Wilbekin’s career night leads Gators over Jayhawks

In the Big 12-SEC Challenge, Scottie Wilbekin’s career-high 18 points led Associated Press No. 19 Florida to a 67-63 victory over No. 13 Kansas.

Florida (7-2) trailed 10-9 seven minutes into the game, but Dorian Finney-Smith had a 3-pointer at the start and end of a 15-0 run that put the hosts up 24-10. The lead grew to as much as 18 points and Kansas (6-3) could only get as close as 65-61 on two free throws by Jamari Taylor with 10 seconds left in the game.

The Gators won for the 21st consecutive time at home despite hitting just 37 percent of their shots from the field and 58 percent from the free throw line.

Kansas, which was coming off a three-point loss to Colorado last Saturday, has dropped consecutive non-conference games for the first time since losing to Arizona and Arkansas on back-to-back nights in the November, 2005 Maui Invitational.

Andrew Wiggins had game-highs in points (26) and rebounds (11) for Kansas.

No. 11 Kentucky 70, Boise State 55

The host Wildcats held Boise to just eight made field goals in the second half in winning for the 15th consecutive time at Rupp Arena.

James Young scored 21 points and Julius Randle added 17 for Kentucky (8-2), which bounced back from a loss to Baylor by shooting 53 percent from the field. The Wildcats are 5-0 all-time against teams from the Mountain West Conference since the league was formed in 1999.

Boise State (8-1) was led by Anthony Drmic’s 18 points.

No. 20 Gonzaga 80, West Virginia 76

The Zags trailed by as much as 10 points at 51-41 early in the second half, but chipped away and eventually took the lead for good on Kevin Pangos’ 3-pointer with 4:12 to play.

Przemek Karnowski scored 19 points and Pangos had 18 for Gonzaga (8-1), which has won five consecutive games since losing to Dayton November 25 in Maui.

West Virginia (6-4) lost for the first time in six home games.

Northern Iowa 55, Savannah State 50

Seth Tuttle’s 17 points helped lead the Panthers in the first meeting between the schools since the 1978-1979 season.

Northern Iowa (4-5) forced Savannah State into 21 turnovers in snapping its two-game losing streak.

The visiting Tigers trailed by nine with 30 seconds left, but hit two 3-pointers and got a lay up from Stephen Wilson, his only field goal of the game, with two seconds left to make it 53-50. Tuttle hit a pair of free throws to seal the win for Northern Iowa. Savannah State, which dropped their sixth consecutive game to fall to 1-8, got 31 bench points, including Deven Williams’ game-high 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

Northern Iowa has won six consecutive times against teams from the MEAC, last losing to Howard in December, 1984.

Mars Hill 97, Furman 93

Devonte Williams scored 20 points to lead five in double figures as the Division II Lions pulled the road upset.

Thomas Anderson had a lay up with 11:00 left in the game to put Mars Hill (2-6) up 64-62 and the visitors never trailed again. Carter Wright had 18 points and Jalen Witherspoon added 17 points for Mars Hill, which shot 53 percent from the field, including going 11-of-22 from three-point range.

Larry Wideman had 20 points and Newton High School graduate Stephen Croone added 16 for Furman, which had its winning streak against non-Division I opponents snapped at 36 games.

Chattanooga 86, Hiwassee College 68

Z. Mason had a fantastic night, scoring a career-high 41 points and grabbing 12 rebounds for the Mocs.

Mason knocked down 16 of his 20 field goal attempts, part of a 56 percent shooting night for Chattanooga (4-6), which also got 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from Casey Jones.

Howie Meadows came off the bench to lead Hiwassee, a junior college in Madisonville, Tennessee, with 26 points on 8-of-12 shooting from three-point range.

Three of Chattanooga’s victories have come against non-Division 1 opponents by an average margin of 46 points.

Chowan 67, Campbell 65 (OT)

Warren Powers had five of his 22 points in overtime as the Division II Hawks won in Buies Creek.

Phoenix Butler-Poole, who had 20 points, converted a lay up with 1:44 left in the second half that put Chowan up 58-49. Host Campbell followed with a furious come back ending regulation on a 9-0 run, thanks to a 3-pointer each from Kyre Hamer and Andrew Ryan, the last of which tied it at 58-58 with 27 seconds remaining.

Campbell (4-5) led three times in the extra session, but after D.J. Mason’s tip-in put the Camels up 64-63 with 2:21 left, Powers hit two free throws to give Chowan a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

Darius Leonard had a chance to pull Campbell even with 14 seconds to play, but he made just 1-of-2 free throws.

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