Kangaroos hold court against Loyola; SIU, WIU win

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Tim Blackwell scored a season-high 24 points in leading UMKC to a 77-66 win over Loyola of Chicago on Saturday.

The Kangaroos (5-8) were down 37-27 with 17:49 left before UMKC went on a 19-2 run over eight minutes to take a 7-point lead.

Blackwell and Reggie Hamilton opened the run with 3-pointers, and Kenny Simms followed with a dunk to cut the deficit to 38-35 before J.R. Blount hit 1-of-3 free-throw attempts for the Ramblers (4-7).

UMKC then went on an 11-0 run over then next 3:35 to take a 46-39 lead.

The Kangaroos were 15-for-17 from the free-throw line and used free throws down the stretch to build on their lead. After Brian Gettinger shot a 3-pointer with 7:20 left, UMKC didn't have another field goal.

Blackwell was 4-of-6 from three-point range and 10-of-13 at the free-throw line. Dane Brumagin added 19 points and a team-high 8 rebounds. Reggie Hamilton had 12 points, and Brent Stephens added 11.

Leon Young led Loyola with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Justin Cerasoli had 14 points, and Tracy Robinson added 12.

VCU 79, Bradley 64: Eric Maynor scored 30 points to lead visiting Virginia Commonwealth past Bradley. Jamal Shuler added 13 points for the Rams (8-3), and Michael Anderson chipped in 10. Andrew Warren was the top scorer for the Braves (7-5).

Binghamton 75, Chicago St. 55: Lazar Trifunovic scored a game-high 23 points and had 10 rebounds to lead host Binghamton (3-7) over Chicago State (4-11). Chicago State guard David Holston led his team with 11 points.

Illinois St. 65, Ball St. 49: Boo Richardson scored 16 points and Osiris Eldridge added 15 as visiting Illinois State defeated winless Ball State. Eldridge scored the first 4 points of the game as Illinois State (8-3) came out to an early lead over the Cardinals (0-11).

Indiana 73, Coppin St. 46: D.J. White had 21 points and 8 rebounds, and Eric Gordon scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half to help host No. 13 Indiana pull away from Coppin State. Coppin State (3-10) was led by Tywain McKee with 16 points, but wore down in the second half after playing its second road game in two days against a ranked team. The Eagles lost 89-42 at No. 10 Marquette on Friday night and have dropped eight straight.

UCLA 69, Michigan 54: Josh Shipp scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half as visiting No. 8 UCLA rallied for a victory over Michigan. The Wolverines (4-8) led by as many as 8 points in the second half, but couldn't keep up with UCLA (11-1) down the stretch. Kevin Love had 17 points and 16 rebounds for UCLA. DeShawn Sims led Michigan with 12 points.

Michigan St. 78, Texas 72: Freshman Kalin Lucas scored a career-high 18 points to lead No. 9 Michigan State to a victory over No. 4 Texas at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Spartans (11-1) took control of the game with a 13-0 run toward the end of the first half and didn't let the Longhorns (11-1) back in it until the final minute. A.J. Abrams made a flurry of 3-pointers, including one that pulled it within 5 points with 22 seconds left, and Texas had a chance to get closer when Lucas missed 2 free throws on the ensuing possession.

No. Carolina 105, UC Santa Barbara: Tyler Hansbrough scored 21 points and host No. 1 North Carolina dominated UC Santa Barbara. Marcus Ginyard added a career-high 17 points, Wayne Ellington also had 17 and Ty Lawson finished with 15 for the Tar Heels (11-0). James Powell and Alex Harris scored 17 points apiece and Nedim Pajevic had 12 for the Gauchos (10-2).

Ohio St. 62, Florida 49: In a rematch of the schools in last year's national championship games in basketball and football, host Ohio State topped Florida. Kosta Koufos led the Buckeyes (8-3) with 17 points, while Jamar Butler, the only remaining starter from either team from last April's basketball title game, added 13. Jai Lucas was the only Florida player in double figures with 11 points, and the Gators fell to 11-2.

Iowa St. 83, Purdue 80: Jiri Hubalek scored 18 points and Diante Garrett added 14 as Iowa State beat Purdue to advance to the finals of the Las Vegas Holiday Classic.

S. Illlinois 88, W. Kentucky 78: Southern Illinois guard Wesley Clemmons came off the bench to score a career-high 24 points as the host Salukis defeated Western Kentucky. The Salukis (5-5) featured three players in double-digit scoring, including Clemmons, who scored 18 of his points in the second half, and forwards Matt Shaw and Randal Falker, who had 24 and 20 points respectively. Hilltoppers leading scorer, guard Courtney Lee, had a game-high 30 points.

W. Illinois 66, Kennesaw State 54: David Nurse scored a game-high 18 points, including four 3-pointers, to lead host Western Illinois in a victory over Kennesaw State. David Jackson added 16 points, Jerryck Owens-Murray had 13 and David DuBois chipped in 10 for the Leathernecks (4-7). Shuan Stegall scored 14 points for the Owls (2-8).

Wisconsin 68, Valparaiso 58: Wisconsin overcame a sloppy performance and poor free-throw shooting to beat visiting Valparaiso. Trevon Hughes led Wisconsin with 14 points, while Joe Krabbenhoft added 11 points and 11 rebounds. Samuel Haanpaa led Valparaiso with 16 points, while Brandon McPherson added 14.