AUSTIN, Texas — Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Justin Moore each scored 19 points and No. 12 Villanova held on late to beat No. 17 Texas 68-64 Sunday, handing the Longhorns their first loss after a strong start.
Collin Gillespie made four free throws over the final 15 seconds to secure the victory for the Wildcats (4-1). Jermaine Samuels, who sat out practice this week because of a sprained pinky on his right hand, collected a game-high 12 rebounds.
Courtney Ramey and Matt Coleman III each scored 17 points to pace the Longhorns (4-1). Texas had won the Maui Invitational in the program’s best start in six years under coach Shaka Smart, who just last season was under intense pressure and speculation he could lose his job.
NO. 8 MICHIGAN STATE 79,
WESTERN MICHIGAN 61
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Joey Hauser had a career-high 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, leading Michigan State over Western Michigan.
The Spartans (5-0) seemed flat for a second straight game at home after beating No. 6 Duke with an inspired effort on the road. They led the Broncos (0-2) by just two points midway through the second half and trailed for six-plus minutes in the game.
Western Michigan played for the first time since Nov. 25, returning to competition after its program and another team had COVID-19 issues.
NO. 11 WEST VIRGINIA 80,
GEORGETOWN 71
WASHINGTON — Miles McBride scored 17 points, Derek Culver had 14 and West Virginia finished fast to beat Georgetown in the first meeting between the former Big East rivals since 2014.
Culver, the leading scorer and rebounder for the Mountaineers (4-1), was limited to just 18 minutes because of foul trouble. Emmitt Matthews had 13 points and Taz Sherman added 12 as West Virginia bounced back from a loss to top-ranked Gonzaga.
Jahvon Blair led Georgetown (1-2) with 19 points while Jamorko Pickett added 11.
NO. 17 TEXAS TECH 81,
GRAMBLING STATE 40
LUBBOCK, Texas — Kyler Edwards had 13 points and 11 rebounds, leading five players scoring in double figures as Texas Tech overcame a sluggish start in a win over Grambling State.
The Red Raiders (4-1) never trailed after Edwards made a 3-pointer only 17 seconds into the game, but they then missed 12 of their next 13 shots. They also had a nearly five-minute stretch later in the first half when they missed five shots in a row and had four turnovers.
GEORGIA TECH 79, NO. 20 KENTUCKY 62
ATLANTA — Moses Wright scored 21 points, Kyle Sturdivant added 15 and Georgia Tech recovered from a poor start to the season to beat Kentucky, dealing the Wildcats their third straight loss.
Georgia Tech (1-2) won with defense, recording 15 steals that led to a dominant 33-4 advantage in points off turnovers.
