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Oregon tops PSU basketball, snaps losing skid

By The Associated Press 5 min read

EUGENE, Ore. -- Nate Bittle and Takai Simpkins each scored 22 points to help Oregon snap a 10-game losing streak with an 83-72 win over Penn State on Saturday.

The Ducks (9-16, 2-12 Big Ten) had been without a win since Jan. 2 over Maryland, their only previous Big Ten win of the season.

Bittle's 22 came on 6-of-9 shooting and 8 of 11 at the free-throw line with seven rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Simpkins made 4 of 5 from behind the arc, and all eight of his free throws. Dezdrick Lindsay added 16 points and five assists.

Simpkins scored 20 in the second half, after shooting 1 of 4 in the first half. He helped the Ducks turn a 38-32 halftime lead into as much as a 15-point second half advantage in which they went on 10-2 and 11-4 runs.

Kayden Mingo led the Nittany Lions (11-15, 2-13) with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting. Josh Reed added 13 points and Freddie Dilione V had 10 plus three steals.

Oregon's bench outscored Penn State 27-5, with most of those points coming from Lindsay.

Penn State will host Rutgers on Wednesday.

PENN STATE (11-15): Jurić 3-7 2-2 8, Reed 2-7 8-10 13, Dilione 4-11 2-2 10, Mingo 9-13 4-6 24, D.Stewart 3-8 0-0 8, Rice 1-6 4-4 7, Tunca 1-3 0-0 2, Ciani 0-0 0-0 0, Blackwood 0-0 0-0 0, Houser 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-55 20-24 72.

OREGON (9-16): Evans 2-7 2-2 6, S.Stewart 1-3 1-2 3, Bittle 6-9 8-11 22, Carter 1-3 0-0 3, Simpkins 5-9 8-8 22, Lindsay 6-10 0-0 16, Lin 1-4 2-2 5, Phillips 2-3 0-0 6. Totals 24-48 21-25 83.

Halftime--Oregon 38-32. 3-Point Goals--Penn State 6-21 (Mingo 2-2, D.Stewart 2-5, Reed 1-4, Rice 1-5, Dilione 0-2, Jurić 0-3), Oregon 14-27 (Simpkins 4-5, Lindsay 4-8, Bittle 2-3, Phillips 2-3, Lin 1-2, Carter 1-3, Evans 0-3). Fouled Out--Jurić, S.Stewart. Rebounds--Penn State 23 (Jurić 5), Oregon 28 (Evans 9). Assists--Penn State 8 (Mingo, D.Stewart 2), Oregon 18 (Bittle, Lindsay 5). Total Fouls--Penn State 20, Oregon 18. A--6,102 (12,364).

Pitt loses again

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Jarin Stevenson and Seth Trimble scored 19 points each to help No. 11 North Carolina beat Pittsburgh 79-65 on Saturday and secure another 20-win season.

The short-handed Tar Heels played without star freshman forward Caleb Wilson (bone fracture in left hand) and center Henri Veesaar (illness/lower body injury), who had both started every game this season and are the team's top two scorers and rebounders.

Stevenson's total was a season-high for the Alabama transfer.

Luka Bogavac and Zayden High, who had a career-best game, each scored 15 points for North Carolina (20-5, 8-4 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Cameron Corhen had 23 points and Roman Siulepa added 14 points for Pittsburgh (9-17, 2-11), which has lost five in a row, including four against ranked teams.

High made his first career start and he posted the game's first basket on the way to shooting 7 for 11 from the field. He also had a team-high seven rebounds.

Pittsburgh cut a 21-point deficit to 62-48 before North Carolina's 8-0 spurt put the game away. The Panthers took only eight free throws, while the Tar Heels took 17.

The Tar Heels broke out to a 16-5 lead. North Carolina made 10 of its first 12 shots from the field, helping it to a 46-32 a halftime lead.

Trimble, in the first home game since his game-winning 3-pointer a week earlier against Duke, had 13 first-half points.

North Carolina, which has 66 20-win seasons, improved to 15-0 at home.

Pitt hosts Notre Dame next Saturday.

PITTSBURGH (9-17): Corhen 10-17 0-0 23, Siulepa 6-10 2-4 14, Indrusaitis 3-5 0-0 7, Witherspoon 2-8 2-2 6, Dunning 4-10 0-0 10, Minor 1-5 0-0 3, Moore 0-0 2-2 2, Mullen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-55 6-8 65.

NORTH CAROLINA (20-5): High 7-11 1-2 15, Stevenson 6-7 4-4 19, Bogavac 6-15 0-0 15, Dixon 1-5 0-0 3, Trimble 5-13 9-11 19, Powell 2-3 0-0 5, Evans 0-1 0-0 0, Young 1-5 0-0 3. Totals 28-60 14-17 79.

Halftime--North Carolina 46-32. 3-Point Goals--Pittsburgh 7-19 (Corhen 3-4, Dunning 2-7, Indrusaitis 1-2, Minor 1-3, Witherspoon 0-1, Siulepa 0-2), North Carolina 9-25 (Stevenson 3-4, Bogavac 3-7, Powell 1-2, Dixon 1-3, Young 1-4, Evans 0-1, High 0-2, Trimble 0-2). Rebounds--Pittsburgh 29 (Dunning 8), North Carolina 26 (High, Dixon 7). Assists--Pittsburgh 16 (Corhen 6), North Carolina 18 (Dixon 7). Total Fouls--Pittsburgh 16, North Carolina 9. A--21,750 (21,750).

SFU downed

LORETTO -- Bernie Blunt's 31 points led Mercyhurst over Saint Francis, 94-79, in men's basketball on Saturday.

Blunt added eight rebounds for the Lakers (13-14, 8-6 Northeast Conference). Qadir Martin scored 23 points to go with eight rebounds and three blocks. Jake Lemelman shot 3 of 4 from the field, including 2-for-3 from 3-point range, and went 4 of 4 from the line to finish with 12 points.

Skylar Wicks finished with 33 points and five assists for the Red Flash (6-20, 4-9). Saint Francis also got 11 points and three steals from Zion Russell. The Red Flash have now lost six straight.

MERCYHURST (13-14): Ivanauskas 2-4 1-2 5, Martin 10-11 3-4 23, Blunt 11-22 6-6 31, Gamble 2-6 2-2 8, Lemelman 3-4 4-4 12, Jackson 4-4 0-0 8, Lang 0-2 0-0 0, Fuhrmann 1-3 0-0 3, Johnson 2-2 0-0 4, Thomas 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-58 16-18 94.

ST. FRANCIS (6-20): Liberis 1-3 6-10 8, Harrison 4-9 1-4 10, Moncrief 2-6 0-0 4, Payne 0-2 2-2 2, Wicks 11-15 7-8 33, Z.Russell 4-7 2-6 11, Papadatos 2-4 2-3 7, Tweedy 2-4 0-0 4, Weiand 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-50 20-33 79.

Halftime--Mercyhurst 50-36. 3-Point Goals--Mercyhurst 8-21 (Blunt 3-9, Lemelman 2-3, Gamble 2-4, Fuhrmann 1-3, Lang 0-2), St. Francis 7-15 (Wicks 4-5, Harrison 1-2, Papadatos 1-2, Z.Russell 1-3, Moncrief 0-1, Payne 0-2). Rebounds--Mercyhurst 33 (Martin, Blunt 8), St. Francis 18 (Wicks 5). Assists--Mercyhurst 16 (Lemelman 6), St. Francis 14 (Wicks 5). Total Fouls--Mercyhurst 20, St. Francis 16. A--910 (3,500).

PSU Altoona falls

ERIE -- The Penn State Altoona men's basketball lost at Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Penn State Behrend at Junker Center, 71-44, on Saturday.

Penn State Altoona's (11-12, 5-9 AMCC) offense was kept in check throughout the game, as Penn State Behrend (16-7, 12-2 AMCC) limited the Lions to a field goal percentage of just 29.2 percent.

Rasheed Daniels led the Lions with 14 points, and Kaden Claar scored 10 points.

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