LEXINGTON, Ky. — Nick Richards had 13 points, including seven consecutive ones in overtime, and No. 19 Kentucky scored the final eight points for a 78-70 victory over No. 3 Louisville on Saturday in a thrilling Bluegrass rivalry showdown.
Louisville led 68-65 on Jordan Nwora’s 3-pointer with 2:20 left before Richards converted a 3-point play to make it 70-68. The junior forward added another layup and two more foul shots before Immanuel Quickley and Tyrese Maxey provided a six-point cushion from the line. Ashton Hagans’ dunk with 4.9 seconds left sealed the tense win at Rupp Arena.
Maxey’s free throws capped a career-best 27-point performance while Richards had 10 rebounds to end a two-game losing streak by the Wildcats (9-3). Quickley had 18 points for Kentucky, which shot 46% for its 10 win over Louisville in 13 meetings.
Steven Enoch had 18 points and Dwayne Sutton for the Cardinals (11-2).
No. 4 DUKE 75, BROWN 50
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Vernon Carey Jr. scored 19 points to help Duke beat Brown on a day when the Blue Devils’ jump shots rarely fell.
Alex O’Connell added 14 points and Wendell Moore Jr. had 10 points for Duke (11-1) in its final nonconference game of the regular season.
The Blue Devils took the lead for good with an 11-1 run midway through the first half and pulled away late in the second half with an 18-2 spurt.
The Blue Devils won their fifth consecutive game, all by at least 12 points, since their 150-game home winning streak against nonconference opponents ended against Stephen F. Austin on Nov. 26.
Brandon Anderson scored 16 points to lead Brown (5-6) in its third consecutive loss. The Bears trailed 35-29 at halftime.
No. 9 MEMPHIS 97, NEW ORLEANS 55
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Precious Achiuwa had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Lester Quinones added 13 points as Memphis built a huge first-half lead and easily beat New Orleans.
Quinones, who returned after missing the previous five games with a broken right hand, made all three of his 3-point shots as Memphis (11-1) extended its winning streak to nine. Tyler Harris finished with 11 points, while DJ Jeffries and Isaiah Maurice added 10 points each.
Troy Green led the Privateers with 22 points while Bryson Robinson added 15 as New Orleans (4-8) lost its third straight.
No. 12 BUTLER 67, LOUISIANA-MONROE 36
INDIANAPOLIS — Derrik Smits scored 16 points off the bench to lead Butler to a victory over the Louisiana-Monroe.
Bryce Nze had 10 points and seven rebounds and Sean McDermott scored 10 points for the Bulldogs (12-1), who have won three in a row.
Josh Nicholas had 12 points while Michael Ertel, JD Wiliams and Elijah Ifejeh each scored five points for the Warhawks (4-7), who have lost five straight games.
Butler started the second half on a 13-2 run to build the lead to 28 points.
Nze scored back-to-back baskets and Bryce Golden scored twice. Smits’ layup with 13:02 remaining to make it 46-18.
No. 15 SAN DIEGO STATE 73, CAL POLY 57
SAN DIEGO — Malachi Flynn scored 14 points and San Diego State overcame a slow beginningt to beat Cal Poly and continue its best start nine seasons and remain one of three undefeated teams nationally.
Yanni Wetzell and Jordan Schakel added 12 points apiece for the Aztecs (13-0). They needed a 9-0 run at the end of the first half to take control against the scrappy Mustangs (2-11).
SDSU remains on its hottest start since 2010-11, when it opened 20-0 behind Kawhi Leonard and reached the Sweet 16 for the first time before finishing 34-3. SDSU, Auburn and Liberty are the nation’s only undefeated teams.
Kyle Colvin scored 13 points and Junior Ballard had 12 for the Mustangs. Alimamy Koroma had 12 rebounds.
No. 17 FLORIDA STATE 88, NORTH ALABAMA 71
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Malik Osborne scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half as Florida State cruised to a win over North Alabama.
Balsa Koprivica added 13 points while Trent Forrest had 10 points and six assists for Florida State (11-2), which has won seven of its games by 10 or more points.
The Seminoles made 16 of 23 (69 %) of their shots from inside the 3-point arc in the first half en route to a 47-26 lead at the break.
Jamari Blackmon scored 15 points and Christian Agnew added 12 points and eight rebounds for North Alabama (5-8).
Florida State made 17 of 17 free-throw attempts. The Seminoles were averaging 75 percent from the free-throw line coming into the game.