Penn State wins from long range
Seth Lundy scored 23 points, Sam Sessoms added 22 and the duo combined to make 11 3-pointers to help Penn State beat Cornell 85-74 Monday night.
Penn State tied a program record with 15 3-pointers, previously set against Purdue in 2000-01 and Hartford in 2008-09.
Cornell led for the last time at 67-64 – after being ahead by as many as 10 points in the first half. Sessoms made two 3-pointers during a 12-4 run, with 3-pointers by Jalen Pickett and Myles Dread, to take a 76-71 lead with 3:38 left.
Sessoms gave Penn State its first double-digit lead of the game at the free-throw line with 35 seconds left. The Nittany Lions made nine free throws in the final two minutes, and held Cornell to one field goal in the final four minutes.
Pickett had 15 points and six assists and John Harrar grabbed 12 rebounds for Penn State (3-1). Lundy and Sessoms each reached 20 points for the second time this season.
Nearing the end of the first half, Sessoms scored 12 points, going 4-for-4 from beyond the arc, to help spark an 8-0 Penn State run for a 41-38 lead.
Sarju Patel scored 15 points for Cornell (4-1). Nazir Williams added 14 points and Chris Manon 12.
Duquesne 78, Bradley 70: Leon Ayers III scored 23 points as Duquesne beat Bradley 78-70 on Monday in the consoaltion bracket of the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
Tre Williams had 15 points and three blocks for Duquesne (2-4), which broke its four-game losing streak. Amir Spears added 14 points and Jackie Johnson III had 12 points.
Terry Roberts had 17 points for the Braves (1-5). Ja’Shon Henry added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Connor Hickman also scored 14 points.
Wisconsin 69, Texas A&M 58: Johnny Davis scored 21 points, Brad Davison added 19 and Wisconsin opened the Maui Invitational with a 69-58 victory over Texas A&M.
The tournament is not being played in Hawaii because of COVID-19 concerns and has been moved to Las Vegas.
Wisconsin (3-1) started slow and limped to the finish, but used two big runs in between to earn a spot in Tuesday’s semifinals against No. 12 Houston.
Texas A&M (4-1) got off to a strong start and shut the Badgers down late, but fell into too big of a hole to mount a comeback. Quenton Jackson led the Aggies with 15 points.
No. 12 Houston 70, Butler 52: Fabian White Jr. scored 21 points and No. 12 Houston rode a dominating first half to a 70-52 win over Butler in the opening round of the Maui Invitational.
The Cougars (4-0) overwhelmed Butler early, scoring the game’s first 17 points while building a 21-point halftime lead. They weren’t quite as locked in at either end of the floor to start the second half, allowing the Bulldogs (3-2) to creep back in it before pulling away down the stretch.
Cincinnati 71, No. 14 Illinois 51: Mike Saunders Jr. scored 20 points, Jeremiah Davenport added 19 and Cincinnati overcame an early 15-point deficit to blow out No. 14 Illinois 71-51 in the semifinals of the Hall of Fame Classic.
The Bearcats (5-0) trailed 23-8 in the opening minutes before charging back to take a 34-31 lead at the break.
They piled on from there, pushing the advantage past 20 by the midway point of the second half as they coasted into the championship game.
Ohio State 79, No. 21 Seton hall 76: Meechie Johnson Jr. made a game-winning 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left and Ohio State beat No. 21 Seton Hall 79-76 in the Fort Myers Tip-Off.
Seton Hall guard Jamir Harris stole it and raced for a fast-break layup to tie it at 76 with 15.9 seconds left.
Ohio State elected not to call a timeout and Johnson made his team’s 11th 3-pointer – from NBA range.