Cryer scores 18 points to lead No. 5 Houston to a win over Oklahoma State

By Canadian Press on February 4, 2025.

HOUSTON (AP) — L.J. Cryer scored 18 points, Milos Uzan added 17 points and No. 5 Houston rebounded from its first Big 12 loss of the season with a 72-63 win over Oklahoma State on Tuesday night.

J’Wan Roberts had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Terrance Arceneaux had 10 points for Houston (18-4, 10-1 Big 12), which shot 42% and went 8 of 21 on 3-pointers.

The Cougars lost to Texas Tech 82-81 in overtime on Saturday, and improved to 31-2 after a loss since Feb. 1, 2017.

Abou Ousmane scored 16 points, Arturo Dean added 13 points and Bryce Thompson had 11 points for Oklahoma State (11-11, 3-8), which lost for the fourth time in its last five games.

The Cowboys shot 51% and were 7 of 19 on 3-pointers.

NO. 6 FLORIDA 86 , VANDERBILT 75

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Will Richard scored 21 points, Alex Condon added 19 and No. 6 Florida beat Vanderbilt despite playing without leading scorer Walter Clayton Jr.

Clayton watched from the bench after he sprained his left ankle during a lopsided loss at Tennessee on Saturday. Fellow guard Alijah Martin gave the Gators another scare when he tweaked his left hip in the first half. Martin returned but was hardly a factor.

Richard and Condon, meanwhile, carried Florida (19-3, 6-3 Southeastern Conference). Richard hit 5 of 7 shots from 3-point range, and Condon chipped in nine rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots.

Seldom-used guard Urban Klavzar also had a couple of big baskets, draining back-to-back 3s with about eight minutes to play to give Florida a nine-point advantage. He added an assist on the next play.

Coach Todd Golden’s team cruised from there and surely will point to this game as evidence of its depth.

Jason Edwards led the Commodores (16-6, 4-5) with 20 points. Jaylen Carey added 15 points before fouling out.

NO. 7 PURDUE 90, IOWA 81

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Braden Smith had 31 points and Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 25 as No. 7 Purdue beat Iowa.

The Boilermakers (18-5, 10-2 Big Ten) won their third consecutive game, pulling away from a 36-all halftime deadlock with a 17-5 run early in the second half.

The Hawkeyes (13-9, 4-7) got within 80-77 with 2:42 left in the game but the Boilermakers held them off.

Iowa, which lost leading scorer and rebounder Owen Freeman to a season-ending hand injury on Monday, kept pace with Purdue in first half. The Hawkeyes led 36-31 with 1:13 to play before the Boilermakers scored the last five points of the half, with Smith hitting a 3-pointer as time ran out.

Caleb Furst added 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds for Purdue.

Josh Dix led the Hawkeyes with 27 points and Payton Sandfort had 23.

NO. 12 ST. JOHN”S 70, NO. 11 MARQUETTE 64

NEW YORK (AP) — Kadary Richmond had 18 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists as No. 12 St. John’s beat No. 11 Marquette night in their showdown for first place in the Big East.

RJ Luis Jr. added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the streaking Red Storm (20-3, 11-1), who have won nine straight games and 15 of 16. Zuby Ejiofor added 13 points and 13 rebounds as St. John’s improved to 15-0 at home before a Madison Square Garden crowd that included New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone.

Chase Ross had 16 points for the Golden Eagles (18-5, 9-3). In foul trouble early, Kam Jones scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half.

Luis played all 40 minutes and made a huge impact on defense, too, with four steals and three blocked shots.

NO. 25 MISSISSIPPI 98, NO. 14 KENTUCKY 84

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) – Matthew Murrell scored 24 points and No. 25 Mississippi dominated the first half to beat No. 14 Kentucky.

Murrell made six 3-pointers, four in the first half, as Ole Miss (17-6, 6-4 Southeastern Conference) never trailed and used runs of 10-0 and 15-3 to race to a 54-31 halftime lead.

Dre Davis scored 17 points, Malik Dia added 16 points and Jaylen Murray had 15 points and a season-high 10 assists for the Rebels. Jaeymn Brakefield had 10 first-half points as the Rebels finished the night shooting 54.7%.

Amari Williams had a triple-double for Kentucky (15-7, 4-5) with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Otega Oweh led the Wildcats with 24 points, 19 in the second half, and Jaxson Robinson scored 18 points.

Kentucky shot 50% from the field overall but just 38.7% (12 of 31) in the first half.

The Associated Press