PUEBLO — Metro State rebounded from its first loss of the season by thumping Colorado State-Pueblo 69-49 on Friday night behind 27 points from Brandon Jefferson.
Jefferson made 7-of-10 3-pointers for the Roadrunners (14-1, 9-1 RMAC), who were ranked No. 1 in Division II before a loss to Colorado Mines that moved the Orediggers from No. 12 to No. 9.
The Thunderwolves (7-7, 4-6) had an early 16-9 lead as Metro missed its first six 3-point attempts, but the Roadrunners made six of their last seven of the half to take a 39-28 lead into the break.
Metro stayed hot in the second half, with Jefferson hitting 4-of-5 from long range. His seven 3-pointers were two shy of the school record.
Reggie Evans joined Jefferson with 20 points on 6-of-15 shooting, including two 3-pointers, while pulling down a game-high seven rebounds and dishing out four assists off the bench. He also made all six of his free-throw attempts,
Adams State 70, Colorado Mines 59: ALAMOSA — The Grizzlies (10-3, 7-3 RMAC) shot 55 percent in the second half while limiting the Orediggers (12-2, 8-2) to just 42.9 percent shooting.
Marqus Richards led Adams State with 17 points and Kaimyn Pruitt added 12. Brett Green led Mines with 16 points while Trevor Wages chipped in 12 points.
Mines committed 19 turnovers and the Grizzlies turned those miscues into 27 points while the Orediggers generated only 13 points from 18 Adams State turnovers.
South Florida 56, No. 24 Seton Hall 55: TAMPA, Fla. — Jawanza Poland made a long 3-pointer to tie it at 53, and Toaryln Fitzpatrick’s three-point play put the Bulls (10-8, 3-2 Big East) ahead for good with less than a minute to go.
Ron Anderson scored 14 points and had six points in a game-ending 14-3 run.
“It says a lot about our team,” Anderson said. “We really wanted this win. I think everybody could see that.”
Seton Hall, ranked for the first time in 11 years, trimmed its deficit to one on its only field goal in the final six minutes. Jordan Theodore led the Pirates (15-3, 4-2) with 16 points but missed the front end of a 1-and-1 opportunity with a chance to put his team ahead with 3.8 seconds remaining.
“I think they’re a top-tier (Big East) team, especially at home,” Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said. “They’re going to be in every game because of their size.”
South Florida outscored Seton Hall 14-2 on second-chance points.
“Our guys really hung tough,” USF coach Stan Heath said. “There’s a lot of big plays made offensively and defensively.”
No. 23 Creighton 87, Illinois State 78: NORMAL, Ill. — The Bluejays were clinging to a four-point lead in the final minute when Illinois State freshman Johnny Hill committed a hard foul and was given two technicals. Fans then littered the court with debris, causing a third tech to be called on the Redbirds (11-6, 3-3 Missouri Valley Conference).
Creighton (15-2, 5-1) made five free throws for the final margin.
Women
Metro State 55, CSU-Pueblo 49: PUEBLO — Caley Dow had 13 points and 13 rebounds, and the Roadrunners (13-1, 9-1 RMAC) sprinted to a 11-1 lead to start the game and a 36-18 advantage with 14:03 remaining.
Emily Wood returned to Metro’s starting lineup for the first time since suffering a head injury Dec. 3 and contributed nine points and six rebounds. Laurel Kearsley had 17 points for the Thunderwolves (11-3, 8-2).
Adams State 64, Colorado Mines 57: ALAMOSA — Stephanie Fogle scored 22 points and the Orediggers (5-11, 4-6 RMAC) closed a 15-point deficit to one point three times in the second half but could never tie, or surpass, the Grizzlies (6-8, 5-5).
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