Fighting Illini Top Wildcats, College Scores

Evanston, IL (SportsNetwork.com) -- Kendrick Nunn tallied 25 points and grabbed five rebounds as the Illinois Fighting Illini knocked off the Northwestern Wildcats, 72-67, in Big 10 Conference play at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Aaron Cosby finished with 19 points and five rebounds for Illinois (12-6, 2-3 Big Ten). Malcolm Hill (10 points, six rebounds) and Ahmad Starks (10 points, four assists) contributed to the winning effort.

Alex Olah had a double-double for Northwestern (10-7, 1-3) with 14 points, 12 rebounds and four assists while Bryant McIntosh led the Wildcats in scoring with 16 points.

The Fighting Illini connected on 42.4 percent of their first-half attempts, including 7-of-17 from 3-point distance. Northwestern was able to keep pace, as it converted 44.4 percent of its field goal tries in the opening period, including 5-of-12 from beyond the arc. Illinois took a 37-33 lead going into halftime.

The Wildcats shot even better in the second half, as they made 48 percent of their tries from the field. The Fighting Illini saw their shooting output in the final period drop slightly to 41.4 percent. Northwestern was down by just one point with 12 seconds left, but Illinois connected on all six of its free- throw attempts to close out the game and seal the victory.

The Fighting Illini had just three turnovers to the Wildcats' 11, and each team was very impressive from the foul line as Illinois went 12-of-14 on its attempts, and the Wildcats hit 12-of-13 of their tries.

Buffalo Downs Northern Illinois

Northern Illinois lost to Buffalo 82-63. The Huskies are back in action on Saturday against Miami.

(5) Villanova Cruises Past Xavier

Villanova, PA (SportsNetwork.com) -- Ryan Arcidiacono led the way with 18 points and six assists as No. 5 Villanova cruised past Xavier for an 88-75 win on Wednesday. Dylan Ennis went 5-of-8 from 3-point range to finish with 17 points and Josh Hart chipped in with 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench for the Wildcats (16-1, 4-1 Big East), who have won three straight following their lone blemish of the season, a 66-61 overtime loss to Seton Hall on Jan. 3. Matt Stainbrook scored 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field and Jalen Reynolds contributed 14 points, five boards and three blocks for the Musketeers (11-6, 2-3), who have dropped three of their last four games.

(22) Baylor 74, (11) Iowa State 73

Waco, TX (SportsNetwork.com) -- Kenny Chery hit a jumper from the right wing with 4.7 seconds remaining to lift No. 22 Baylor to a 74-73 win over 11th- ranked Iowa State. The Bears were red-hot at the start of the game, but a sizeable lead evaporated and they fell behind for the first time at 68-67 on a Georges Niang jumper with 1:54 left. Johnathan Motley made a putback off a Chery miss to give Baylor a 72-70 lead with 27 seconds remaining. Bryce Dejean-Jones' 3-pointer from the left corner preceded Chery's go-ahead basket. The Bears prevailed when Niang missed a contested runner from just inside the arc. Royce O'Neale scored 15 points and Rico Gathers added 14 with 15 rebounds for Baylor (13-3, 2-2 Big 12). Motley also had 14 points in addition to seven boards and four assists, while Chery finished with 13 points.

(12) Notre Dame 62, Georgia Tech 59

Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) -- Steve Vasturia scored five of his 11 points in the final 4 1/2 minutes to help 12th-ranked Notre Dame survive another challenge from Georgia Tech with a 62-59 win. Just 11 days after the Fighting Irish outlasted the Yellow Jackets in a double-overtime thriller in South Bend, Notre Dame (16-2, 3-1 ACC) overcame a 38-30 halftime deficit and the absence of second-leading scorer Zach Auguste due to a reported academic issue behind a stifling defensive effort in the second half. Georgia Tech (9-7, 0-4) was held without a field goal for over eight minutes after Corey Heyward's 3-pointer with 8:14 remaining, and the Yellow Jackets went just 6-of-23 from the field after intermission.

(13) Wichita State 67, Southern Illinois 55

Wichita, KS (SportsNetwork.com) -- Darius Carter scored a career-high 25 points to help 13th-ranked Wichita State beat Southern Illinois 67-55 on Wednesday night. Ron Baker had 11 points and Tekele Cotton added 10 in the Shockers' wire-to-wire victory. Both also registered five assists. Wichita State (15-2, 5-0 MVC) set a school record with its 26th straight home win and extended its Missouri Valley Conference regular-season win streak to 23 games, the longest all-time by any current league member. Deion Lavender scored 15 points and Bola Olaniyan had 12 with 10 rebounds for the Salukis (7-11, 0-5), who have dropped seven in a row.

(14) Maryland 73, Rutgers 65

College Park, MD (SportsNetwork.com) -- Dez Wells totaled 17 points and eight rebounds, as No. 14 Maryland shook off a challenge from Rutgers and posted a 73-65 victory on Wednesday. Jake Layman picked up 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Terrapins (16-2, 4-1 Big Ten), who have won two in a row since losing at Illinois. Jared Nickens added 12 points as well, while Melo Trimble finished with 11 points, five rebounds and four assists. Myles Mack poured in a game-high 19 points for the Scarlet Knights (10-8, 2-3), who have dropped three of their last five. Bishop Daniels and Mike Williams each had 12 points in a losing cause.

(15) North Carolina 81, NC State 79

Raleigh, NC (SportsNetwork.com) -- Marcus Paige scored 23 points and No. 15 North Carolina escaped Duke's fate by beating North Carolina State 81-79 on Wednesday night. Paige made all five of his 3-pointers, the last one giving the Tar Heels a 71-60 lead with 4 1/2 minutes left, but they had to hang on down the stretch. The Wolfpack trimmed the deficit to one point and nearly tied the score at the buzzer after Abdul-Malik Abu missed a foul shot high off the rim on purpose, but Cody Martin's tip-in attempt didn't fall. Kennedy Meeks added 15 points and 10 rebounds and Isaiah Hicks scored 12 for the Tar Heels (13-4, 3-1 ACC), who played their third consecutive close game.

San Diego State 60, (25) Wyoming 52

Laramie, WY (SportsNetwork.com) -- Aqeel Quinn finished with 14 points as San Diego State pulled away from No. 25 Wyoming during the second half for a 60-52 victory on Wednesday. Trey Kell scored 12 points and Winston Shepard totaled 10 points and six rebounds for the Aztecs (13-4, 3-1 MWC), who have won six of their last seven games. Larry Nance Jr. had 19 points and eight boards, while Josh Adams supplied 14 points and five rebounds for the Cowboys (15-3, 4-1), who had their seven-game winning streak come to an end.

Wednesday, January 14 Scoreboard

NCAA Top-25 Men's Basketball  ("USA Today" Rankings)

#5 Villanova Wildcats 88, Xavier Musketeers 75

#11 Maryland Terrapins 73, Rutgers Scarlet Knights 65

#12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 62, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 59

#23 Baylor Bears 74, #13 Iowa State Cyclones 73

#14 Wichita State Shockers 67, Southern Illinois Salukis 55

#16 North Carolina Tar Heels 81, North Carolina State Wolfpack 79

Thursday, January 15 Schedule (All Times Central)

NCAA Top-25 Men's Basketball  ("USA Today" Rankings)

9:30 p.m. - #3 Gonzaga Bulldogs at Pepperdine Waves

8:00 p.m. - #6 Wisconsin Badgers host Nebraska Cornhuskers

9:00 p.m. - #8 Utah Utes at Arizona State Sun Devils

8:00 p.m. - #9 Arizona Wildcats host Colorado Buffaloes