Top 25 roundup: No. 5 Michigan squeaks by Northwestern

[December 05, 2018]  Freshman Ignas Brazdeikis scored 23 points as No. 5 Michigan survived a major scare, holding off host Northwestern 62-60 on Tuesday in Evanston, Ill.

Jordan Poole, the Big Ten's Player of the Week, supplied 15 points, while Zavier Simpson added 10 points and five assists. Poole's dunk with less than two minutes left proved to be the deciding score.

Jon Teske chipped in eight points and 10 rebounds for the Wolverines (9-0 overall, 2-0 Big Ten). Michigan, which had a 33-26 rebounding advantage, rallied back after giving away a 16-point lead.

Dererk Pardon fired in 20 points to lead the Wildcats (6-3, 0-2). Vic Law contributed 19 points and seven rebounds.

No. 2 Kansas 72, Wofford 47

Dedric Lawson posted team highs of 20 points and eight rebounds as the Jayhawks overcame a sluggish first half to trounce the Terriers at Lawrence, Kan. The Jayhawks produced unanswered runs of 11 and 27 points in the second half after Wofford took a one-point lead with a 6-0 run to begin the period.

Devon Dotson and Quentin Grimes added 16 and 14 points, respectively, for Kansas (7-0). Grimes scored nine straight during the decisive 27-0 run, which lasted for eight-plus minutes until Wofford finally connected again with 2:25 left.

The Terriers (6-3) came in averaging 28 attempts and 11 makes from behind the arc. However, they made just 5 of 26 3-point tries against the Jayhawks, including a 1-for-14 performance -- 0 of 9 from 3-point range -- by their leading scorer, Fletcher Magee, who managed just seven points.

No. 8 Auburn 67, UNC Asheville 41

Austin Wiley scored 14 points and a career-high five blocked shots to help the Tigers post an easy victory over the visiting Bulldogs in Auburn, Ala.

Samir Doughty recorded 13 points and six rebounds for Auburn (7-1), which won its third straight game. The Tigers racked up 12 blocked shots and 13 steals. Malik Dunbar registered a career-best five steals, and Anfernee McLemore had three blocked shots and three steals.

Northwestern Wildcats forward Miller Kopp (10) is defended by Michigan Wolverines forward Ignas Brazdeikis (13) during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Luke Lawson scored nine points for UNC Asheville (1-7), which lost its seventh consecutive game.

No. 22 Mississippi State 90, McNeese State 77

Lamar Peters scored a game-high 27 points and led a 19-0 second-half run that put the Bulldogs in command on their way to victory over the Cowboys in Starkville, Miss.

Reggie Perry added 15 points, Nick Weatherspoon scored 11 and Tyson Carter had 10 as the Bulldogs (7-1) won their 19th consecutive nonconference home game. They are 5-0 in such games this season, winning by an average margin of 22 points.

Malik Hines scored 24, Jarren Greenwood added 14, Will Robinson had 12 and Shamarkus Kennedy 11 to lead McNeese (2-6).

No. 25 Furman 98, Elon 77

Matt Rafferty and Alex Hunter each scored 18 points as the Paladins' first game in the Top 25 resulted in a big victory against the host Phoenix in Elon, N.C.

Furman (9-0), which owns road victories against reigning national champion Villanova and 2018 Final Four participant Loyola Chicago, popped into the poll for the first time in school history earlier this week. The Paladins began the day as one of 11 unbeaten Division I teams.

Clay Mounce added 17 points, Jordan Lyons had 13 and Mike Bothwell scored 11 to give Furman a boost. Steven Santa Ana scored 21 points and Tyler Seibring posted 17 of his 19 points in the second half for Elon (3-6).

--Field Level Media

[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.