Marcus Sasser scored 22 points and top-ranked Houston stretched its winning streak to nine by cruising to a 76-57 victory over East Carolina on Saturday night in the American Athletic Conference matchup in Greenville, N.C.

Tramon Mark added 20 points and nine rebounds as the Cougars (27-2, 15-1) wrapped up the AAC regular-season title. J’Wan Roberts added 17 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots for Houston.

Ezra Ausar had 15 points and eight rebounds, and RJ Felton scored 13 points for the Pirates (14-14, 5-10). Brandon Johnson added 12 points for East Carolina, which has dropped 11 of its past 12 meetings with Houston.

The Cougars shot 43.9 percent from the field, including 6 of 18 from 3-point range. Houston held a commanding 48-28 rebounding advantage and a 40-14 edge in points in the paint while improving to 10-0 in true road games.

The Pirates made just 32 percent of their shots and were 8 of 22 from behind the arc.

The Cougars led 36-19 at the break after holding East Carolina to 12 percent (3 of 25) from the field. Houston was just 12 of 35 (34.3 percent).

Houston scored the first seven points of the game and later led 27-12 after Sasser was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer and made each of the free throws with 7:46 left in the half.

Mark drained a 3-pointer to push the lead to 20 at 34-14 with 4:01 remaining.

Sasser scored 13 points in the first half.

Johnson hit a 3-pointer for the Pirates to start the second half before the Cougars rattled off nine straight points. Mark capped the run with a basket to make it 45-22 with 16:18 left in the contest.

A short time later, the Pirates went on a 10-2 run and moved within 50-35 on a 3-pointer by Jaden Walker with 11:37 remaining.

Houston restored order quickly and the lead was back to 71-47 after Roberts scored on a putback with 4:29 left.

–Field Level Media

Kam Jones and Tyler Kolek each scored 22 points as No. 10 Marquette held off visiting DePaul 90-84 on Saturday night in Milwaukee, guaranteeing the Golden Eagles at least a share of their first Big East title in a decade.

DePaul, which trailed by 21 at the half, got within 85-80 on two free throws by Eral Penn with 25 seconds left.

Jones then hit the first of two free throws for Marquette. DePaul’s Caleb Murphy missed his second free throw, but converted after a lane violation against Marquette to make it 86-82 with 15 seconds remaining.

Kolek preserved the lead with four free throws in the final 13 seconds.

Marquette (23-6, 15-3 Big East), picked ninth in the conference preseason poll, has a two-game lead over Xavier with Providence another half game back. The Golden Eagles last won a share of the regular-season conference title in 2012-13, along with Louisville and Georgetown.

Kolek, who entered second in the country with 7.6 assists per game, dished out 14 assists. Oso Ighodaro added 12 points and Olivier-Maxence Prosper 11 as the Golden Eagles won for the ninth time in 10 games.

Umoja Gibson had 20 points and Nick Ongenda added 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for DePaul (9-20, 3-15 Big East), which has lost 10 straight.

Marquette led 49-28 at the break on the strength of 11 3-pointers, including six by Jones, and turning 12 DePaul turnovers into 16 points.

DePaul whittled the lead to single digits with a 12-2 run, pulling within 74-66 on Ongenda’s layin with 5:08 remaining.

The Golden Eagles gained control in the first half with a 13-0 run, going in front 37-17 on David Joplin’s 3-pointer with 3:24 remaining.

Marquette never trailed as Jones opened the game with a pair from beyond the arc and added two more in the first six minutes.

–Field Level Media

Jalen Hood-Schifino scored a career-high 35 points on 14-for-24 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds to lead No. 17 Indiana to a 79-71 victory over No. 5 Purdue on Saturday night in West Lafayette, Ind.

The Hoosiers (20-9, 11-7 Big Ten) beat the Boilermakers (24-5, 13-5) for the second time in three weeks and swept the regular-season series against their in-state rivals for the first time since the 2012-13 season.

Indiana beat Purdue for the third time in four meetings and denied the Boilermakers a chance to clinch a share of the conference title. The Hoosiers moved into third place in the Big Ten standings.

Indiana bounced back following a loss to Michigan State and, despite getting outrebounded 46-30 and having forward Trayce Jackson-Davis held scoreless in the first half, matched Purdue in points in the paint at 34-34.

Jackson-Davis, who missed the three shots he took in the first half, broke through in the second half and finished with 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds to help Indiana suffocate any hopes Purdue had of a comeback.

The Boilermakers, who are still 1 1/2 games ahead of second-place Northwestern in the Big Ten standings, have dropped four of their past six games.

Purdue’s Zach Edey led the way once again with 26 points and 16 rebounds. But the Boilermakers could not take advantage of their surplus of trips to the foul line. Although it shot 21 more free throws than the Hoosiers, Purdue made only 22 of 33 attempts.

Indiana took its first lead with 17:17 left on Trey Galloway’s fastbreak layup. Galloway, who had 13 points and five assists, then followed that with a 3-pointer and an assist during a 12-0 run by the Hoosiers that put them ahead for good.

Miller Kopp also had 13 points as Indiana got 77 of its 79 points from its starting five. Fletcher Loyer finished with 14 points and five rebounds for Purdue.

–Field Level Media

Tyree Appleby produced a game-high 21 points and six assists to pace host Wake Forest to a 66-58 ACC victory over Notre Dame on Saturday night in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Andrew Carr posted 11 points and Bobi Klintman notched a double-double, with 10 points and 12 rebounds, as the Demon Deacons (18-11, 10-8 ACC) won their first game without No. 2 scorer Damari Monsanto. The ACC’s leader with 87 3-pointers tore his left patella tendon Wednesday at North Carolina State and underwent season-ending surgery Saturday.

Ven-Allen Lubin scored a career-high 19 points, adding eight rebounds and three blocks for the Fighting Irish (10-19, 2-16), who lost their seventh game in a row.

Notre Dame played without starting guards JJ Starling (11.2 ppg) and Marcus Hammond (8.9 ppg). Starling missed his first game with left knee soreness while Hammond sat out with a sprained toe.

Despite being short-handed, the Irish broke out to a 25-18 lead in the opening 10-plus minutes as they drilled their first four 3-point attempts — including two by new starter Trey Wertz.

Wake Forest responded with a 14-2 spree triggered by 3-pointers from Appleby and lightly used Lucas Taylor, who had not played since Dec. 14.

Then Appleby fed Matthew Marsh for an alley-oop dunk that became a three-point play and another layup with a foul. Appleby capped the run with another 3-pointer that pushed the Demon Deacons to a 32-27 lead with 5:02 left in the half.

Wake led 39-36 at the half.

The second half started slowly as the teams combined to miss 13 consecutive shots, with Wake Forest holding a 43-40 lead for 4 ½ minutes.

Appleby finally broke the drought with a reverse layup at the 13:24 mark, then Cameron Hildreth cashed a 3-pointer on Wake Forest’s next possession to make it 48-40.

The Fighting Irish wound up scoring just two points in a nine-minute stretch as Wake Forest’s lead blossomed to 54-42.

Notre Dame couldn’t cut the deficit to single digits until Cormac Ryan’s layup with 1:43 left made it 63-54.

–Field Level Media

Liam Robbins bulled his way to 18 points to lead six double-figure scorers for Vanderbilt as the Commodores beat Florida 88-72 in a battle of mid-pack Southeastern Conference teams Saturday evening in Nashville, Tenn.

It was the sixth win in the last seven outings for the Commodores (16-13, 9-7 SEC), who moved into a tie with Auburn and Missouri for fifth in the conference, one game back of Tennessee.

Robbins just missed a third consecutive double-double after grabbing nine rebounds as the Commodores dominated the boards 42-31 for a 21-15 cushion in second-chance points.

Joining Robbins in double figures were Ezra Manjon (15 points), Tyrin Lawrence (13), and Colin Smith, Trey Thomas, and Myles Stute all with 11 each.

Riley Kugel scored a game-high 20 points to lead the Gators (14-15, 7-9), who dropped a third consecutive game since center Colin Castleton went down with a broken hand. Kyle Lofton also was in double figures with 15 points.

Vandy was over 50 percent from the field in each half and finished the game 31-of-60 (51.7 percent) overall and 10-of-24 on 3-pointers. Florida struggled in the first half but ended up 27-of-63 (42.9 percent) after going 14-of-30 over the final 20 minutes.

The Commodores needed less than five minutes to stretch a l0-point halftime lead to 16 points, 54-38, and maintained double-digit cushions until Kugel’s driving layup got Florida to within 67-58 with under eight minutes left in the game.

The Gators stayed within 9 to 11 points for the next four minutes before consecutive 3-pointers by Robbins and Thomas put the Commodores up 81-65 with 3:13 to play.

The Commodores were 18-of-34 (52.9) percent to Florida’s 13-of-33 (39.4) in building a 46-36 halftime lead. Vandy used a 7-0 run for a 20-12 lead early and later used a 22-13 run for its first double-digit lead, 35-25 with 6:14 left.

Vandy had five different players hit 3-pointers in the period and also had a 16-4 advantage in points in the paint.

Kugel and Lofton carried the scoring load for the Gators with 13 points each as the only players in double figures for either team in the first half.

–Field Level Media

No. 11 Tennessee put five players in double figures in scoring Saturday night and enjoyed its second lopsided win over South Carolina this season with an 85-45 Southeastern Conference romp in Knoxville, Tenn.

Josiah-Jordan James led the Volunteers (21-8, 10-6 SEC) with 18 points, going 4 of 7 from the 3-point line. Jahmai Mashack added 14 points and six rebounds, while Zakai Zeigler finished with 13 points, 11 assists and three steals. Olivier Nkamhoua and Uros Plavsic each tallied 10 points, with Nkamhoua grabbing eight rebounds.

Mired in an offensive slump that saw them lose five of their previous seven games, the Volunteers got well against a team it routed by 43 points last month. They canned 58.1 percent from the field, drilling 10 of 23 from 3-point range, and finished with 29 assists against only four turnovers.

Hayden Brown scored 18 points to lead the Gamecocks (10-19, 3-13), but he needed much more help than he got. South Carolina, which came within a defensive stop of stunning No. 2 Alabama on Wednesday night, made only 35.2 percent from the field and coughed up 14 turnovers.

Tennessee blew the game open with a 13-4 run to start the second half and led by at least 20 points for the final 11:53.

Tennessee didn’t waste much time putting its stamp on this one. Zeigler drilled a pair of 3-pointers and assisted James, who returned to the lineup after missing the last four games with a sprained ankle, on another 3-pointer to fuel an 11-0 run that gave the Volunteers a 17-5 lead at the 13:04 mark.

South Carolina managed a brief burst of competence, ripping off eight straight points to pull within 17-13 with 10:32 remaining when Brown drained a 3-pointer.

However, Tennessee rattled off an 11-2 burst that Mashack capped with a layup that made it 28-15 with 7:24 left.

James put the Volunteers ahead by 12 at the half when Zeigler fed him for a layup to make it 38-26. Brown kept the Gamecocks in contention with 13 points, but the rest of his teammates canned just 6 of 21 shots from the field.

–Field Level Media

Pete Nance scored 22 points and hit all four of his 3-point attempts as North Carolina solved the vaunted defense of No. 6 Virginia in a 71-63 win on Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C.

RJ Davis added 16 points, 10 rebounds and four assists as North Carolina (18-11, 10-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) notched its first Quad 1 victory of the season and boosted its NET ranking, a key metric used in the selection of NCAA Tournament teams.

Armando Bacot contributed 11 points and six rebounds as the Tar Heels avenged a Jan. 10 defeat at Virginia. In that 65-58 loss, Nance was sidelined with a back injury and Bacot sustained an ankle injury that forced him out in the game’s second minute.

Jayden Gardner had 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Armaan Franklin added 14 points to lead slumping Virginia (21-6, 13-5), which lost its second straight.

The Cavaliers had an opportunity to pull into a first-place tie in the league with Pitt after Miami lost on Saturday to Florida State.

Against the top-scoring defense in the ACC, North Carolina shot 46.8 percent from the floor and made 10 of 22 shots (45.5 percent) from beyond the arc.

The Tar Heels’ long-range assault began as Nance and Caleb Love (10 points, eight rebounds) connected from deep in the opening minutes. After that, North Carolina never trailed.

Nance hit a turnaround jumper from the baseline and added a 3-pointer to start and finish a seven-point run that gave the Tar Heels an 18-10 lead.

Later in the half, Puff Johnson (eight points) came off the North Carolina bench and hit 3-pointers 30 seconds apart. Davis followed minutes later with six points on consecutive possessions as the Tar Heels pushed their lead to their largest of the night, 37-20.

When Nance closed the half with a forced 3-point try at the buzzer, it swished through the hoop as the Tar Heels closed the period with a 42-26 lead and a 9-for-16 performance from deep.

After the break, Virginia reversed the tide as Ben Vander Plas made a 3-pointer and added a layup. When Gardner followed with a jumper to complete the 7-0 run, Virginia sliced the deficit 42-33 less than two minutes into the second half.

But the Tar Heels regained control as Leaky Black hit a 3-pointer and Davis followed with a three-point play.

Down the stretch, Nance helped the Tar Heels sew it up by hammering home an emphatic slam dunk. He blocked two shots on the ensuing possession. Nance and Black finished the game with four blocks each.

–Field Level Media

Blake Hinson had 22 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead host Pitt to a 99-82 win over Syracuse in front of a raucous crowd on Senior Night.

The Panthers (21-8, 14-4 ACC) had six players score in double digits, with Nelly Cummings dropping 14 points and 13 assists for his first double-double of the year. Greg Elliott also chipped in 19 points for Pitt.

Benny Williams led Syracuse (16-13, 9-9 ACC) with 24 points and nine rebounds. Joseph Girard III added 19 points and Jesse Edwards contributed 17 points, seven boards and two blocked shots.

The Panthers got out to a hot start, knocking down four of their first six shots to jump out to an early 9-2 lead.

Syracuse battled back on the strength of four straight 3-pointers, including two each from Girard and Williams, to tie the game at 17 midway through the first half.

The two sides traded punches for the remainder of the first period, with Pitt taking a slim 37-33 lead at the break. Girard and Williams combined for 23 of the Orange’s 33 points.

Pitt wasted no time getting the crowd back into the game after the break. Hinson hit two 3-pointers during a 6-1 run to open the half and extend its lead to nine.

After trailing by as many as 15, Syracuse began running a full-court press with about 11 minutes left to play and went on an 8-2 run to trim the deficit to nine.

However, the Panthers responded with a 10-2 run to take lead 88-70 with 4:53 lead.

The Panthers hit 16 of 41 treys (39 percent), compared with 9 of 16 (56.3 percent) for the Orange.

This win, coupled with No.13 Miami’s loss at the buzzer to Florida State on Saturday, gives the Panthers sole possession of the ACC’s top seed with two games left to go.

– Field Level Media

Mouhamed Gueye had a game-high 20 points, TJ Bamba buried a back-breaking 3-pointer and visiting Washington State gave itself a rare double-digit win season in Pac-12 play with a 63-57 victory over California on Saturday in Berkeley, Calif.

Bamba finished with 19 points for the Cougars (15-15, 10-9 Pac-12), who reached 10 wins in conference play for the second straight year after having failed to do so for 13 consecutive seasons.

A 13th straight defeat increased Cal’s school-record loss total to 26 and gave the Golden Bears (3-26, 2-16) a sixth consecutive setback to end their home schedule.

Cal never led in the tightly contested game but managed to draw even one final time at 39-all on two free throws by Kuany Kuany with 11:22 to play.

But the Cougars, seeking a fifth straight win, made five of six foul shots to reclaim the lead, and when Bamba nailed his big 3-pointer with 7:14 to go, the margin swelled to 49-44.

Jabe Mullins added two more free throws and Gueye hit a jumper, the latter completing a 14-5 run that put Washington State in charge for good.

Gueye did almost half of his scoring at the foul line, where he went 9-for-9 en route to his eighth 20-point effort of the season and 14th double-double, posting a game-high-tying 10 rebounds.

The Cougars shot 21-for-26 at the line while Cal was 14-for-18.

Justin Powell chipped in with nine points and DJ Rodman also totaled 10 boards for the Cougars, who won despite shooting just 33.3 percent from the field and 6-for-25 on 3-pointers.

Joel Brown had 13 points, Kuany 11 and Monty Bowser 10 for Cal, which shot just 5-for-18 on 3-pointers. Bowser had three of the five long-range successes in seven attempts off the bench, while the Golden Bears’ starters were a cumulative 2-for-11.

Brown added a game-high nine assists and seven rebounds to his stat line, while Kuany was Cal’s top rebounder with nine.

–Field Level Media

Oscar Tshiebwe had 22 points and 17 rebounds and Antonio Reeves added 21 points to power Kentucky to an 86-54 victory over visiting Auburn in Southeastern Conference play on Saturday at Lexington, Ky.

Tshiebwe shot 8 of 10 from the field, while Reeves, who had 18 second-half points, finished 8 of 13 from the field, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range.

Cason Wallace chipped in 19 points and nine assists for the Wildcats, who defeated Auburn for the 20th consecutive time inside Rupp Arena dating to January 1988.

Jacob Toppin finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds and five assists for Kentucky, which has won four straight games and six of its past eight contests.

Kentucky (20-9, 11-5 SEC), which outscored Auburn 46-25 in the second half, finished the game shooting 32 of 57 (56.1 percent) from the field, including a sizzling 8 of 13 (61.5 percent) from 3-point range. The Wildcats outrebounded the Tigers 41-23.

Auburn (19-10, 9-7), which has dropped three of its past five games, was led by Jaylin Williams’ 13 points.

Johni Broome added 12 points but grabbed just one rebound — well below his 8.9 average per game — as he was no match for Tshiebwe.

The Tigers shot 19 of 56 (33.9 percent) from the field, including 7 of 21 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc.

Leading by 11 at halftime, Kentucky put the game away by opening the second half on a 9-2 run to extend their advantage to 49-31 following Reeves’ jumper with 15:18 to play.

The Wildcats’ 11-0 run midway through the second half pushed their lead to 72-41 following Tshiebwe’s dunk with 6:12 left.

Reeves’ 3-pointer made it 82-46 with 3:47 remaining.

After Williams’ dunk gave Auburn a 25-24 lead with 5:24 left in the first half, the Wildcats took control of the game by closing the first half on a 16-4 run to take a 40-29 halftime advantage.

Tshiebwe had a first-half double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Wallace added 11 points.

Auburn was led by Williams’ 10 first-half points, while Broome had nine.

–Field Level Media