PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference earned two more men’s basketball victories on Friday night including an early signature win as Wichita State defeated Providence College, 83-80, in the opening game of the Veteran’s Classic in Annapolis, Md. The American also picked up a win in the initial game of the Legends Classic as Temple topped Detroit Mercy, 83-67.
Results
Wichita State 83, Providence 80
Markis McDuffie scored a career-high 32 points and sparked a second-half run that carried Wichita State past Providence 83-80 Friday night.
Playing at the Naval Academy in the opener of the Veteran's Classic, the Shockers (1-1) bounced back from an early 10-point deficit to avoid their first 0-2 start since 1990.
Alpha Diallo had a career-high 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Friars (1-1), who trailed the entire second half.
Wichita State was clinging to a 51-49 lead before McDuffie made a four-point play. That launched an 11-2 spurt for an 11-point cushion with 12:55 left.
After Providence closed to 76-72, McDuffie made a layup to thwart the comeback bid.
McDuffie went 12 for 19 from the field, including 6 for 9 from 3-point range. His previous career high was 26.
The 6-foot-8 forward is one of two seniors on a team that lost nine players after going 25-8 and reaching the NCAA Tournament for a seventh consecutive season.
The other senior on the current squad, Samajae Haynes-Jones, had 15 points and eight assists.
Temple 83, Detroit Mercy 67
Shizz Alston, Jr. scored a career-high 30 points and one of his seven 3-pointers sparked a 15-0 run in the second half as Temple surged past Detroit Mercy 83-67 in the Legend Classic on Friday night.
Alston is the first Temple player to score 30 in a game since 2016. Quinton Rose added 17 points and Nate Pierre-Louis 10 with three steals. An Alston 3-pointer pushed the Owls (2-0), who trailed by as many as 11 in the first half, into a 49-48 lead with 16:11 left in the game, a lead that they never surrendered.
Freshman Antoine Davis fired in 30 points with six 3-pointers for Detroit Mercy (0-2), including a 3 at the buzzer for a 41-37 lead at halftime. His first three shots in the game were all from distance as the Titans jumped out 13-2. Josh McFolley added 17 points and Chris Brandon 15.
ECU 72, James Madison 72
Stuckey Mosley tossed in a floating, left-handed bank shot from 10 feet out as the buzzer sounded to lift James Madison to a 73-72 victory over ECU on Friday night.
ECU grabbed a 72-71 lead with nine seconds remaining when Seth LeDay hit a layup and was fouled by Develle Phillips, but LeDay missed the free throw and Dwight Wilson grabbed the rebound and the Dukes (2-0) called a timeout with five seconds left. Mosley took the ball at half court, dribbled down the left side of the floor, temporarily lost control of the ball before grabbing it and tossing in the game-winner.
Despite shooting 51 percent for the game and 59.3 percent in the second half, ECU was unable to keep the Dukes off the free throw line, where they converted 26 of 37 opportunities. ECU made just 15 of 26 foul shots.
UPCOMING GAMES