NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Western Kentucky found a way to stop Samardo Samuels and No. 3 Louisville.
Double-teaming Louisville’s freshman big man at every turn, the Hilltoppers stunned the Cardinals 68-54 on Sunday for their first victory over a top-three opponent in more than 40 years.
A.J. Slaughter led the Hilltoppers (3-2) with a career-high 25 points and Steffphon Pettigrew added 17 points and 12 rebounds for Western Kentucky, which dominated the Cardinals (2-1) at both ends of the floor in the second half.
Terrence Williams had 19 points and Earl Clark added 11 points and 11 rebounds for Louisville, which shot just 27 percent from the field and made just six of 30 3-pointers.
Western Kentucky held Louisville without a field goal for nearly 10 minutes in the second half and rode Slaughter and Pettigrew to the program’s biggest regular-season win since knocking off then-No. 4 Kentucky in 2001.
No. 1 N. Carolina 116, UNC-Asheville 48
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Ty Lawson scored 22 points to help No. 1 North Carolina beat North Carolina-Asheville despite playing without national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough.
Danny Green added 18 points for the Tar Heels (7-0), who had an easy time staying unbeaten heading into their matchup with fifth-ranked Michigan State this week in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. North Carolina shot 57 percent, led 53-19 at halftime and cracked the 100-point mark with about 5 minutes left.
Jason Ridenhour had eight points and six rebounds for the Bulldogs (3-3), who led 6-2 early before the Tar Heels kicked into gear and sprinted far out in front. UNC-Asheville shot 27 percent for the game, including 3-for-18 from 3-point range.
The Tar Heels didn’t miss Hansbrough, who sat out as a precaution as he continues to recover from a preseason injury to his right shin.
No. 5 Michigan St. 65, Wichita St. 57
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Marquis Gray scored 12 points and Michigan State (4-1) bounced back after a first-round upset by Maryland to win two straight in the Old Spice Classic.
Clevin Hannah had 19 points for the Shockers (2-2).
The Spartans, highest ranked in the eight-team field, went on a 22-8 run midway through the second half to take a 50-39 lead. Hannah hit a pair of 3s and two free throws but the Shockers couldn’t draw any closer than five down the stretch.
The Spartans dominated on the boards, 42-24 and had a huge advantage from the free throw line. The Spartans were 18-of-31 while the Shockers made 12 of 13.
No. 6 Texas 77, Rice 56
AUSTIN, Texas — Justin Mason scored 14 points and Gary Johnson added 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds for the No. 6 Longhorns (5-1), who arrived back in Austin on Friday after playing in the Maui Invitational.
Five Texas players scored in double figures against the Owls (2-4), who kept it close in the first half until the Longhorns pulled away with an 11-1 run to start the second.
No. 8 Notre Dame 93, Furman 61
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Kyle McAlarney scored 32 points and Ryan Ayers had a career-high 19 points to lead No. 8 Notre Dame to its school-record 39th straight home win.
Notre Dame (5-1), playing without Luke Harangody for the first time because he has pneumonia, got off to a slow start, as Furman (1-4) led 11-6 early. But McAlarney got the Irish going with back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the half.
No. 14 Arizona St. 88, UTEP 58
ANAHEIM, Calif. — James Harden scored a tournament-record and career-high 40 points for Arizona State in the third-place game of the 76 Classic.
Harden made 14 of 25 shots, 6-of-7 from 3-point range, and had eight rebounds and four assists for the Sun Devils (5-1).
No. 17 Florida 86, UMKC 65
ORLANDO, Fla. — Alex Tyus scored 25 points and reserve Chandler Parsons added 17 to help 17th-ranked Florida overcome a slow start.
Backup point guard Erving Walker added 13 points and nine assists as the reserves carried the Gators (5-1).
No. 19 Wake Forest 87, Baylor 74
ANAHEIM, Calif. — L.D. Williams had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Jeff Teague added 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to help the Demon Deacons beat the Bears in the 76 Classic championship game.
James Johnson had 14 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks, and Al-Farouq Aminu had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Demon Deacons (6-0).
Henry Dugat scored 19 points for the Bears (6-1), and Curtis Jerrells added 16. Baylor shot a season-low 32.4 percent.
No. 21 Georgetown 75, Maryland 48
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Austin Freeman scored 18 points, and DaJuan Summers had 14.
Greg Monroe added 12 points to help Georgetown (4-1) rebound from a 90-78 loss to No. 12 Tennessee on Friday.
Eric Hayes and Adrian Bowie had 11 points each for Maryland. The Terrapins (4-2) beat No. 5 Michigan State on Thursday and lost to ninth-ranked Gonzaga on Friday.
Local
EWU 78, UC Irvine 64
CHENEY — Benny Valentine scored 21 points and Eastern Washington overcame a sluggish start to beat UC Irvine 78-64 on Sunday night.
Andy Genao had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Eagles (4-2), his second double-double this season. Genao’s six points keyed a 14-0 burst that saw Eastern Washington grab a 55-37 lead midway through the second half.
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