Associated Press
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Reserve Michael Dixon scored 18 points and helped spark a 17-0 first-half run as No. 5 Missouri beat Texas A&M 70-51 on Monday, snapping an eight-game losing streak to the Aggies.
The Tigers (17-1, 4-1 Big 12) started the game by making only five of their first 14 shots from the field against the conference’s best scoring defense. But Dixon’s 3-pointer with 7:22 remaining in the first half started the 17-0 run that gave Missouri a 31-17 lead.
Elston Turner hit a free throw to end the Aggies’ 6:32 scoreless drought.
Turner and Khris Middleton both had 13 points for Texas A&M (10-7, 1-4), which scored the first seven points of in the second half to get within 42-30. The Aggies got within 10 points three times, but could get no closer.
Missouri is ranked in the top five for the first time since 2003-04, and has won 62 of its last 65 home games, falling only to Kansas twice and Texas A&M. The Tigers’ have won each home game this season by an average of 27.6 points.
Marcus Denmon added 16 points and nine rebounds for Missouri, which leads the Big 12 in scoring offense (83.9) and field goal percentage (51.2).
Ray Turner added 11 points and nine rebounds for Texas A&M.
No. 21 Marquette 74
No. 23 Louisville 63
MILWAUKEE — Darius Johnson-Odom scored 19 points and DaVante Gardner added 17 points and six rebounds to lead Marquette.
The Golden Eagles (15-4, 4-2 Big East) won their third straight conference game after losing to No. 10 Georgetown and top-ranked Syracuse.
Russ Smith led Louisville (14-5, 2-4) with 20 points and Chris Smith added 19 points.
No. 1 Syracuse 71
Pittsburgh 63
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Dion Waiters had 16 points and Scoop Jardine had 12 points and 10 assists as No. 1 Syracuse beat Pittsburgh 71-63 to open the season with 20 straight wins.
The Orange (20-0, 7-0 Big East) set a school record for most consecutive victories to start a season and it was win No. 876 for coach Jim Boeheim, tying him with Adolph Rupp of Kentucky for fourth place all-time in Division I.
Boeheim extended his Division I record for most 20-win seasons to 34.
Ashton Gibbs, Cameron Wright and Lamar Patterson all scored 10 points for Pitt, which had beaten Syracuse five straight times and had won 13 of the past 16 meetings.
No. 7 Kansas 92
No. 3 Baylor 74
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Thomas Robinson had 27 points and 14 rebounds, Tyshawn Taylor matched a career-high with 28 points and No. 7 Kansas rolled to a 92-74 victory over No. 3 Baylor, ending the Bears’ perfect start.
Travis Releford and Elijah Johnson added 11 points each for the Jayhawks (15-3, 5-0 Big 12), who won their 16th straight game at Allen Fieldhouse and 10th in a row at home over the Bears. Kansas is 17-2 against them all-time.
A trendy pick to end the Jayhawks’ seven-year stranglehold on the conference, Baylor (17-1, 4-1) had been riding the longest winning streak in school history to its best start ever.
Perry Jones III scored 18 points, Quincy Miller had 17 and Quincy Acy added 14, but the long and lean Bears were dominated in the paint and had no answer for the combination of Robinson and Taylor, one of the best inside-outside tandems in the nation.