Travis Hallam scored a career-high 18 points Tuesday night as Denver dealt Arkansas-Pine Bluff its 11th consecutive loss, beating the Golden Lions 73-55.
Hallam was 4-for-4 on 3-point attempts for the Pioneers (4-9), winners of consecutive games for the first time this season. Chris Udofia added 10 points.
Salvalace Townsend had 28 points for Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-11). Leading scorer Allen Smith had six points and didn’t have his first field goal until 1:46 left in the first half.
The 11 straight losses match the Golden Lions’ start of a year ago when they opened 0-11 but advanced to the NCAA Tournament after winning their conference tournament.
Top 25
No. 2 Ohio State 96, UNC Asheville 49
COLUMBUS, Ohio — David Lighty scored 13 of Ohio State’s first 16 points and sat out most of the second half while finishing with 29 points for the Buckeyes (11-0).
UNLV 63, No. 11 Kansas State 59
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tre’Von Willis scored 16 points and Oscar Bellfield hit a 3-pointer to give the Runnin’ Rebels (11-2) a 59-54 lead with 1:10 left.
The Wildcats (9-3) had trouble adjusting to the absence of their suspended top two scorers — Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly — and lost their second in a row.
Southern Cal 65, No. 19 Tennessee 64
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Maurice Jones scored 15 points and Donte Smith hit a 3-pointer from the wing over three defenders to give the Trojans (7-5) a 65-60 lead with 2:13 remaining.
Tobias Harris, who led the Volunteers (7-3) with 14 points, got a deep 3-point shot off as time expired, but it bounced away.
No. 23 BYU 72, Weber State 66
OGDEN, Utah — After trailing by 17 points in the second half, the Wildcats pulled within 67-63 on Scott Bamforth’s 3-pointer with 2:30 to play, but Jimmer Fredette scored 28 points, including two free throws down the stretch for the Cougars (11-1).
Women
No. 3 Duke 46, No. 4 Xavier 45
DURHAM, N.C. — Jasmine Thomas made the second of two free throws with 2 1/2 seconds to play, then flew down the court to block a breakaway layup at the buzzer and preserve the victory for the Blue Devils (12-0).
No. 2 Baylor 77, No. 23 Syracuse 43
NASSAU, Bahamas — Odyssey Sims scored 25 points and Brittney Griner added 15 and eight blocks for the Bears (11-1).
The Associated Press
