Top 25 Roundup: No. 11 Texas Tech Beats No. 7 Baylor Again

Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (1) brings the ball up court against Baylor Bears guard Matthew Mayer (24) in the second half at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas, on Feb 16, 2022. Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports via Field Level Media

Kevin Obanor scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, both season highs, as No. 11 Texas Tech came from behind to overwhelm No. 7 Baylor 83-73 on Wednesday in a key Big 12 Conference matchup in Lubbock, Texas.

The Red Raiders (20–6, 9–4 Big 12) trailed by seven points at halftime but rallied behind Obanor’s 21 second-half points.

Bryson Williams added 17 points for the Red Raiders, who swept the season series with Baylor. Texas Tech played without Kevin McCullar, who was out with an ankle sprain.

James Akinjo led Baylor (21–5, 9–4) with 18 points while Adam Flagler scored 14, Matthew Mayer had 13, and Jeremy Sochan pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds.

No. 1 Gonzaga 86, Pepperdine 66

Drew Timme scored 19 points and freshman Chet Holmgren added 18 while matching his career high of 17 rebounds as the Bulldogs beat the Waves in Malibu, Calif.

Senior Andrew Nembhard added a career-high 14 assists for Gonzaga (22–2, 11–0 West Coast Conference), which won its 15th consecutive game. Anton Watson scored 16 points.

Gonzaga defeated the Waves for the 43rd consecutive time. Houston Mallette scored 25 points for Pepperdine (7–21, 1–12), which lost for the 12th time in the past 13 games.

No. 2 Auburn 94, Vanderbilt 80

Freshman Jabari Smith scored a career-high 31 points to help the Tigers survive a challenge from the visiting Commodores.

Auburn (24–2, 12–1 Southeastern Conference) pulled two games clear of Kentucky and Tennessee for the top spot in the league with five games to go. Vanderbilt (13–12, 5–8) dropped into a tie for 10th with Texas A&M.

Smith’s 10-of-16 shooting and Walker Kessler’s 22 points allowed Auburn to pull away from the Commodores. SEC leading scorer Scotty Pippen Jr. was his usual self for Vanderbilt with 29 points, six assists and five rebounds.

No. 5 Purdue 70, Northwestern 64

Zach Edey had 14 points and eight rebounds and Mason Gillis contributed 11 points and seven boards as the Boilermakers defeated the Wildcats in Evanston, Ill.

Purdue (23–4, 12–4 Big Ten), which led by as many as 15 points in the second half, has won two straight and eight of nine to take sole possession of first place in the Big Ten by a half-game over idle Wisconsin.

Robbie Beran sparked Northwestern (12–12, 5–10) with 13 points, while Pete Nance (12) and Boo Buie (11) followed in double figures. The Wildcats struggled to 35 percent shooting, including an 8-for-28 effort from deep.

Rutgers 70, No. 12 Illinois 59

Clifford Omoruyi rang up 15 points and 13 rebounds, Ron Harper Jr. scored 16 points and the Scarlet Knights took down its fourth consecutive ranked opponent, beating the Illini in Piscataway, N.J.

Rutgers (16–9, 10–5 Big Ten) held Illinois to 37.9 percent shooting (22 of 58), including 26.1 percent (6 of 23) from 3-point range. After defeating Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin, the Scarlet Knights moved within a game of first place in the conference.

Omoruyi, the beneficiary of two highlight-reel alley-oops, posted his fifth double-double of the season despite being matched up down low with Kofi Cockburn. The Illinois star led all scorers with 20 points and added 10 rebounds.

No. 24 UConn 70, Seton Hall 65

Adama Sanogo had 20 points and 16 rebounds and Tyrese Martin added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Huskies, who took control in the second half and defeated the Pirates in Storrs, Conn.

R.J. Cole added 16 points for UConn (18–7, 9–5 Big East), which has won three of its past four games.

Jamir Harris scored 15 points and Jared Rhoden added 14 for Seton Hall (15–9, 6–8), which has lost two straight.

No. 25 Alabama 80, Mississippi State 75

Jahvon Quinerly collected 21 points and eight assists to lead the Crimson Tide to a comeback win over the Bulldogs in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Alabama (17–9, 7–6 Southeastern Conference) won its third game in a row while Mississippi State (14–11, 5–7) fell for the fourth consecutive contest. The Bulldogs led 64–57 with 7:52 left in the second half before the Crimson Tide used an 19-2 surge to take control.

Charles Bediako scored 15 points for Alabama, and Jaden Shackelford and Darius Miles contributed 12 points apiece. Iverson Molinar led the Bulldogs with 22 points.