and Texas.

BYU has enjoyed a week off since upending Idaho after a slow start. The Vandals hit five of their first six 3-point attempts and led by as many as seven points in the first half. The Cougars rallied to take a 41-38 halftime lead and then outscored Idaho by 21 points in the second half for the blowout victory.

“I thought it was good for our guys to have to go through a game that was closer than the score indicated,” BYU coach Kevin Young said. “I was happy with our execution down the stretch. I thought we ran some timely offense.”

Fousseyni Traore and Richie Saunders led the way for BYU, which is only a few spots outside the Top 25 rankings.

Traore amassed a career-high 29 points, shooting 11 of 12 from the floor and 7 of 7 from the free-throw line, and grabbed nine rebounds. Saunders added a career-high 26 points with four steals and three blocks.

Freshman phenom Egor Demin amassed 16 points, seven assists, three blocks and three steals to help BYU open the season with four straight victories for the second straight season. The Cougars began 8-0 in 2023-24.

–Field Level Media

Texas’ balanced scoring enough to beat Saint Joseph’s


Tre Johnson scored 17 points to lead four Texas scorers in double figures, and the Longhorns beat Saint Joseph’s 67-58 to win the Legends Classic championship on Friday in New York City.

Texas (5-1) went back-and-forth with Saint Joseph’s (4-2) for most of the night, combining for eight ties and 10 lead changes. But the Longhorns took the lead for good with 5:02 remaining when Kadin Shedrick tipped home a dunk off a Johnson miss.

Shedrick threw down another put-back dunk on the following possession, igniting Texas on a 16-6 run to close out the game.

Johnson and Shedrick combined for 12 of the 16 points in the Longhorns’ decisive run. All six of Shedrick’s points in that stretch came from dunks, and he finished the night with 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks.

Arthur Kaluma added 14 points and three blocks for Texas, and Julian Larry shot 3-of-4 from the floor, 2-of-2 from 3-point range and 4-of-4 at the free-throw line en route to 12 points.

Rasheer Fleming led Saint Joseph’s with 16 points, 20 rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

Xzayvier Brown was the only other Hawks player to score in double figures, finishing with 15 points. He shot 4-of-7 from beyond the 3-point arc. Aside from Brown and Anthony Finkley, who scored all six of his points on 2-of-2 3-point shooting, the rest of the Saint Joseph’s lineup went 1-of-14 from long distance.

The Hawks’ shooting woes also showed up inside the arc, where Saint Joseph’s went 14-of-43. The Hawks went 9-of-17 at the charity stripe, including a pair by Derek Simpson that would have given Saint Joseph’s the lead back before Texas began its late-game run.

–Field Level Media