Top 25 roundup: Villanova drops No. 10 Marquette

[February 28, 2019]  Jermaine Samuels scored a career-high 29 points to go along with nine rebounds, and Villanova snapped a three-game losing streak with a 67-61 win over visiting No. 10 Marquette on Wednesday.

Phil Booth added 17 points despite shooing 3 of 18 for Villanova (21-8, 12-4 Big East). However, Booth knocked down all 10 of his free throws and had seven assists against just one turnover.

Markus Howard led Marquette (23-5, 12-3) with 25 points but committed seven turnovers. Sam Hauser added 13 points for the Golden Eagles, who had won four in a row.

No. 2 Virginia 81, Georgia Tech 51

The hot-shooting Cavaliers cruised past the visiting Yellow Jackets in Charlottesville, Va., for a fifth consecutive win. Virginia shot 55.6 percent from the floor against the nation's 13th-ranked defensive shooting percentage team and connected on 9 of 17 3-point attempts.

Ty Jerome led the way for Virginia (25-2, 13-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting. De'Andre Hunter added 18 points.

Jose Alvarado paced Georgia Tech (12-17, 4-12) with 12 points. James Banks added 11 and Michael Devoe put in 10.

No. 7 Tennessee 73, Mississippi 71

Grant Williams hit a short jumper with 4.4 seconds remaining and the Volunteers rallied late to overtake the Rebels in Oxford, Miss. Tennessee earned a 25th victory for the fifth time in school history, though it had lost two of its previous three games.

Williams had a game-high 21 points for the Volunteers (25-3, 13-2 Southeastern Conference). Lamonte Turner chipped in with 17 points and Admiral Schofield 11 for the Volunteers, who won their fourth straight over Mississippi.

The Rebels (19-9, 9-6) lost for just the second time in their last seven games. Breein Tyree and Terence Davis had 16 points apiece for the Rebels, who had a three-game home winning streak snapped.

No. 8 Houston 99, East Carolina 65

Corey Davis Jr. matched his career high with 26 points and led a 3-point barrage for the visiting Cougars in their drubbing of the Pirates in Greenville, N.C.

Davis hit four first-half 3-pointers and finished 6 of 11 from behind the arc as Houston (27-1, 14-1 American Athletic Conference) extended its winning streak to 12 games. Armoni Brooks shot 4 of 8 from deep for the Cougars, who finished 13 of 28 (46.4 percent) on 3-point attempts.

Seth LeDay (17 points) and Isaac Fleming (13) combined for 30 points off the East Carolina bench. The Pirates (10-17, 3-12) were within striking distance early in the second half before a barrage of technical fouls fueled a Houston parade to the free-throw line and ignited its 22-3, game-clinching run.

No. 11 Texas Tech 84, Oklahoma State 80 (OT)

Davide Moretti calmly swished four free throws in the final 18 seconds to cap a perfect night at the stripe and help the Red Raiders stave off the Cowboys in Lubbock, Texas.

The sluggish win boosts Texas Tech (23-5, 11-5 Big 12) into a first-place tie with Kansas State in the conference standings with three games to go.

Lindy Waters III led the Cowboys (10-18, 3-12) with 26 points, and Thomas Dziagwa added 20. The duo combined for 13 of Oklahoma State's 17 3-pointers.

No. 12 Nevada 89, UNLV 73

Caleb Martin had 24 points and four steals to lead the Wolf Pack past the Rebels at Reno, Nev. His brother, Cody Martin, recorded a season-high 23 points and added eight assists.

Nevada (26-2, 13-2 Mountain West) leads Utah State by a half-game in the conference ahead of a matchup with the Aggies on Saturday at Logan, Utah.

Jordan Caroline contributed 20 points and 12 rebounds for Nevada, which won its 17th straight home game dating back to last season. Amauri Hardy scored 19 points, and Kris Clyburn added 18 for UNLV (15-13, 9-7).

No. 14 Purdue 73, Illinois 56

Locked in a tie with less than 10 minutes to play, the Boilermakers reeled off 12 points in a row to seize victory over the visiting Illini in West Lafayette, Ind. Carsen Edwards scored a game-high 23 points while Matt Haarms added a career-high 21 points with 10 rebounds and five blocks.

The Boilermakers (21-7, 14-3 Big Ten) won their 16th straight home game and rejoined Michigan State atop the league standings. Illinois (10-18, 6-11) dropped its third game in a row as a fast start turned sour.

The Illini scored just eight points in the final 9:43 as they shot 32.8 percent from the field and 27.6 percent on 3-pointers. Andres Feliz and Ayo Dosunmu paced the visitors with nine points apiece.

Penn State 78, No. 17 Maryland 61

Lamar Stevens scored 24 points to pace the surging Nittany Lions to a convincing win over the Terrapins in University Park, Pa.

Penn State (12-16, 5-12 Big Ten) never trailed in beating Maryland (21-8, 12-6) at home for the third straight year. Penn State started 0-10 in conference play this season, including a 66-59 December loss at Maryland, but has now won three in a row and five of the past seven.

Myles Dread added 17 points for Penn State, which held Maryland to 41 percent shooting. Anthony Cowan Jr. scored 15 points and became just the sixth Maryland player ever with more than 1,300 points and 400 assists in a career.

No. 23 Cincinnati 52, SMU 49

Jarron Cumberland scored eight consecutive points down the stretch for the Bearcats, who survived 10 blocked shots and a horrid shooting night to grind out a victory over the Mustangs in Dallas.

The Bearcats (24-4, 13-2 AAC) got their fourth win in a row. S

The last 2:32 belonged to Cumberland, who up to that point had been having a forgettable game. Cincinnati's leading scorer hit two jumpers and went 4-for-4 from the line down the stretch to secure the win.

--Field Level Media

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