"Alabama Claims Victory over Illinois in Top 25 Matchup: A Roundup of the Top Teams"
Grant Nelson tallied 19 of his 23 points in the opening half and ended with eight boards and four rejections to aid No. 8 Alabama in their 100-87 triumph over No. 25 Illinois on Wednesday night in Birmingham, Ala.
Aden Holloway contributed 18 points while Labaron Philon notched 16 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds for the Crimson Tide (4-1). Latrell Wrightsell Jr. also chipped in 16 points for Alabama, who reached the 100-point mark for the second time this season.
Will Riley registered 18 points and nine rebounds, while Kylan Boswell had 17 points and seven boards for the Fighting Illini (3-1). Kasparas Jakucionis added 15 points and six assists, Tomislav Ivisic contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Ben Humrichous scored 11 points for Illinois.
The Crimson Tide shot 52 percent from the field, including 11 of 34 from beyond the arc. Alabama All-American Mark Sears was held scoreless and missed all five of his field-goal attempts, including four from long range.
No. 3 Gonzaga 84, Long Beach State 41
Graham Ike and Khalif Battle each tallied 15 points to lead five players in double figures for the Bulldogs in their victory over Long Beach State in Spokane, Wash.
Braden Huff came off the bench to score 12 points, Ryan Nembhard had 10 points and seven assists, and Nolan Hickman also added 10 points for Gonzaga (5-0), who never trailed in the game.
Devin Askew recorded 12 points and Derrick Michael Xzavierro contributed nine points and 11 rebounds for Long Beach State (1-4).
No. 23 Texas A&M 71, Southern 54
Wade Taylor IV notched 17 points and helped spark a huge second-half comeback as the Aggies rallied to defeat the Jaguars in College Station, Texas.
Texas A&M (4-1) found themselves down by 16 points in the first half and entered the second half trailing 39-25 before mounting a strong comeback over the final 15 minutes. The Aggies held Southern scoreless for over nine minutes.
Zhuric Phelps added 16 points for the Aggies. Jordan Johnson led the Jaguars (1-4) with 19 points.
No. 24 Rutgers 74, Merrimack 63
Ace Bailey recorded 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Dylan Harper scored 14 points to help the Scarlet Knights remain undefeated with a win over the visiting Warriors in Piscataway, N.J.
Rutgers (4-0) didn't take a double-digit lead until the second half, and allowed Merrimack to cut the deficit to 65-58 with 2:53 remaining after a 7-0 run. Harper also added eight rebounds and six assists, while fellow freshman Lathan Sommerville contributed nine points. Jordan Derkack, playing against his former team, tallied seven points, six rebounds, and five assists.
Adam "Budd" Clark led Merrimack (1-3) with 22 points and six assists, while Sean Trumper added 10 points for the Warriors.