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College basketball: No. 10 Oregon outlasts No. 5 Michigan

Oregon guard Payton Pritchard celebrates a basket against Michigan during the overtime of a game Dec. 14.
(Paul Sancya / Associated Press)
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Payton Pritchard scored 19 of his 23 points after halftime, and No. 10 Oregon outlasted No. 5 Michigan 71-70 in overtime Saturday.

In a stellar matchup of senior point guards, Pritchard was just a little bit better, repeatedly driving past Michigan’s Zavier Simpson toward the end of the second half and in overtime. Simpson had eight points and 11 assists, but the Wolverines (8-3) lost their second straight game.

Oregon (8-2) built a 16-point lead in the first half, then had to withstand an extended Michigan charge. Anthony Mathis nearly won it for the Ducks with a long 3-pointer at the end of regulation, but a replay showed he released the shot just after the clock ran out.

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Simpson’s calling card has been his defense during his Michigan career, but the Wolverines had no answer for Pritchard late. He scored 13 of Oregon’s points in a row at the end of regulation and the start of overtime.

Pritchard scored the Ducks’ final points of the game on a driving layup that put Oregon up 71-68. Then David DeJulius made a baseline jumper for the Wolverines and forced a turnover on the inbound pass.

Lakers star LeBron James is heading to Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday to watch son Bronny play with Sierra Canyon against his alma mater.

Michigan’s final possession lasted a while. DeJulius missed a driving shot, and the ball went out of bounds after a scramble near the basket. The Wolverines kept possession after a lengthy review, but Simpson missed a driving hook shot in the final seconds, and a tip-in attempt by Brandon Johns wouldn’t drop.

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Michigan shot 7 of 29 in the first half and flubbed three dunk attempts toward the end. Oregon led 31-23 at the break.

No. 1 Louisville bounces back against Eastern Kentucky

Jordan Nwora scored 26 points, Steven Enoch had 23 and No. 1 Louisville shot 63% in both halves to blow out Eastern Kentucky 99-67 on Saturday.

After taking their first loss Tuesday against Texas Tech in the Jimmy V Classic behind 34% shooting, the Cardinals (10-1) responded with baskets from all over the floor. They made 34 of 54 from the field, including 9 of 19 from long range, to pull away from their in-state opponent. Nwora had the hot hand throughout, making 6 of his first 8 to finish 10 of 14 and 3 of 5 from behind the arc.

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USC says it received notice of allegations from the NCAA regarding its men’s basketball program. Former assistant Tony Bland was charged in the college basketball corruption and bribery scandal.

Enoch made his first seven attempts and grabbed six rebounds as Louisville controlled the Colonels (3-7) 35-24 on the boards. Malik Williams made a pair of 3s for 11 points with six rebounds. Louisville also made 22 of 23 from the foul line.

EKU began 7 of 13 from the field before to initially stay close before several cold spells dug a 20-point hole before halftime that steadily grew in the second half. The Colonels shot just 37% in losing their fifth straight.

Ty Taylor had 13 points, Tre King 12 and Jacquess Hobbs and Jomaru Brown nine each for EKU.

Golden leads No. 18 Butler past Southern

Butler's Bryce Golden (33) goes to the basket against Southern's Damiree Burns during the second half of a game Dec. 14. n NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019, in Indianapolis. Butler won 66-41. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
(Darron Cummings / Associated Press)

Bryce Golden scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting to lead No. 18 Butler’s balanced scoring attack in a 66-41 romp over Southern on Saturday.

Also cracking double figures for the Bulldogs (10-1) were Sean McDermott with 11 points on 3-of-5 3-point shooting and Khalif Battle with 10. Twelve Bulldogs played and 11 scored.

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Kamar Baldwin, Butler’s leading scorer with 17.1 average entering the game, missed his first six shots before finally scoring with 10:49 remaining in the second half. Baldwin finished with two points on 1-of-8 shooting and five assists. Aaron Thompson led the Bulldogs with eight assists.

It might seem like old times when Mick Cronin brings his first UCLA team into Purcell Pavilion on Saturday to face Mike Brey’s Fighting Irish in the 50th meeting between the longtime rivals.

Isaiah Rollins topped Southern (3-8) with 13 points.

Butler led by as many as 25 points in the second half.

After sitting out the first 10 games with a knee injury, graduate transfer Derrik Smits finally made his debut with Butler. Smits, a 7-foot-1 center who played at Valparaiso and son of ex-Indiana Pacers center Rik Smits, scored his basket with 11:46 left in the second half, drawing huge applause. Smith had two points and three rebounds in 11 minutes.

Butler never trailed, scoring the first eight points. The Bulldogs shot 46% to lead 34-16 at halftime while the Jaguars shot just 25%. For the game, Butler hit 45% and Southern 28%.

The Bulldogs extended the nation’s longest nonconference home games winning streak to 57.

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