Marquette barely holds off Valparaiso
Dominic James hit a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left and scored the final 18 points for No. 8 Marquette in a 65-62 men’s basketball win over Valparaiso on Monday night in Valparaiso, Ind.
James made a 3-pointer with 37 seconds left that gave the Golden Eagles (7-0) a 62-59 lead.
But Jarryd Loyd answered with a 3-pointer over James with 21 seconds left to tie the game. James then hit the game-winner from the top of the key to finish with 22 points.
Valparaiso had one last chance, but a 35-footer at the buzzer from Brandon McPherson bounced harmlessly off the left side of the rim.
The Crusaders (3-2) have lost 17 straight games to ranked teams since making it to the round of 16 in the 1998 NCAA Tournament.
(9) Texas A&M 75, Arkansas-Little Rock 35: At College Station, Texas, Acie Law scored 17 points and Joseph Jones finished with 16 to help the Aggies beat the Trojans.
The Aggies (6-0) had four players score in double figures. Antanas Kavaliauskas added 13 points and Josh Carter had 11.
Rashad Jones-Jennings, averaging a double-double coming into the game, had 10 points and five rebounds for the Trojans (4-3).
(15) Syracuse 72, Holy Cross 64: At Syracuse, N.Y., Syracuse used a smothering defense in the first half to put Holy Cross in a deep hole, then held off the Crusaders for the win.
Syracuse (7-0), which trailed by 15 points in the first half of two of its previous three games, made certain that wouldn’t happen again. The Crusaders (5-1) missed 10 of their first 13 shots and scored just five points in the first 11 minutes of the game.
(18) Georgetown 69, Ball State 54: At Washington, D.C., John Thompson III beat up on kid brother Ronny Thompson, guiding the Hoyas (4-1) to a victory over the Cardinals (2-4) in the first meeting between the sons of the Hall of Fame coach.
John Thompson Jr. barely moved a facial muscle as he watched the mismatch from his courtside seat, lest he be perceived as showing any impartiality.
Tennessee 77, Louisiana-Lafayette 67: At Lafayette, La., Chris Lofton scored 31 points, including seven 3-point baskets, to lead the Volunteers to a win over the Ragin’ Cajuns.
Lofton had three straight baskets for the Volunteers (5-2) in a five-minute period late in the second half, helping UT hold on after the Ragin’ Cajuns (1-4) had whittled as much as a 17-point deficit down to two points with 4:24 left on an Adam James free throw.
Women
(11) LSU 65, New Orleans 45: At New Orleans, Erica White had 15 points and six assists as the Lady Tigers (8-1) rolled to another lopsided victory by beating the Lady Privateers (4-2).