No. 3 Kansas State 76, Presbyterian 67
MANHATTAN (AP) — Jacob Pullen scored 15 points, leading No. 3 Kansas State to a tough win over Presbyterian on Thursday night.
Up 14 at the half, Kansas State (3-0) couldn’t shake Presbyterian. The Blue Hose (0-2) opened the half with 13-7 run and then kept chipping away. Jake Troyli and Khalid Mutakbbir hit 3-point shots to cut the Wildcats’ lead to 63-60 with 9:35 to play.
It was 69-65 with 2:30 remaining before K-State’s Jamar Samuels tipped in Martavious Irving’s miss. When the Wildcats’ Rodney Magruder sank a baseline 3-poointer with 51 seconds remaining to make it 74-65, the home crowd could finally relax. Magruder finished with 13 points.
Presbyterian was led by Al’Lonzo Coleman, who had 15 points and 14 rebounds.
No. 5 Pittsburgh 79, Maryland 70
NEW YORK — When No. 5 Pittsburgh arrived in New York for the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic the talk was all about their veteran backcourt of Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker.
As they head to the championship game, a freshman forward drew all the raves.
Talib Zanna had 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Panthers to a 79-70 victory over Maryland on Thursday.
No. 9 Florida 105, N. Carolina A&T 55
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Chandler Parsons and Kenny Boynton led eight players in double figures with 16 points apiece, and the ninth-ranked Gators beat North Carolina A&T 105-55 Thursday night.
The Gators (2-1) bounced back from the lopsided loss, eclipsed the 100-point mark for the first time since 2007 and got four freshmen valuable playing time.
Casey Prather (12), Erik Murphy (11), Erving Walker (11), Patric Young (11), Scottie Wilbekin (11) and Vernon Macklin (10) also scored in double figures for the Gators. Walker and Wilbekin, both point guards, has six assists and no turnovers each.
No. 15 Missouri 66, W. Illinois 61
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Laurence Bowers had nine points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots, and No. 15 Missouri overcame awful free throw shooting in its opener to hold off Western Illinois 66-61 on Thursday night.
Phil Pressey, Marcus Denmon and Steve Moore also had nine points apiece for Missouri (1-0), which won its 48th consecutive non-conference home game despite going only 14 for 27 from the line. The Tigers shot 72 percent last season while going 23-11 and advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Matt Lander had 24 points and Kamarr Price added 15 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks for Western Illinois (2-1), which had a 38-37 rebounding edge. The Leathernecks were 8 for 11 from the line.
No. 17 Baylor 63, Jackson St. 49
WACO, Texas — Star freshman Perry Jones had 20 points and eight rebounds, helping No. 17 Baylor beat Jackson State 63-49 on Thursday night.
Fred Ellis hit a 3-pointer on the game’s first shot and the Bears (3-0) never trailed. But they had 26 turnovers in a sporadic performance in their last game before suspended guard LaceDarius Dunn returns.
Rod Melvin had 22 points, including six 3-pointers, for Jackson State (0-3).
AP Top 25 Basketball
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