Associated Press
Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Lenzelle Smith Jr. scored 17 points and LaQuinton Ross added 15 to lead No. 3 Ohio State past Louisiana at Monroe 71-31 on Friday night.
Amedeo Della Valle chipped in with 14 points for the Buckeyes (13-0), who have won their first 13 games in a season for the fifth time in school history (1961, ‘62, ‘91 and 2011).
Jayon James led the Warhawks (3-5), who have lost their last four, with eight points.
They hit just 19 percent of their shots from the field (10 of 54) and 17 percent on 3-pointers (3 of 18).
The Buckeyes won each of their first 11 games by double digits. They came into the game fifth in the nation in scoring defense (55.9 points) and 13th in field goal percentage defense (.379).
The Buckeyes, who led 12-0 in the opening 4 minutes, held the Warhawks to 20 points on 23.3 percent shooting in the opening half.
No. 19 NORTH CAROLINA 75, N. KENTUCKY 60
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — James Michael McAdoo scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half to help North Carolina.
Marcus Paige and Leslie McDonald added 11 points each for the Tar Heels (9-3), who never trailed after opening the game with a 14-2 run.
Northern Kentucky trailed 44-37 early in the second half before North Carolina went on a 12-3 spurt to blow open the game. McAdoo scored 10 points during the decisive stretch, making three shots inside and hitting four consecutive free throws.
Tyler White scored 13 points to lead the Norse (4-8), whose three-game winning streak ended. Jalen Billups added 12 points for Northern Kentucky, which shot 33 percent from the field, including 5 of 23 from 3-point range.
No. 20 SAN DIEGO ST. 118, ST KATHERINE COLLEGE 35
SAN DIEGO — Winston Shepard scored 21 points and Dwayne Polee had 19 points and 12 rebounds as San Diego State won its ninth straight.
SDSU (10-1) finished a three-game stretch against outmanned teams. The competition gets considerably tougher when the Aztecs open Mountain West Conference play at Colorado State on Wednesday and then visit No. 16 Kansas on Jan. 5.
The 83-point win was San Diego State’s largest victory margin since moving to Division I in 1970-71. The previous largest was 60 points, 128-68 over Morgan State on Dec. 1, 1984. The Aztecs became the first Division I team since Oregon State in 2000 to hold three straight opponents under 40 points.
Joshua White led the Firebirds (2-12) with nine points. In their only other games against Division I teams, the Firebirds lost 107-36 at Weber State and 88-39 to Utah Valley.