Junior guard Mason Jones became the first Arkansas player ever to post three consecutive 30-point games, but it wasn’t enough as No. 11 Auburn overcame an 11-point, second-half deficit to beat the Razorbacks 79-76 in overtime Tuesday night in Fayetteville, Ark.
Feb 4, 2020; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Mason Jones (15) drives against Auburn Tigers guard Samir Doughty (10) at Bud Walton Arena. Auburn won 79-76. Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Jones scored 40 points to back up efforts of 34 and 30 in his previous two games, but he missed a rushed 3-pointer with a second left that could have sent the game to a second extra period.
Samir Doughty scored 23 points, including a pair of free throws with 9.8 seconds remaining for the final margin, and J’Von McCormick scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half and overtime for the Tigers (20-2, 7-2 Southeastern Conference). Auburn outscored the short-handed Razorbacks 15-4 over the last six minutes of regulation and 10-7 in the extra period.
The Razorbacks (16-6, 4-5) had a pair of 11-point leads in the second half, the last at 65-54 with 5:59 left before the Tigers rallied.
No. 7 Duke 63, Boston College 55
Tre Jones scored 18 points, and Vernon Carey Jr. posted 17 points and 10 rebounds despite foul trouble as the Blue Devils overcame the Eagles in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Joey Baker provided all eight of his points in the second half as Duke (19-3, 9-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) won its fourth game in a row going into a Saturday night game at rival North Carolina. Boston College (11-12, 5-7) led 47-43 with less than eight minutes remaining.
Derryck Thornton scored 21 points for the Eagles. Thornton, a senior guard, played his freshman season for Duke before transferring to Southern California and then returning to an ACC school. Jay Heath added 12 points for Boston College.
No. 9 Maryland 56, Rutgers 51
Anthony Cowan Jr. scored 17 points to help the Terrapins hold off the Scarlet Knights at College Park, Md.
Maryland (18-4, 8-3 Big Ten) drilled 7 of 9 free throws in the final 2:13, including three straight by Cowan to break a 49-49 tie. The Terrapins improved to 13-0 at home this season, getting 14 points apiece from Jalen Smith and Darryl Morsell, with Smith adding 15 rebounds.
The Scarlet Knights (16-7, 7-5), who dropped out of the Top 25 following a Saturday loss to Michigan, had won 10 of their previous 13 games. They were held to 22-of-65 shooting (33.8 percent). Akwasi Yeboah led Rutgers with 13 points.
No. 15 Kentucky 80, Mississippi State 72
Nick Richards scored 25 of his game-high 27 points in the second half as the Wildcats beat the Bulldogs in Lexington, Ky., to remain tied with Auburn for second place behind LSU in the Southeastern Conference race.
Richards also had 11 rebounds for his 11th career double-double and 10th of the season. Immanuel Quickley added 21 points and EJ Montgomery had 12 points, eight rebounds and a season-high three steals for the Wildcats (17-5, 7-2 SEC).
D.J. Stewart Jr. and Robert Woodard II each had 15 points for the Bulldogs (14-8, 5-4), who had won their past five conference games. Reggie Perry struggled early but finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. Perry fouled out with 1:02 left after shooting 4 of 16 from the floor.
No. 22 Penn State 75, No. 16 Michigan State 70
Lamar Stevens scored 24 points, Myreon Jones added 20, and the Nittany Lions edged the Spartans in East Lansing, Mich.
Mike Watkins had 10 points for Penn State (17-5, 7-4 Big Ten), which won its fifth in a row. It was their first win at Michigan State since 2008-09.
Cassius Winston scored 25 points and added nine assists, and Xavier Tillman had nine points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots for Michigan State (16-7, 8-4), which had been 23-1 all-time at home against Penn State.
—Field Level Media