Laramie – Steve Leven scored 17 points to lead Wyoming to a 69-54 win over Alabama State in the first round of the Black Coaches Association Tournament.
Justin Williams added 11 points and 13 rebounds for the Cowboys.
The Hornets had an 11-0 run late in the game, but came no closer than 64-51.
In the second half, Wyoming led by as much as 62-39 on a basket by Williams and two free throws by Brad Jones, who finished with 10 points.
Alabama State was led by Akeim Claborn, who had 19 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out. Alexander Oliver added nine points.
The Hornets took an early 13-10 lead, but Wyoming took control with a nine-point run that included a 3-pointer by James Ebert and a breakaway basket by Leven.
The Hornets fought back to within 19-17 on baskets by Richard Lott and Claborn, but another Cowboys run – this time 7-0 – put them up 26-17.
Lipscomb 72, Northern Colorado 60
Lexington, Ky. – Guards Brian Fisk and James Poindexter each scored 15 points and Lipscomb beat the Bears in the first round of the Guardians Classic.
Lipscomb never trailed, taking a 7-0 lead as UNC missed its first five shots. The Bisons’ lead peaked at 15 points twice, the latter at 37-22 on a putback by Eddie Ard 2:13 before halftime. Lipscomb, which shot 56.7 percent in the first half, led 39-28 at halftime.
The Bears whittled the lead to 45-40 with 13:19 left, but Lipscomb scored eight of the next 11 points to rebuild its advantage to 10 points. UNC came no closer than seven points in the final 11 minutes.
Sean Taibi led UNC with 20 points while Kirk Archibeque, the Bears’ leading scorer and rebounder last season, had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
No. 9 Kentucky 71, South Dakota St. 54
Lexington, Ky. – Sophomore point guard Rajon Rondo had 17 points and a career-high 12 rebounds to lead Kentucky in the first round of the Guardians Classic.
Rekalin Sims added 11 points for the Wildcats.
The game never quite turned into the mismatch it seemed it might become: the Wildcats with their seven national titles and annual Final Four hopes at home in Rupp Arena against a team starting its second season in NCAA Division I.
Kentucky entered the game with a lot of confidence. Early Sunday afternoon, a tournament bracket on the school’s athletic website already had the Wildcats scheduled to play the 6 p.m. MST game today – the game in which the two first-round winners were to play.
No. 14 West Virginia 61, Wofford 41
Morgantown, W.Va. – Kevin Pittsnogle scored 19 points to lead West Virginia to a berth in the semifinals of the Guardians Classic.
The Mountaineers, ranked in the preseason poll for just the second time in school history, trailed 24-19 at halftime.
