Top 25: Memphis wins fourth straight
Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 16 points, Joey Dorsey grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots, and No. 20 Memphis beat Houston 79-69 on Thursday night at Houston.
Jeremy Hunt added 14 and Robert Dozier had 12 points and three blocks for the Tigers (12-3, 2-0 C-USA), who’ve won four in a row and six of their last seven.
Memphis is Conference USA’s top-scoring team, but the Tigers beat the Cougars with their defense as much as their offense, holding Houston to 43 percent shooting (26 of 60).
Memphis also dominated inside, outrebounding the Cougars 35-26 and scoring 40 in the paint, to win its first true road game of the season. The Tigers lost at Arizona and Tennessee in December.
Robert McKiver scored 22, but only five in the second half, to lead the Cougars (5-8, 0-1), who’ve lost five in a row and six of their last seven.
Women
(2) North Carolina 100, Clemson 65: At Clemson, S.C., Ivory Latta scored 23 points and the Tar Heels (19-0, 4-0 ACC) stayed undefeated with their 10th straight victory over the Lady Tigers (9-9, 1-2). … (4) Tennessee 80, Florida 58: At Gainesville, Fla., Sidney Spencer scored 21 points and Candace Parker added 19 to lead the Lady Vols (15-1, 2-0 SEC) to a victory over the Gators (6-11, 0-2). … Mississippi 77, (5) LSU 74: At Oxford, Miss., Arminitie Price scored 18 points, including two clutch run-killing baskets late, and the Rebels (14-4, 3-0 SEC) won their second straight game against a ranked team with a victory over the Tigers (15-2, 1-1). … (6) Ohio St. 63, Penn St. 61: At State College, Pa., Andrea Walker sank two free throws with 1.3 seconds left and the Buckeyes (14-1, 3-0 Big Ten) overcame a sluggish outing by star center Jessica Davenport to defeat the Lady Lions (8-10, 1-4). … (11) Arizona State 59, Oregon State 43: At Corvallis, Ore., Emily Westerberg (Central Valley HS) had 15 points and Aubree Johnson (Post Falls HS) added 10 points and 11 rebounds in the Sun Devils’ (15-2, 5-1 Pac-10) victory over the Beavers (6-8, 1-4).
(13) Purdue 70, (20) Michigan St. 60: At East Lansing, Mich., Jodi Howell scored 25 points, including 7 for 9 on 3-pointers, and the Boilermakers (15-3, 4-0) beat the Spartans (12-4, 3-1) in a matchup of Big Ten co-leaders. … (14) Vanderbilt 67, South Carolina 66: At Columbia, S.C., Dee Davis hit two free throws with 22.6 seconds to go as the Commodores (15-2, 2-1 SEC) made a late charge to beat the Gamecocks (10-7, 1-2). … (15) Georgia 74, Mississippi St. 61: At Starkville, Miss., Cori Chambers scored 28 points, including 6 for 12 on 3-pointers, to lead Georgia (14-3, 2-1 SEC) to a victory over Mississippi State (10-6, 1-1). … (21) Middle Tennessee 78, Florida Atlantic 48: At Boca Raton, Fla., Chrissy Givens scored 19 of her 23 points in the first half to help the Blue Raiders (14-3, 6-0 Sun Belt) win their 11th straight, defeating the Owls (4-14, 0-6).