Sophomore guard Mason Falslev scored a career-high-tying 25 points and grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds while leading Utah State to a 77-69 victory over Iowa on Friday during the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Mo.

Falslev scored 16 points in the second half as Utah State (5-0) overcame a four-point halftime deficit. Ian Martinez added 13 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Aggies, who outrebounded the Hawkeyes 47-31.

Sophomore point guard Brock Harding paced Iowa (5-1) with a career-high 19 points to go with five assists and four steals. Owen Freeman notched 18 points and 11 rebounds and leading scorer Payton Sandfort posted 14 points but made just 1 of 13 3-point attempts. Iowa finished 5 of 26 (19.2 percent) from 3-point range.

Utah State entered the game with the nation’s best scoring offense (104 points per game) and Iowa wasn’t far behind (86.6 ppg), but both teams came out determined to show their defensive chops.

The Aggies’ aggressive matchup zone forced the Hawkeyes into missing their first nine 3-point attempts in the opening seven minutes. Iowa’s three-quarter-court pressure forced Utah State to throw multiple passes out of boards, and both teams challenged the other’s dunks and layups and swatted five shots apiece in the first half.

Utah State built two early five-point leads thanks to Tucker Anderson’s 3-pointer and fastbreak layup. However, Iowa carried a 37-33 lead into halftime as Freeman scored all 10 of his points in the paint.

Neither team could build more than a six-point lead in the second half until the final minutes. When Sandfort broke free for a dunk at the 12:52 mark, he gave Iowa a 53-49 edge.

Martinez responded by driving the baseline and dunking over 6-foot-8 freshman Cooper Koch. That triggered a crucial 9-0 Aggies run as Martinez sandwiched a 20-footer and a 3-pointer around two Falslev free throws to give Utah State a 58-53 lead with 10 minutes to play.

Martinez picked up his fourth foul with 8:42 left and took a seat with the Aggies clinging to a 58-55 edge. After Utah State gave up back-to-back layups to Harding and Freeman to see its lead shrink to 63-61, Martinez returned with 4:17 to go.

Utah State pushed its lead to 68-61 with three minutes to go as Karson Templin made a layup and Falslev swished a 3-pointer with the shot clock running out. Iowa could get no closer than 4 the rest of the way.

–Field Level Media

Caleb Grill scored 25 points and made five steals as Missouri routed Pacific 91-56 Friday night in Columbia, Mo.

Tamar Bates added 11 points and Trent Pierce scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds in just 14 minutes for Missouri (4-1).

Coach Dennis Gates used 12 players and 11 of them scored as Missouri got 57 points off of its bench. Grill sank seven 3-pointers.

Elias Ralph led Pacific (3-4) with 19 points. Seth Jones added 15.

Pacific missed just of 29 shots from 3-point range and got outscored 17-6 at the free-throw line.

Pacific raced to a 9-4 lead with its half-court offense freeing up cutters to the basket. Ralph scored three times at the rim during that run.

With Marques Warrick hitting two free throws and a 3-point jumper, Missouri used a 7-0 run for its first lead at 11-9.

Missouri picked up its offensive pace by forcing live-ball turnovers with its 1-3-1 zone defense and then scoring in transition. It pushed its lead to 27-15 with 3-pointers by Grill and Josh Gray.

Grill hit consecutive 3-pointers, then converted his steal into a fast break basket to put Missouri up 40-24.

Pacific countered with a 5-0 run with Jones hitting a 3-pointer, but Missouri closed the half with a 14-2 surge to take a 54-31 lead into the break,

In the first half, Missouri hit 10 of 19 shots from 3-point range, outscored Pacific 13-0 in transition and built a 31-7 edge in bench points. Pacific turned the ball over seven times in the first 20 minutes.

Grill and Mark Mitchell hit 3-point jumpers to keep Missouri rolling into the second half with a 9-2 push for a 63-33 lead.

Pacific could get no closer than 26 points during the rest of the game.

–Field Level Media

Nick Dorn scored 24 points and hit the go-ahead basket with 94 seconds left as Elon executed down the stretch in an 84-77 victory over Notre Dame on Friday night in South Bend, Ind.

The Phoenix (3-2) earned their second straight win and never allowed Notre Dame to surge ahead in coach Billy Taylor’s return to his alma mater. Elon earned the win by outscoring the Fighting Irish 10-2 over the final 1:34.

Dorn made 8 of 10 shots and answered a tip-in by Notre Dame’s Kebba Njie with a layup to put the Phoenix up 76-75.

The Phoenix took a 78-75 lead on a basket by Issac Harrell with 63 seconds left. TJ Simpkins converted a tip-in for a five-point lead with 26 seconds remaining, and following a turnover by Notre Dame’s Braeden Shrewsberry, Simpkins sank two free throws to seal it with 10 seconds to go.

TK Simpkins scored 17 points and six assists, and twin brother TJ Simpkins contributed 16 points for Elon. Sam Sherry chipped in 13 and blocked Markus Burton at the rim with 50 seconds left.

The Phoenix shot 57.1 percent from the floor and outrebounded Notre Dame 35-24.

Burton led the Fighting Irish (4-1) with 25 points but missed two layups in the final 50 seconds. Shrewsberry added 22 for Notre Dame, which shot 36.7 percent in the second half and 47.5 percent overall.

After overcoming a seven-point deficit, Notre Dame held a 46-41 lead by halftime. The Fighting Irish took a 53-45 edge on a floater by Shrewsberry with 17:34 left but Elon countered with a 13-3 run and took a 58-56 lead on a lob dunk by TJ Simpkins with 13:15 left.

Elon held a 70-67 lead after two foul shots by Sherry with 5:46 left and led 72-70 on another basket by Sherry less than a minute later. The Fighting Irish took a 73-72 lead on a Davis free throw with 4:22 but managed just four points the rest of the way.

–Field Level Media

Marcus Hill scored 19 points as host North Carolina State pulled away from visiting William & Mary to win 84-61 on Friday night in Raleigh, N.C.

Hill shot 7-for-13 from the floor and also had four rebounds, two assists and two steals in the win.

NC State (5-0) also got 12 points apiece from Jayden Taylor and Dontrez Styles, as well as 10 points and nine rebounds from Brandon Huntley-Hatfield. Off the bench, Ben Middlebrooks added a stat-stuffing effort of 11 points, seven rebounds, five blocks and three assists.

For the Tribe (3-4), Noah Collier scored a game-high 25 points while Gabe Dorsey added 13 points and four rebounds.

The Tribe jumped out to a four-point lead early on following a sequence where Collier threw down a dunk, Dorsey swished a 3-pointer, and then Collier tipped back in one of his teammate’s missed layups. NC State quickly rallied though, breaking off a 20-3 run, capped off by Huntley-Hatfield knocking down a shot from outside the arc and then dunking on the next possession.

NC State led by as much as 25 points.

Leading by 19 entering the second half, the Wolfpack saw their advantage shrink to just seven points with 5:29 to play after an 18-6 run by William & Mary. NC State answered again though, closing the game on a 22-6 run — a stretch that featured a highlight-worthy two-handed dunk in transition and smooth 3-pointer from Styles, who finished with nine points.

NC State forced the Tribe into 21 turnovers and created 29 points off those extra possessions. The Wolfpack also outscored William & Mary 36-9 on fast breaks and 46-28 in the paint.

Next up for undefeated NC State — which has yet to face a power conference opponent this season — is a Final Four rematch with No. 6 Purdue on Thanksgiving in San Diego.

–Field Level Media

Koby Brea scored 22 points as No. 9 Kentucky used a potent fastbreak attack and impressive 3-point shooting to remain undefeated with a 108-59 rout of visiting Jackson State on Friday 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.

Brea shot 8-of-11 from the floor and drilled 5 of 8 3-pointers for the Wildcats, who also got 21 points and three steals from Otega Oweh. Jaxson Robinson tallied 14 points, including four threes, while Lamont Butler chipped in 11 points and five assists.

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. The Tigers battled on the backboard, getting outrebounded by one, 41-40.

Marcus Watson Jr. paced the visitors with 12 points and freshman Dorian McMillian added 11 points. JSU connected on just 23 of 69 shots (33.3 percent) and finished just 4-of-21 (19 percent) from 3-point range.

Jackson State grabbed a 5-3 advantage before Robinson answered with his second 3-pointer.

Robinson added a third trey to help Kentucky open an 18-7 lead with 14:55 left in the opening half. Jackson State pulled to within 18-12, but the Wildcats then ran off a 15-2 run to stretch their advantage to 33-14 with 9:03 left in the first half.

Kentucky extended the first-half lead to 26 and held a 54-30 edge at halftime. Jackson State never pulled closer than 23 points for the remainder of the game. The Wildcats’ lead peaked at 51 (108-57) in the final minute after a 12-0 run before Watson made the last basket of the game.

Kentucky hosts Western Kentucky on Tuesday, while Jackson State visits Lipscomb on Sunday.

The Wildcats beat Lipscomb 97-68 on Tuesday and the Tigers fell to Western Kentucky 79-62 on Wednesday.

–Field Level Media

Louisville got 20 points from reserve Reyne Smith as the host Cardinals pulled away from Winthrop 76-61 on Friday.

Two teams that came in averaging more than 82 points a game were in a more defensive-minded contest as Louisville’s Pat Kelsey coached against the school he led for nine seasons now. The Eagles are now coached by Mark Prosser, a longtime Kelsey assistant.

The Cardinals (3-1) held the Eagles (4-3) to a season-worst 31.4 percent shooting, including only 28.9 percent in the first half. Even so, Winthrop stayed with Louisville throughout the half, trailing just 35-27 at halftime thanks to grabbing 11 offensive rebounds that led to 12 second-chance points and forcing 12 Louisville turnovers.

While Winthrop’s shooting woes continued in the second half, Louisville tightened up on the boards. A 25-18 rebounding margin after the break allowed the Cardinals to keep the Eagles at bay, as Louisville led by double digits for the final 7:54.

Smith, who came with Kelsey from the College of Charleston, did his damage from outside. He made 5 of 9 3-point attempts to lead Louisville.

J’Vonne Hadley posted 12 points and 13 rebounds, the latter total a career high for the transfer from Colorado.

Louisville’s James Scott added 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting. After being held scoreless without a shot against Tennessee two weeks ago, the 6-foot-11 transfer from the College of Charleston has made 10 of his past 11 shots.

Louisville came into the game Friday short-handed. Besides Aboubacar Traore, who is out with a broken arm and expected to miss several weeks, the Cardinals also were without Koren Johnson, who also missed his second straight game with a shoulder injury. It’s uncertain when Johnson, a reserve guard who averaged 20 minutes in the Cardinals’ first two games, will return to action.

Winthrop struggled inside and out. The Eagles hit just 6 of 29 3-point attempts and succeeded on only 8 of 19 layup attempts.

Kelton Talford led the Eagles with 15 points and nine rebounds. K.J. Doucet scored all 13 of his points in the second half and grabbed 10 boards. Paul Jones III added 12 points, and Kasen Harrison finished with 10 points.

–Field Level Media

Darrion Williams scored 20 points, including five straight in a key stretch of the second half, and Texas Tech held on to defeat Syracuse 79-74 in the third-place game of the Legends Classic in New York on Friday night.

JT Toppin finished with 15 points, six rebounds and three blocks and Chance McMillian nailed three 3-pointers while finishing with 13 points for the Red Raiders (5-1). Elijah Hawkins had 11 points and six assists, and Williams added six rebounds.

J.J. Starling scored 27 points on 9-of-15 shooting and Chris Bell netted 22 points, going 11-for-11 from the free-throw line for the Orange (3-2). Bell missed a late 3-point attempt as Syracuse tried to rally.

Texas Tech, which committed two turnovers in the first two minutes of the game but only one after that, led most of the way, although the teams were within five points of each other for much of the first 28 minutes.

With the Red Raiders ahead by four with 12 minutes to go in the game, Toppin scored on an alley-oop pass from Williams. After an offensive foul by Syracuse, Williams hit a 3-pointer to make it a nine-point lead. The Orange then missed a 3-point try, and Williams drove for a layup to make it 55-44 with 10:44 to play.

Syracuse tried to rally, getting as close as five points on multiple occasions, including with 3:16 to play on Eddie Lampkin Jr.’s jumper to make it 68-63.

However, Bell missed a wide-open 3-point attempt that would have pulled the Orange within two with 1:41 left, and Williams responded with a turnaround jumper on the other end to push the lead to 71-64. Syracuse didn’t threaten again.

In the first half, Starling, who played all 40 minutes of Syracuse’s Thursday loss to Texas, scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including back-to-back layups late in the half as the Orange whittled away a seven-point deficit. His 3-pointer with 49 seconds left tied the game 31-31, which was the halftime score.

Williams, who entered averaging 15.2 per game, led the Red Raiders with seven points at the break.

Texas Tech shot 42.9 percent overall and 8 of 24 (33.3 percent) on 3-point tries. Syracuse, which committed 12 turnovers, shot 41.5 percent from the floor but just 6 of 21 (28.6 percent) from long range.

–Field Level Media

RJ Luis Jr. scored nine of his 18 points during a decisive first-half run for No. 22 St. John’s, which cruised to an 80-55 win over Virginia in the consolation game of the Baha Mar Championship in the Bahamas on Friday.

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. Kadary Richmond had 12 points while Zuby Ejiofor (eight points, nine rebounds) nearly had a double-double.

Elijah Sanders scored 12 points while Andrew Rohde had 11 points off the bench for Virginia (3-2), which opened play in the Bahamas with a 64-42 loss to No. 11 Tennessee on Thursday night. Isaac McKneely added 10 points.

Virginia took its lone lead Friday at 7-6 on a 3-pointer by Dai Dai Ames with 15:58 left in the first half. Richmond’s dunk 37 seconds later gave St. John’s the lead for good and began a 10-0 run in which the Cavaliers were 0-for-2 from the field and 0-for-3 from the line while committing three turnovers.

A 3-pointer by Aaron Scott put St. John’s ahead by double digits for the first time at 19-8 before Virginia scored the next eight points and pulled within three points on Blake Buchanan’s jumper with 9:24 left.

Luis hit a 3-pointer to begin a 16-0 run for St. John’s. Virginia was 0-for-4 with six turnovers during the Red Storm’s surge, which lasted more than seven minutes.

McKneely scored seven points — including a four-point play in the final second — as the Cavaliers ended the half on a 10-4 run to cut the deficit to 39-26. Saunders opened the second half with a layup, but St. John’s scored the next six points.

The Red Storm went ahead by 20 points for good at 52-32 on a dunk by Luis with 14:27 left and opened their biggest lead at 72-43 when Ejiofor drained a jumper with 6:01 remaining.

–Field Level Media

Pierre Brooks II logged a game-high 23 points and 12 rebounds for Butler, which started the second half with a decisive run to beat Merrimack 78-39 on Friday night in Indianapolis.

Andre Screen had 12 points and nine rebounds while Jahmyl Telfort and Patrick McCaffery put up 11 points apiece for the Bulldogs (4-1). Evan Haywood added 10 points.

Adam Clark led the Warriors (1-4) with eight points. Matt Becht and David Murray each chipped in six points for Merrimack.

The Bulldogs turned a close game into a rout with a 28-2 run to start the second half. Butler led 37-31 at halftime but held Merrimack to 1-for-22 shooting from the field and 0-of-9 from three-point range for the first 14 minutes of the second half.

Merrimack scored just eight points in the second half. The Warriors shot 29.8 percent from the floor for the game and 14.3 percent (3-for-21) from long distance.

While the Warriors mixed 2-3 and 1-3-1 zones to slow down the Bulldogs’ offensive flow in the first half, it was a different game after halftime. Butler worked the ball around the perimeter to find holes in the Merrimack zone. Butler threw over the top to Screen, who spun baseline for a layup and a 45-31 lead.

On the next defensive possession, Screen blocked a shot, started the fastbreak with an outlet pass, and pulled down an offensive rebound, which he followed with a powerful, two-hand slam as the Bulldogs started to pull away.

McCaffery drilled a corner 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 50-33 edge with 11:14 left in the game. Brooks’ jumper with just over 10 minutes left in the game gave Butler its first 20-point lead of the game at 54-33.

A long 3-pointer from Brooks with 7:36 left opened the Butler lead to 63-33.

Merrimack broke the Butler onslaught with a fastbreak layup by Clark with 5:44 left in the game, ending the Warriors’ five-plus-minute scoring drought.

–Field Level Media