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Wednesday's college basketball: Central Michigan men fall to Xavier, 78-45

Detroit News

Cincinnati — Xavier hit 6 of its first 7 3-pointers to take a huge early lead on Wednesday to hand the Central Michigan Chippewas a 78-45 loss at the Musketeers' Cintas Center.

The matchup was the conclusion of a seven-game road trip that featured some of the top teams in the country.

Xavier was the latest in a lineup of big-time programs – Missouri, DePaul, Gonzaga and Kentucky – that the Chippewas (1-6) have battled to open the season. Those five opponents are now a combined 29-6.

Xavier (6-1) took a commanding 23-3 lead to start the game and the Chippewas trailed, 41-25 at halftime, but were outscored 14-4 to open the second half as the Musketeers built a 26-point lead, 55-29.

Xavier's Nate Johnson, right, shoots over CMU's Harrison Henderson in the Chippewas' 78-45 loss at the Musketeers' Cintas Center on Wednesday.

Oscar Lopez Jr. scored 11 points and Brian Taylor added nine to lead the Chippewas, and Ralph Bissainthe had eight rebounds as CMU outrebounded the Musketeers, 36-31, but committed a season-high 21 turnovers and went 3-for-18 from 3.

CMU women come up short at Cincinnati

Guard Molly Davis' 20 points, six assists and three steals wasn't enough for the Central Michigan women's basketball squad, as they fell short on the road at Cincinnati, 59-54.

Backcourt mate guard Tiana Timpe added 11 points for the Chippewas (2-4).

The Bearcats (4-3) were led by guard Jillian Hayes with 23 points and five rebounds, with fellow guard Akira Levy adding 19 points and seven assists. 

The Chippewas were down by as many as 19 in the first half, trailing 42-23 at halftime, but rallied in the second half to outscore Cincy 31-17, including holding the Bearcats to just three fourth-quarter points. 

Top 25 Men

Georgia 82, No. 18 Memphis 79: Jabri Abdur-Rahim’s 3-pointer with less than 2 minutes remaining gave Georgia the lead, and the Bulldogs snapped their four-game losing streak by beating No. 18 Memphis on Wednesday night.

The 3-pointer by Abdur-Rahim, who scored 15 points, gave the Bulldogs a 78-77 lead over the Tigers, who led most of the second half. Kario Oquendo, who scored a game-high 24 points, followed with a steal and jam that extended the lead to three points.

Memphis forward Emoni Bates (1) goes up for a basket as Georgia forward Jailyn Ingram (0) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021, in Athens, Ga.

Following a missed free throw by Landers Nolley II of Memphis, Georgia’s Jailyn Ingram made one of two free throws for an 81-77 lead. A jam by Nolley, who led the Tigers with 17 points, cut the lead to two points.

Following Christian Wright’s free throw, which pushed Georgia’s lead to three points, Memphis was left with 4.5 seconds to set up a possible tying 3-pointer. Ypsilanti native Emoni Bates’ heave from just past midcourt bounced off the rim.

Alex Lomax scored 14 points for Memphis (5-2), which suffered its second consecutive defeat, while Bates added 11 points. Georgia (3-5) took its second surprising win over a ranked Memphis team in less than two years. The Bulldogs beat then-No. 9 Memphis 65-62 on Jan. 4, 2020.

No. 23 Wisconsin 70, Georgia Tech 66: Brad Davison scored nine straight points midway through the second half and finished with 27, leading No. 23 Wisconsin to a 70-66 win over Georgia Tech on Wednesday night.

The Badgers (6-1) carried a one-point lead into halftime and built a 10-point advantage in the second half behind the play of Davison, Wisconsin’s second-leading scorer who averages 13.3 points.

Michael DeVoe scored 33 points for Georgia Tech (5-2), which had its five-game winning streak halted.

Wisconsin leading scorer Johnny Davis added 15 points and six rebounds.