Top 25 roundup: Alex Hunter scores 18 in 2nd half, No. 25 Furman tops Elon 98-77

ELON, N.C. – Alex Hunter scored all of his 18 points in the second half, and No. 25 Furman won its first game since the program’s debut in the AP Top 25, 98-77 over Elon on Tuesday night.

Matt Rafferty also scored 18 points and Clay Mounce added 17 for the Paladins (9-0), who cracked the rankings this week thanks to an early-season resume that includes road victories over defending national champion Villanova and Loyola-Chicago, which made the Final Four last season.

Steven Santa Ana led the Phoenix (3-6) with 21 points and Tyler Seibring scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half for Elon, which pulled within 55-52 on Simon Wright’s 3-pointer with 12:22 left. But the Paladins responded with a 13-2 run to take a 79-61 lead on Jaylon Pugh’s 3-pointer with 6:29 remaining.

The Paladins made 10 of 16 3-pointers in the second half.

No. 2 Kansas 72, Wofford 47

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Dedric Lawson had 20 points and eight rebounds, and Kansas beat Wofford after center Udoka Azubuike left with a right high-ankle sprain.

Azubuike was injured after landing awkwardly on a block attempt midway through the first half, and coach Bill Self said the 7-footer will be out indefinitely.

Devon Dotson had 16 points for Kansas (7-0).

With Azubuike out, Wofford (6-3) won the rebounding battle 45-36, including 19 on the offensive glass. Cameron Jackson led Wofford with 15 points and 10 boards. Leading scorer and star senior Fletcher Magee had just seven points and was 0 for 9 from behind the arc.

No. 5 Michigan 62, Northwestern 60

EVANSTON, Ill. – Ignas Brazdeikis scored 13 of his 23 points in the second half and Jordan Poole made two big plays in the last 2 1/2 minutes to help Michigan hold off Northwestern.

Poole finished with 15 points as the Wolverines (9-0, 2-0 Big Ten) added to their best start since they opened the 2012-13 season with 16 straight victories. Zavier Simpson scored 10 points, and Jon Teske had eight points and 10 rebounds.

Dererk Pardon led the Wildcats (6-3, 0-2) with 20 points on 9-for-10 shooting. Vic Law shook off a slow start and finished with 19.

It was a second straight tough defeat for Northwestern, including a 68-66 loss at Indiana on Saturday.

No. 8 Auburn 67, UNC Ashville 41

AUBURN, Ala. – Austin Wiley scored 14 points, Samir Doughty added 13 and Auburn won despite a season low in points.

The Tigers (7-1) forced 25 turnovers and blocked 12 shots to overcome their offensive struggles.

Wiley was 5 of 7 from the field and blocked five shots. Malik Dunbar helped spark the Tigers off the bench with eight points, seven rebounds and five steals.

UNC Asheville (1-7) was led by Luke Lawson’s nine points off the bench on 3-of-4 3-point shooting. Leading scorer DeVon Baker struggled his way to four points, 11 below his season average. He made 2 of 10 shots and committed nine turnovers.

No. 22 Mississippi State 90, McNeese State 77

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Lamar Peters scored 27 points, Reggie Perry added 15 and Mississippi State pulled away from McNeese State in the second half.

Mississippi State (7-1) needed a 19-0 run early in the second half to finally take control of a game that was much more competitive than anticipated. Peters shot 9 of 16 from the field, including 8 for 13 from 3-point range.

The Cowboys shot nearly 66 percent from the field before halftime and outscored the Bulldogs 28-8 in the paint. Malik Hines led McNeese State (2-6) with 14 points in the first half and finished with 24 on 9-of-14 shooting from the field.