Top 25 roundup: Waters runs deep as No. 19 LSU rolls

[January 31, 2019]  Tremont Waters made a season-high six 3-pointers and scored 23 of his season-best 36 points in the first 16 minutes to power No. 19 LSU to a 72-57 victory over Texas A&M on Wednesday night in College Station, Texas.

LSU (17-3, 7-0 Southeastern Conference) won its 10th consecutive game and recorded its first perfect January (7-0) since 1981, when coach Dale Brown took the Tigers to the Final Four. LSU is one of only four Power 6 teams unbeaten in conference play, joining Villanova, Washington and Tennessee.

Waters shot 11 of 18 from the field and 6 of 10 from long range. LSU also dominated the Aggies on the offensive boards, holding a 21-14 edge and a 21-16 advantage in second-chance points.

Texas A&M (8-11, 1-6) got 21 points from TJ Starks and 16 points and 11 rebounds from Josh Nebo.

No. 10 Marquette 76, Butler 58

Markus Howard scored 32 points on 14-of-23 shooting to lead the Golden Eagles to a rout of the Bulldogs in Indianapolis.

Sam Hauser contributed 19 points, hitting 6 of 7 shots as the Golden Eagles (19-3, 8-1 Big East) won their eighth consecutive game. Sacar Anim added 14 points, and Joey Hauser had a team-high eight rebounds for Marquette, which held a 37-30 rebounding edge.

Kamar Baldwin scored a team-high 16 points for Butler (12-10, 3-6).

No. 12 Virginia Tech 82, Miami 70

Nickeil Alexander-Walker matched his season high with 25 points as the Hokies overcame a slow start for a victory over the Hurricanes in Coral Gables, Fla.

Alexander-Walker shot 11 of 17 from the field and 3 of 7 on 3-point attempts in pacing the Hokies (17-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) to a second straight win. Ahmed Hill had 19 points and five rebounds, and Justin Robinson scored 17 despite leaving the game with just over 18 minutes left due to an injury.

Chris Lykes sank his first three shots and ended a two-game scoring slump by leading the Hurricanes (9-11, 1-7) with 19 points. Anthony Lawrence added 15 and Zach Johnson had 10 as Miami took its fourth consecutive loss.

No. 14 Villanova 86, DePaul 74

With several players lighting it up from 3-point range, the visiting Wildcats seized control early in the second half for a victory over the Blue Demons in Chicago.

Texas A&M Aggies guard Wendell Mitchell (11) controls the ball as LSU Tigers guard Tremont Waters (3) and guard Ja'vonte Smart (1) defends during the second half at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Glaser-USA TODAY Sports

Eric Paschall posted a game-high 20 points, Saddiq Bey recorded his first double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) and senior Phil Booth added 19 points and a career-high-tying eight assists for the Wildcats (17-4, 8-0 Big East).

Villanova buried 15 of 35 3-point attempts to earn its ninth straight win and remain a half-game ahead of Marquette in the two-team conference race. Femi Olujobi scored 20 points for the Blue Demons (11-9, 3-6).

No. 15 Louisville 82, Wake Forest 54

Jordan Nwora scored 17 of his 20 points in the Cardinals' big first half on their way to a victory over the Demon Deacons at Winston-Salem, N.C.

Louisville (16-5, 7-1 ACC) has won six games in a row and shares first place in the league with Duke and Virginia. The Cardinals are off to their best eight-game start in five seasons of ACC play.

Nwora has reached the 20-point mark in four conference outings. Dwayne Sutton's 17 points, Malik Williams' 13 points and Ryan McMahon's 12 points also boosted the Cardinals. Brandon Childress scored 13 points for Wake Forest (8-12, 1-7), which has lost four games in a row.

No. 20 Iowa State 93, West Virginia 68

Lindell Wigginton poured in a game-high 28 points off the bench as the Cyclones dispatched struggling the struggling Mountaineers in Ames, Iowa.

Marial Shayok added 18 points and five rebounds for the Cyclones (16-5, 5-3 Big 12), while Nick Weiler-Babb scored 14 points and hauled in six boards. Iowa State shot 54.5 percent from the field and was effective at the foul line, converting 29 of 33.

Lamont West pumped in 24 points for the Mountaineers (9-12, 1-7) before fouling out. Esa Ahmad scored 11 and surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career before fouling out, and Emmitt Matthews Jr. also added 11 points.

--Field Level Media

[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.