Back from 2-week break, No. 2 Duke routs South Carolina St

DURHAM, N.C. — AJ Griffin scored 19 points and No. 2 Duke cruised past South Carolina State 103-62 on Tuesday night.

In 21 minutes off the bench, Griffin shot 7 of 8 with four rebounds and four assists. He was one of six Blue Devils to score in double digits. Trevor Keels had 14 points, Joey Baker scored 13, and Paolo Banchero had 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Wendell Moore Jr. scored 11 points and Mark Williams had 10 points and three blocks for Duke (8-1), which returned to the court after a two-week break for exams.

Edward Oliver-Hampton had 13 points to lead the Bulldogs (3-8).

MEMPHIS 92, NO. 6 ALABAMA 78

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — DeAndre Williams had 20 points and six assists, Jalen Duren added 14 points and Memphis finally played to its potential in beating Alabama to stop a four-game skid.

Landers Nolley added 13 points for Memphis (6-4), which came into the season with a highly touted recruiting class and topped out with the No. 9 ranking in the AP Top 25. But the Tigers got pounded by Iowa State and lost close games to Georgia, Ole Miss and Murray State to fall out of the poll.

Keon Ellis led the Crimson Tide (8-2) with 19 points.

Memphis took control with a 12-0 run capped by Tyler Harris’ 3-pointer that made it 61-42 with 12:53 remaining.

Alabama finished with 20 turnovers.

NO. 13 AUBURN 70, NORTH ALABAMA 44

AUBURN, Ala. — Walker Kessler had 14 points, Jabari Smith and Devan Cambridge each scored 13 and Auburn beat North Alabama without coach Bruce Pearl as he completed a two-game suspension.

The Tigers (9-1), who won their sixth straight, didn’t push their lead into double digits until five minutes into the second half but made up for it with a 25-2 run to put away the Lions (6-4).

Auburn rolled to blowouts in both games Pearl missed while serving an NCAA-imposed suspension. His son, Steven Pearl, served as head coach on Tuesday after Wes Flanigan presided over a 99-68 win Saturday against Nebraska.

Pearl’s suspension was part of the NCAA penalties, including four years of probation, imposed on Auburn for unethical conduct involving former associate head coach Chuck Person. Pearl was cited for failing to monitor his assistant and adequately promote compliance.

Smith had 10 rebounds while Kessler grabbed eight boards and blocked five shots. Wendell Green Jr. had 12 points and six assists.

NO. 14 HOUSTON 71, LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 56

HOUSTON — Josh Carlton had 17 points and nine rebounds, Jamal Shead scored 16 and Houston defeated Louisiana-Lafayette.

Taze Moore added 14 points and 10 rebounds, Fabian White Jr. finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, and Kyler Edwards had 12 points and seven rebounds for the Cougars (9-2). Houston shot 39% and struggled on 3-pointers, making just two of 21 attempts.

Houston never trailed despite playing without leading scorer Marcus Sasser, starting forward Reggie Chaney and reserve guard Tramon Mark due to injuries. It was the Cougars’ 32nd straight home win, earned by outrebounding Louisiana 48-37 and dominating the paint 46-18.

Jordan Brown led the Ragin’ Cajuns (5-5) with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Louisiana shot 33% from the field.

NO. 17 TEXAS 63, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 31

AUSTIN, Texas — Tre Mitchell scored 14 points and Texas held Arkansas-Pine Bluff without a basket for nearly 12 minutes to start the game.

A run of four consecutive 3-pointers capped by a long shot from Mitchell opened a 17-1 lead and the Longhorns (7-2) were in complete control over the Golden Lions (1-11).

Texas led 36-16 at halftime and Arkansas-Pine Bluff managed just two baskets over the first six minutes of the second half. The Longhorns held the Golden Lions to 31% shooting and scored 23 points off 20 turnovers.

NO. 18 TENNESSEE 96, SOUTH CAROLINA UPSTATE 52

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Olivier Nkamhoua had 21 points and eight rebounds to lead Tennessee over South Carolina Upstate.

The Volunteers (8-2) scored the first 13 points and weren’t challenged. Kennedy Chandler had 15 points and 10 assists, and John Fulkerson scored 12. Tennessee shot 56% from the field and 44% behind the 3-point line.

South Carolina Upstate (2-8) was led by Nick Alves with 15 points.

NO. 19 LSU 89, NORTHWESTERN STATE 49

BATON ROUGE, La. — Tari Eason had 18 points and LSU beat Northwestern State to open 10-0 for the first time in 22 years.

Eason scored all but five of his points in the second half, when the Tigers already had a big lead. Xavier Pinson added 15 points, Efton Reid had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Darius Days scored 13 for LSU.

Kendal Coleman led the Demons with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Cedric Garrett added 15 points for Northwestern State (2-9), which hasn’t beaten a Division I team this season.

NO. 25 TEXAS TECH 75, ARKANSAS STATE 62

LUBBOCK, Texas — Kevin McCullar scored 21 points and Texas Tech celebrated its return to the national rankings with a victory over Arkansas State.

The Red Raiders (8-1), national finalists in 2019, were coming off a five-point overtime victory against then-No. 13 Tennessee that got them ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time under first-year coach Mark Adams.

Texas Tech faces fifth-ranked Gonzaga in a neutral-site game in Phoenix on Saturday.

Adonis Arms had 15 points and Bryson Williams added 12 as the Red Raiders shot 56% from the floor.

Markise Davis scored 17 for Arkansas State (7-3).