By The Associated Press
PROVO, Utah — Jalen Suggs scored 24 points and Drew Timme had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead top-ranked Gonzaga past BYU 82-71 on Monday night.
Andrew Nembhard added 15 points and Corey Kispert had 13 as the Bulldogs (19-0, 10-0 West Coast Conference) led wire-to-wire in their 23rd straight victory.
The most recent loss for Gonzaga, a 91-78 setback against BYU, came on Feb. 22 last year.
Alex Barcello led BYU with 20 points, and Brandon Averette added 14 points and a team-high six assists. The Cougars (15-5, 6-3) lost for the sixth time in their last seven home games against the Zags.
Gonzaga quickly put BYU in a big hole and the Cougars spent the rest of the first half trying to climb out of it. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 15-2 lead four minutes in after scoring seven points off four turnovers. Five players had a basket, and Suggs capped the opening burst with a pair of buckets.
BYU cut the deficit to 19-13 on a 3-pointer from Averette, but Gonzaga did not let the Cougars get any closer before halftime.
Suggs and Timme combined to score five baskets over five consecutive possessions to fuel a 15-6 run. Timme capped the spurt with a jumper that gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the first half at 34-19.
BYU trimmed the margin to 52-44 early in the second period on a layup from Connor Harding. Nembhard slammed the door on a comeback, scoring three baskets over a two-minute stretch to push Gonzaga’s lead back to double digits.
The Bulldogs used a 20-6 run to build a 72-50 advantage with 7:19 remaining. Gonzaga hit nine straight shots during that stretch. Suggs made four of them, including on three straight possessions.
∫ Big picture: Gonzaga: The Bulldogs led the nation in field goal percentage entering the game, connecting on 55.1% of their attempts. Gonzaga shot 50.8% against BYU.
BYU: Turnovers were a recurring problem. BYU coughed up the ball 19 times, leading to 26 points for Gonzaga.
No. 4 Ohio State 73, Maryland 65
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Kyle Young and Duane Washington Jr. each scored 18 points, and Ohio State used a relentless defensive effort to wear down Maryland for the victory.
The Buckeyes (16-4, 10-4 Big Ten) limited Maryland to 40% shooting and a 5-for-19 performance from beyond the arc. That, along with 10 3-pointers on the offensive end, was enough to get Ohio State its fifth straight victory.
Aaron Wiggins scored 17 points and Eric Ayala had 13 for the Terrapins (10-10, 4-9), who didn’t have enough firepower to rally after going 0 for 9 to start the second half and falling behind by 14.
Wiggins finished 6 for 15 from the floor and Ayala missed nine of his 12 field goal tries.
Kansas 78, No. 23 Oklahoma State 66
LAWRENCE, Kan. — David McCormack scored all but two of his 23 points after halftime, Marcus Garrett had 17 and Kansas rolled past Oklahoma State in the Jayhawks’ first game since their Top 25 run ended at 231 consecutive weeks.
Christian Braun added 15 points, Jalen Wilson had 11 and Ochai Agbaji 10 for the Jayhawks (13-7, 7-5 Big 12), who climbed to No. 3 early in the season but had lost five of their last seven to fall out of the poll for the first time since Feb. 2, 2009.
Cade Cunningham finished with 26 points for the Cowboys (12-6, 5-6) but was just 7 of 18 from the field, and fellow freshman Avery Anderson III had 13 points but also committed four turnovers.
