Rockets Soar to Tenth Straight Victory
Saturday Scoreboard
Toledo 77, Penn 45
Ball State 116, Delaware State 57
#21 Buffalo 87, Canisius 72
#8 Michigan State 88,
Northern Illinois 60
#5 Kansas 87,
Eastern Michigan 63
Stories Courtesy of The Associated Press
Toledo 77, Penn 45
Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio -- Jaelen Sanford scored 15 points, Nate Navigato added 14, and Toledo won its 10th straight with a 77-45 victory over Pennsylvania on Saturday, ending the Quakers' six-game win streak.
Willie Jackson grabbed 16 rebounds and scored eight points, and Luke Knapkehad 10 boards and nine points for the Rockets (12-1), who held Pennsylvania to 31-percent shooting.
Navigato's layup amid an 8-0 run broke open back-and-forth play and Toledo led 30-25 on Marreon Jackson's jumper with 2:44 left in the first half and 34-27 at halftime. Navigato hit back-to-back 3-pointers amid a 12-4 run for a 48-34 Toledo lead with 14:42 to go and the Rockets won going away.
AJ Brodeur had four steals, blocked three shots, grabbed seven rebounds and scored 19 points for his 1,000th career point for Penn (10-3), becoming the 41st player in program history to hit the milestone. Bryce Washington added nine boards.
Ball State 116, Delaware State 57
Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Josh Thompson scored 19 points to lead eight Ball State players in double figures and the Cardinals defeated Delaware State 116-57 on Saturday.
Tahjai Teague had 16 points, K.J. Walton had 13 points and seven rebounds, and Tayler Persons had 16 points and seven assists for the Cardinals (9-4). Nine players played at least 16 minutes for the Cardinals, with the eight in double figures. Zach Gunn had eight points, six rebounds and two assists.
Guard Kevin Larkin had game highs with 26 points and 11 rebounds for Delaware State (3-10). Pinky Wiley added 12 points and four assists for the Hornets.
Ball State led by 60 points, 107-47, with 6:34 remaining in the game. The Cardinals had a 49-5 advantage in bench points, 25-9 in assists and 40-11 in fast-break points.
#21 Buffalo 87, Canisius 72?
Box Score
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- CJ Massinburg scored 22 points and Nick Perkins added 18 to help No. 21 Buffalo close out its non-conference schedule with an 87-72 victory over Canisius on Saturday night.
Jeremy Harris added 17 points and nine rebounds, and Jayvon Gravescontributed 10 points as Buffalo improved to 12-1 for the first time since the 1962-63 season.
The Bulls shot a season-high 44 percent from 3-point range (11 of 25) and 50 percent from the field. Massinburg hit 4 of 7 from beyond the arc and Harris was 3 for 5.
Takal Molson led Canisius (3-8) with 15 points. Malik Johnson and Isaiah Reeseeach had 13.
The Golden Griffins shot out to an early 23-13 lead before the Bulls took control with a 21-2 run. Buffalo used a 13-2 stretch to pull away early in the second half after leading 41-35 at the break.
#8 Michigan State 88, Northern Illinois 60
Box Score
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Cassius Winston made two 3-pointers in the opening minutes, and it proved to be a preview of what was to come from Michigan State's point guard.
Winston matched a career high with six 3-pointers and scored 24 points, leading the eighth-ranked Spartans to 88-60 win over Northern Illinois on Saturday.
"I just kind of pick my spots," he said. "I take my shots when I've got good ones."
Winston shot 8 of 10 overall, missing only one 3-pointer. He had seven assists without a turnover -- the statistic that meant the most to him.
"That means I'm doing my job," he said.
Michigan State (11-2) has won six straight heading into the Big Ten season .
"We got a long way to go to compete in this league," coach Tom Izzo said. "I think there are going be a lot of tight games."
The Huskies (7-6) have alternated between winning and losing for much of the season.
Northern Illinois coach Mark Montgomery returned to the school where he played point guard from 1988-92 and was one of Izzo's assistants from 2001-11.
The crowd cheered when he was introduced before the game.
"It felt great," Montgomery said. "I love the love."
Montgomery was all smiles before tip-off seeing familiar faces at the Breslin Center. He didn't appear to be in a great mood once the game started.
Winston made two 3-pointers in the first 1:34 to help the Spartans take a 9-2 lead, and they kept control enough to lead 43-19 at halftime.
Michigan State led by at least 20 during the entire second half.
Michigan State's Kenny Goins had 12 points, Nick Ward scored 11 points and reserve Xavier Tillman added eight points and matched a career high with 13 rebounds.
Eugene German scored 20 points and Levi Bradley had 13 points for the Huskies.
"I don't think we embarrassed ourselves," Montgomery said.
#5 Kansas 87,
Eastern Michigan 63
Box Score
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Udoka Azubuike scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds in his return from an ankle injury, and No. 2 Kansas cruised to a 87-63 win over Eastern Michigan on Saturday.
Azubuike hit the ground running after missing four games, scoring seven points in the first six minutes, highlighted by a couple of and-one dunks. He finished with 14 in the first half and added nine in the second before being sat to rest.
The 7-footer's presence opened things up offensively for the Jayhawks (11-1) as they racked up a season-high 25 assists and had 10 players score. Quentin Grimes was second on the team with 16 points, and Devon Dotson added 15.
John Thompson IV led the way for the Eagles (6-7), finishing with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Paul Jackson had 15 points as well.
The rebounding was even at 42-42, but Eastern Michigan dominated the offensive boards, finishing with 19 to Kansas' nine.
The Jayhawks shot 33.3 percent on 3-pointers while the Eagles were 18.8 percent.
This was the first-ever meeting between Kansas and Eastern Michigan. The Jayhawks are now 15-1 against members of the Mid-American Conference all-time.
