LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Donovan Gregory scored 16 points, freshman Justin Abson made a hook shot in the lane with 35.5 seconds left and Appalachian State beat Louisville 61-60 on Tuesday night for the Cardinals third straight one-point loss.
Louisville (0-3) has lost its first three home games of a season for the first time since 1940-41, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Abson’s make in the closing seconds was App State’s first field goal since the 6:59 mark when it led 57-45. El Ellis keyed the comeback, scoring his ninth straight point for the Cardinals with 24.2 left.
App State guard Tyree Boykin missed the frontend of a 1-and-1 with 11.1 seconds left and Ellis appeared to make a layup at the buzzer, but officials ruled the ball was in his hands.
Boykin finished with 14 points and Terence Harcum scored 10 before fouling out late for Appalachian State (3-0). The Mountaineers are 3-0 for the first time since the 1997-98 season.
App State led by as many as 16 points in the first half and never trailed. The Mountaineers scored 20 points off 18 Louisville turnovers.
Ellis finished with 29 points for Louisville, which also has home losses to Bellarmine and Wright State. Jae’Lyn Withers, Louisville’s second-leading scorer at 16 points per game, picked up his fourth foul with 15:22 left in the second half and fouled out with 4:29 remaining without scoring.
Wake Forest 68, Utah Valley 65 (OT)
WINSTON-SALEM — Tyree Appleby knocked down a 3-pointer with a half-second left after a floor-length pass to give Wake Forest a 68-65 overtime victory over Utah Valley on Tuesday night.
The Wolverines, who played with the lead for most of the second half, tied the game at 65-all with 3.3 seconds left on a jumper by Trey Woodbury. The Demon Deacons threw the in-bounds pass to 7-foot-1 Matthew Marsh, who kicked the ball out to a trailing Appleby for the wide-open game-winning shot and Marsh’s first career assist.
Appleby gave Wake Forest its first lead of the overtime on an up-and-under layup between defenders that kissed off the glass.
Woodbury struggled from the field, shooting just 3 for 17 and missing all nine 3-point attempts. Still, he came up clutch for Utah Valley, hitting a jumper with just under a minute left in regulation to tie the game at 59.
Utah Valley (2-2) scored the game’s first nine points and Wake Forest (3-0) answered with a 13-2 run for the first of 13 lead changes in the contest.
Appleby finished with 23 points, converting 12 of 14 shots from the free-throw line, and adding seven rebounds and six assists. Andrew Carr finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds and Daivien Williamson contributed 10 points.
Justin Harmon led Utah Valley with 19 points and Le’Tre Darthard had 18. Aziz Bandaogo pulled down 17 rebounds to go with nine points.
Both Utah Valley and Wake Forest head to Jamaica for a pair of Friday games in the Jamaica Classic. The Wolverines play Morgan State and the Demon Deacons face La Salle.
NC State 107, FIU 74
RALEIGH — Jarkel Joiner and Casey Morsel each made six 3-pointers and finished with 26 points to lead NC State to a 107-74 rout of Florida International on Tuesday night.
The pair combined for 19-of-28 shooting and 12 of 15 from long range. It was a career best for Morsel. Terquavion Smith added 15 points for NC State (3-0). LJ Thomas and Dusan Mahorcic each scored 12 points.
The Wolfpack entered shooting 56.1% from the field, second best in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and have posted double-digit steals in each of their three games this season. They shot 52.5% (31 of 59) and had 17 steals against FIU. Smith had six steals and three others had three apiece.
A 12-0 run helped give the Wolfpack a 27-8 lead midway through the first half, and they led 57-32 at the break. Joiner scored 21 points, Morsel had 14, and each made a 3 on consecutive baskets to end the first half.
Denver Jones scored 19 points and John Williams Jr. had 14 to lead FIU (2-1), which shot 52.5% (31 of 59) from the field but committed 22 turnovers and was outrebounded 40-29.
High Point 100, Lees-McRae 83
HIGH POINT — Abdoulaye Thiam had 23 points, Jaden House scored 22 and High Point defeated Lees-McRae 100-83 on Tuesday night.
Thiam was 8-of-12 shooting (7 for 10 from distance) for the Panthers (3-0). House added seven rebounds and three steals. Zach Austin hit three 3-pointers and scored 19.
Timon Jones led the way for the Bobcats with 17 points. Justin Nichelson added 16 points and two blocks for Lees-McRae. In addition, Jeremy Golson finished with 11 points.
High Point visits UNLV on Friday.
Oklahoma 74, UNC Wilmington 53
NORMAN, Okla. — Grant Sherfield and Joe Bamisile scored 15 points apiece and Oklahoma breezed to a 74-53 victory over UNC Wilmington on Tuesday night.
Bamisile scored 12 in the first half to send Oklahoma (2-1) into the locker room with a 37-21 lead. Sherfield scored 12 in the second half to keep the Sooners in front. Sherfield added six assists.
CJ Noland pitched in with 11 points for Oklahoma. Jalen Hill and Tanner Groves led all rebounders with nine each.
Trazarien White was the lone UNC Wilmington (1-2) player to reach double figures, scoring 19. The Seahawks shot 35.1% from the floor and made just 2 of 21 tries from beyond the arc.
Oklahoma shot 53% overall, made 10 of 23 from distance (43.5%), and hit 12 of 16 from the free-throw line. The Sooners controlled the boards 37-28 and had a 19-4 edge in assists.
Nine different players took 3-point shots for the Seahawks. Eric Van Der Heijden made UNCW’s two 3s, but it took him eight shots to do it.
Oklahoma hosts South Alabama on Friday.
La Salle 72, Queens 60
PHILADELPHIA — Fousseyni Drame scored 22 points off of the bench to lead La Salle past Queens 72-60 on Tuesday night.
Drame had eight rebounds and four steals for the Explorers (2-1). Khalil Brantley scored 18 points and added six assists. Hassan Drame was 3-of-8 shooting (2 for 4 from distance) to finish with eight points.
The Royals (2-1) were led in scoring by Kenny Dye, who finished with 17 points and four assists. AJ McKee added 12 points and seven rebounds for Queens. BJ McLaurin also had 10 points.
La Salle entered halftime up 36-28. Fousseyni Drame paced the team in scoring in the first half with seven points. Fousseyni Drame scored 15 points in the second half to help lead the way as La Salle went on to secure a victory, outscoring Queens by four points in the second half.
Both teams play Friday. La Salle squares off against Wake Forest while Queens takes on Green Bay.
