Evans Helps Kentucky End Auburn’s Perfect Start

Auburn’s perfect start was no match for a resurgent Heshimu Evans.

Breaking out of a six-week slump, Evans led seventh-ranked Kentucky with 20 points and nine rebounds Wednesday night as the Wildcats handed No. 6 Auburn its first loss of the season, 72-62, at Lexington, Ky.

Auburn’s first loss after a 17-0 start left No. 1 Connecticut (16-0), a 70-68 overtime winner Wednesday over Miami, as the only undefeated team in Division I.

Evans’ revival, after seven consecutive games of single-digit scoring, helped key a season-high 56% shooting performance by the Wildcats. Meanwhile, Coach Tubby Smith’s switch to a zone defense midway through the first half helped shut down Auburn’s offense and keyed a 15-6 run that gave Kentucky a nine-point halftime lead.

Auburn, 17-1 overall and 5-1 in the Southeastern Conference, made only 31% of its shots and the Tigers’ 62 points tied a season low. Kentucky (16-4, 5-1) was only the second team this season to outrebound Auburn, 40-38.

“The zone made them shoot from farther back,” Smith said. “We felt like we could contain them inside.”

Auburn Coach Cliff Ellis expected his team to bounce back from the loss.

“I think we’ll be fine,” he said.

The dominant figure was Evans, who opened the game by taking a pass from Scott Padgett and making a three-point shot from the top of the key. Moments later, he hit another three for a 6-2 lead.

At the end of the game, with Auburn scrambling to try to get back within reach, Evans made four consecutive free throws to seal the victory.

No. 1 Connecticut 70, No. 25 Miami 68--Richard Hamilton scored 31 points, including a tiebreaking three-point basket in overtime, to lead the Huskies (16-0, 8-0) over the Hurricanes (11-4, 5-2) in a Big East game at Miami.

The outcome was in doubt until the final buzzer, when a three-point attempt by the Hurricanes’ John Salmons rimmed out.

The game, the first for the Hurricanes since they cracked the rankings for the first time in 39 years, drew a school-record sellout crowd of 15,147. Miami had been averaging 3,021 at home this season.

“It’s devastating,” said Mario Bland, who led Miami with a career-high 21 points. “We played our hearts out. It’s hard to swallow.”

No. 2 Duke 82, Clemson 60--Elton Brand scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half to lead the Blue Devils (18-1, 7-0) over the Tigers (12-7, 1-5) in an Atlantic Coast Conference game at Clemson, S.C.

Clemson, playing without suspended starters Vincent Whitt and Johnny Miller and injured sixth man Tony Christie, couldn’t do much to slow Duke and watched the lead gradually grow as big as 28 points.

No. 8 St. John’s 84, Providence 57--Erick Barkley scored 18 points to help the Red Storm (16-3, 7-1) roll over the Friars (12-6, 5-4) in a Big East game at Providence, R.I.

St. John’s won their fourth straight game and the 13th of their last 14 and did it without senior forward Tyrone Grant, who is out indefinitely with a broken bone in his right wrist.

The conference record for St. John’s is its best since going 7-1 in 1985-86 but it only gets tougher for the Red Storm. They play No. 2 Duke on Sunday and then return to Big East play at No. 20 Syracuse Wednesday and then play No. 1 Connecticut at home Jan. 30.

No. 15 Wisconsin 75, Illinois 53--Jon Bryant scored 17 points for the Badgers (17-3, 5-2) in a Big Ten rout of the Illini (8-10, 0-6) at Madison, Wis.

Bryant, a transfer from St. Cloud State, had five 3-pointers to help the Badgers overcome an off night by leading scorer Sean Mason.

Mason got into early foul trouble and finished with only seven points, 12 below his average.

No. 17 Minnesota 76, Michigan 70--Quincy Lewis scored 30 points and the Gophers (12-3, 3-2) made 25 consecutive free throws in beating the Wolverines (9-10, 3-3) in a Big Ten game at Minneapolis.

The Gophers, who entered the game as the league’s second-worst foul shooting team at 64%, made 18 in a row in the first half and seven straight in the second before Miles Tarver missed two with 7:03 to play.

Minnesota finished 34-of-39 from the line, the most free throws the Gophers have made this season. The school record is 37.

Lewis, the Big Ten scoring leader, was 7-of-19 from the field and made 15-of-16 from the line.

Alabama 67, No. 22 Arkansas 60--Jeremy Hays scored a season-high 24 points to help the Crimson Tide (12-7, 2-4) upset the Razorbacks (13-5, 3-3) in an SEC game at Fayetteville, Ark.

No. 23 Oklahoma State 75, Baylor 47--Desmond Mason scored 18 points to lead the Cowboys (13-4, 5-1) to the Big 12 victory over the Bears (6-13, 0-6) at Stillwater, Okla.

WOMEN

Svetlana Abrosimova and Tamika Williams each scored 19 points to help No. 2 Connecticut (16-2, 9-0) to an 89-55 win over Miami (10-7, 5-4) in a Big East game at Storrs, Conn. . . . Angie Braziel scored 14 points and No. 6 Texas Tech (17-1, 6-0) limited Iowa State (13-2, 5-1) to nine first-half points in a 71-47 Big 12 victory at Lubbock, Texas. . . . Ruth Riley scored 16 points for No. 9 Notre Dame (14-2, 6-2) in an 87-47 Big East rout of Seton Hall (5-12, 2-7) at South Orange, N.J. . . . No. 15 Rutgers (16-3, 8-0) held Georgetown (9-8, 3-6) scoreless for the first 15 minutes, later blew a 21-point lead and finally held on for a 67-64 double-overtime victory at Washington.