BLACKSBURG, Va. — Caleb Love scored 21 points with seven assists and North Carolina defeated Virginia Tech 65-57 on Saturday to snap the Hokies’ six-game winning streak.
Armando Bacot had 15 rebounds and scored all 12 of his points in the second half for his 20th double-double this season and also blocked five shots. Brady Manek added 14 points and RJ Davis had 10 for North Carolina (19-8, 11-5 Atlantic Coast Conference), which beat the Hokies by 10 on Jan. 24 and have four straight wins over Virginia Tech.
Keve Aluma scored 16 points with nine rebounds and Justyn Mutts added 10 points for the Hokies (16-11, 8-8).
The game pitted the ACC’s top two 3-point percentage teams with Virginia Tech at 40.9% coming in and UNC 38.1%. UNC was only a couple percentage points shy of its average after making 8 of 22 but the Hokies weren’t close, making 5 of 26 for 19%.
Bacot had two buckets and Love another plus a 3-pointer in a 7-2 spurt to open the second half for a 14-point lead. The Hokies got back within five after a 7-0 run that Aluma finished with a 3-pointer with under nine minutes left but they wouldn’t get closer.
Love made six free throws in the final minute to keep the Hokies at bay.
Tar Heels Love, Davis and Manek scored 10 points each to lead UNC to a 38-30 halftime lead. Leaky Black scored the first five and Love and Davis combined for the remaining points in a 22-8 half-ending run.
UNC is home against Louisville on Monday. Virginia Tech is at Georgia Tech on Wednesday.
Wake Forest 79, Notre Dame 74
WINSTON-SALEM — Alondes Williams scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half, Jake LaRavia added 20 points and Wake Forest defeated Notre Dame 79-74 on Saturday.
Williams had 13 points in the last 10 minutes, including a layup at the 4:20 mark that put the Demon Deacons up for good 67-66. Khadim Sy then blocked an Irish shot and scored on a jump hook on the other end.
Isaiah Macius hit a 3-pointer to push the Wake Forest lead to 75-70 at the 1:20 mark but the Irish quickly answered with a 3 from the left corner by Cormac Ryan. Williams restored the two-possession lead with another inside basket.
Blake Wesley made 1 of 2 free throws at 44.3 seconds and the teams traded misses before LaRavia iced it with a pair of free throws with 3.5 seconds left.
Sy had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Wake Forest (21-7, 11-6 Atlantic Coast Conference). Williams also had 10 rebounds and LaRavia nine as the Demon Deacons had a 43-27 advantage on the boards, including a 16-2 difference on the offensive end. Wake Forest had 16 second-chance points to four for the Fighting Irish.
Wesley had six 3-pointers and 24 points for Notre Dame (19-8, 12-4). Ryan had 12 points and three others reached double figures. The Fighting Irish were 14 of 31 from 3-point range, reaching double figures for the 12th time but losing for the first time when hitting at least 10 3s.
The biggest lead for Wake Forest was 12-6 when Mucius made a 3-pointer 6 1/2 minutes into the game. Notre Dame’s next six baskets were 3-pointers with Nate Laszewski starting and ending a 12-0 run for a 24-16 lead. The Irish got the lead to 12 on a Wesley 3-pointer and Ryan layup at the 3:18 mark but the Demon Deacons scored the last six points to close within 41-35.
The teams combined to make 27 of 30 free throws.
Notre Dame shot better from the field but with the rebounding difference and the Irish having four more turnovers, Wake Forest put up 19 more shots and made five more field goals.
Campbell 64, NC A&T 63
BUIES CREEK — Cedric Henderson Jr. had a season-high 25 points as Campbell narrowly defeated North Carolina A&T 64-63 on Saturday.
Henderson Jr. hit 13 of 14 free throws. He added eight rebounds.
Jesus Carralero had 10 points for Campbell (15-10, 8-6 Big South Conference). Austin McCullough added six rebounds. Jordan Whitfield had seven rebounds.
Tyler Maye had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Aggies (11-17, 6-8). Demetric Horton added 16 points and seven rebounds. Marcus Watson had 10 points.
The Fighting Camels improve to 2-0 against the Aggies on the season. Campbell defeated North Carolina A&T 73-72 on Jan. 22.
Davidson 79, Saint Louis 58
DAVIDSON — Hyunjung Lee had 29 points on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range made 9 of 10 foul shots and Davidson beat Saint Louis 79-58 on Saturday.
Michael Jones had 18 points for Davidson (22-4, 12-2 Atlantic 10 Conference), which earned its fourth consecutive home victory. Luka Brajkovic added 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Grant Huffman had six rebounds.
Yuri Collins had 10 points for the Billikens (18-9, 9-5). Francis Okoro added 11 rebounds. Fred Thatch Jr. had six assists.
Gibson Jimerson, whose 17 points per game heading into the contest led the Billikens, was held to 8 points on 3-of-10 shooting.
Appalachian State 69, South Alabama 51
BOONE, N.C. (AP) — Adrian Delph had 20 points as Appalachian State beat South Alabama 69-51 on Saturday.
Justin Forrest had 13 points and six rebounds for Appalachian State (17-12, 11-5 Sun Belt Conference). Michael Almonacy added 12 points. James Lewis Jr. had 10 points and nine rebounds. Donovan Gregory had a career-high 10 assists.
Marshall Kearing had 14 points for the Jaguars (18-9, 8-6). Jay Jay Chandler added 11 points.
Charles Manning Jr., who was second on the Jaguars in scoring entering the contest with 16 points per game, was held to eight points on 4-of-16 shooting.
The Mountaineers improve to 2-0 against the Jaguars on the season. Appalachian State defeated South Alabama 72-64 on Jan. 6.
Western Carolina 69, Mercer 65
CULLOWHEE — Marlow Gilmore registered 19 points, seven rebounds and three blocks as Western Carolina narrowly defeated Mercer 69-65 on Saturday.
Gilmore hit 9 of 11 shots.
Marvin Price had 16 points for Western Carolina (10-19, 4-12 Southern Conference), which ended its five-game losing streak. Vonterius Woolbright added 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Jalen Johnson had 16 points for the Bears (15-14, 8-8). Felipe Haase added 16 points.
The Catamounts leveled the season series against the Bears. Mercer defeated Western Carolina 72-64 on Jan. 22.
Gardner-Webb 76, Presbyterian 68
CLINTON, S.C. — Lance Terry registered 16 points as Gardner-Webb got past Presbyterian 76-68 on Saturday.
Kareem Reid had 15 points for Gardner-Webb (16-11, 10-4 Big South Conference), which earned its fourth straight road victory. Jordan Sears added 14 points. Zion Williams had 14 points and eight rebounds.
Rayshon Harrison had 17 points for the Blue Hose (11-18, 3-11), who have now lost five straight games. Winston Hill added 16 points.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs improve to 2-0 against the Blue Hose for the season. Gardner-Webb defeated Presbyterian 64-61 on Jan. 12.
Charlotte 99, Marshall 84
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Jahmir Young had 21 points and 12 rebounds and Aly Khalifa scored 20 points and Charlotte scored a season high in beating Marshall 99-84 on Saturday night.
Austin Butler had 17 points and nine rebounds for Charlotte (14-12, 7-7 Conference USA). Clyde Trapp Jr. added 11 points and six assists.
Andrew Taylor had 21 points and six assists for the Thundering Herd (10-17, 3-11). Taevion Kinsey added 19 points. Mikel Beyers had 12 points and five assists.
The 49ers improve to 2-0 against the Thundering Herd for the season. Charlotte defeated Marshall 88-64 on Feb. 5.
Winthrop 84, UNC Asheville 79
ASHEVILLE — Patrick Good had 30 points missing just once in 10 trips to the foul line and Winthrop beat UNC Asheville 84-79 on Saturday.
D.J. Burns Jr. had 12 points for Winthrop (19-8, 12-2 Big South Conference), which won its sixth consecutive game. Drew Buggs added 10 points and seven assists.
Cory Hightower was held to 4 points despite entering the matchup as the Eagles’ second leading scorer at 11 points per game. He shot 0 of 4 from beyond the arc.
LJ Thorpe tied a season high with 28 points for the Bulldogs (15-12, 7-7). Tajion Jones added 16 points and eight rebounds. Drew Pember had 12 points.
The Eagles improve to 2-0 against the Bulldogs on the season. Winthrop defeated UNC Asheville 86-80 on Jan. 13.
Samford 55, UNC Greensboro 49
HOMEWOOD, Ala. — Ques Glover had 20 points as Samford topped UNC Greensboro 55-49 on Saturday.
Logan Dye had 13 points for Samford (18-9, 8-7 Southern Conference), which won its fourth straight game. Jermaine Marshall added 11 rebounds.
The Spartans’ 28.3 field goal percentage represented the worst mark by a Samford opponent this season.
Samford totaled 22 second-half points, a season low for the team.
Kobe Langley had 13 points and eight rebounds and Bas Leyte added 13 points for the Spartans (16-12, 8-8). Kaleb Hunter had 12 points.
De’Monte Buckingham, the Spartans’ leading scorer coming into the contest at 13 points per game, failed to make a shot (0 of 5).
The Bulldogs leveled the season series against the Spartans. UNC Greensboro defeated Samford 61-58 on Jan. 22.
Radford 66, High Point 64
RADFORD, Va. — Josiah Jeffers registered 17 points as Radford edged past High Point 66-64 on Saturday.
Artese Stapleton had 15 points for Radford (10-16, 6-8 Big South Conference). Dravon Mangum added 11 points. Chyree Walker had eight rebounds.
Bryan Hart, who was second on the Highlanders in scoring heading into the contest with 9 points per game, shot only 18 percent in the game (2 of 11).
Zach Austin had 24 points, seven rebounds and three blocks for the Panthers (11-17, 5-9), who have now lost four games in a row. John-Michael Wright added 13 points and six rebounds. Alex Holt had 12 points and seven rebounds.
The Highlanders leveled the season series against the Panthers. High Point defeated Radford 63-58 on Jan. 26.
Drexel 71, Elon 60
ELON — Xavier Bell, Coletrane Washington and Melik Martin scored 12 points apiece as Drexel defeated Elon 71-60 on Saturday.
Amari Williams and Camren Wynter each added 10 points for the Dragons (14-.12, 9-7 Colonial Athletic Association). Williams also had eight rebounds.
Darius Burford scored a career-high 31 points and had eight rebounds for the Phoenix (8-21, 5-11), whose losing streak stretched to four games. Michael Graham added four blocks. Chuck Hannah had nine rebounds.
The Dragons improved to 2-0 against the Phoenix on the season. Drexel defeated Elon 77-49 on Jan. 20.
