Mark Sears scored 22 points and distributed eight assists, and host Alabama held on for a 79-75 win over No. 8 Auburn on Wednesday night in a Southeastern Conference matchup in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Rylan Griffen finished with 17 points for Alabama (13-6, 5-1), which bounced back from a 20-point loss against then-No. 6 Tennessee on Saturday. Latrell Wrightsell Jr. had 14 points and nine rebounds, and Grant Nelson registered a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Johni Broome scored a game-high 25 points on 11-for-17 shooting for Auburn (16-3, 5-1). Chad Baker-Mazara contributed 11 points for the Tigers, whose 11-game winning streak ended.
The Crimson Tide recorded a 46-41 edge in rebounds and posted a 21-12 advantage in second-chance points. They made 11 shots from beyond the arc, compared with five 3-pointers for Auburn.
Northwestern 96, No. 10 Illinois 91 (OT)
Boo Buie finished with 29 points and the host Wildcats scored the first nine points of overtime to claim an upset of the Fighting Illini in Evanston, Ill.
Brooks Barnhizer contributed 23 points for Northwestern (14-5, 5-3), which orchestrated a dramatically different result from the teams’ first meeting on Jan. 2, when the Wildcats never led during a 30-point loss on Illinois’ home floor.
Coleman Hawkins paced Illinois (14-5, 5-3) with 22 points and 13 rebounds while Marcus Domask added 22 points and six assists. Terrence Shannon Jr. finished with 12 points as he returned to Illinois’ starting lineup for the first time since Dec. 22.
He came off the bench Sunday in his first game since returning from his Dec. 27 suspension that cost him six games.
No. 14 Marquette 86, DePaul 73
The Golden Eagles put four scorers in double figures and kept the Demon Deacons at arm’s length to win a Big East matchup in Chicago.
Tyler Kolek, the reigning Big East Player of the Year, registered 22 points and seven assists, while David Joplin scored 21 points on 6-of-8 shooting from long range as the Golden Eagles (14-5, 5-3 Big East) won their third straight game.
Oso Ighodaro piled up 19 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and two blocks, and Stevie Mitchell tacked on 12 points.
DePaul (3-16, 0-8), which fired coach Tony Stubblefield on Monday and installed Matt Brady on an interim basis, lost its seventh game in a row.
Jalen Terry led the Blue Demons with 22 points and six rebounds. He also made 6 of 8 shots from deep. Jeremiah Oden added 19 points and Jaden Henley supplied 10.
No. 22 FAU 69, Rice 56
Nick Boyd scored 18 points and had three steals as Florida Atlantic moved into a first-place tie in the American Athletic Conference with a win over Rice in Houston.
Johnell Davis had 14 points and nine rebounds and Alijah Martin managed 14 points and eight boards as Florida Atlantic (16-4, 6-1) swept its two-game road trip in Texas.
Alem Huseinovic led Rice (7-12, 1-5) with 16 points and Mekhi Mason had 13 points and three steals, but the squad lost for the sixth time in its past seven outings.
No. 23 Iowa State 78, Kansas State 67
Milan Momcilovic scored a game-high 19 points and the host Cyclones pulled away late to defeat the Wildcats in Ames, Iowa, and improve to 12-0 at home this season.
The Cyclones (15-4, 4-2 Big 12) got 18 points from Curtis Jones plus 15 points and 13 rebounds from Keshon Gilbert.
The Wildcats (14-5, 4-2) tied the score on five occasions in the second half but never led in the contest. Kansas State was led by Arthur Kaluma with 16 points. Cam Carter added 12.
Nevada 77, No. 24 Colorado State 64
Jarod Lucas scored 28 points on 10-of-14 shooting to help the Wolf Pack defeat the Rams in Reno, Nev.
Kenan Blackshear added 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting as Nevada (16-4, 3-3 Mountain West) halted a three-game losing streak. Nick Davidson had 10 points and seven rebounds for the Wolf Pack.
Jalen Lake scored 13 points, Josiah Strong added 12 and Joel Scott chipped in 10 points for Colorado State (15-4, 3-3). Rams star Isaiah Stevens had 10 assists but scored just eight points on 4-of-16 shooting.
No. 25 New Mexico 95, San Jose State 75
Jaelen House scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half, hitting two 3-pointers in a key run, to lead the Lobos to a victory over the host Spartans.
The Lobos (17-3, 5-2 Mountain West) are on a four-game winning streak, all double-digit triumphs in conference games. Donovan Dent and Jamal Mashburn Jr. each had 17 points, JT Toppin finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Nelly Junior Joseph had 10 points for New Mexico.
San Jose State (8-11, 1-5) lost for the fifth time in the past six games. The Spartans were led by Myron Amey Jr.‘s 24 points and nine rebounds. Tibet Gorener added 12 points, and Diogo Seixas had 10.
