Coleman Hawkins had 20 points and 10 rebounds as Kansas State knocked off No. 16 Cincinnati 70-67 on Monday night in Manhattan, Kan., in the Big 12 opener for both teams.The Wildcats (7-5, 1-0 Big 12) also got 17 points from Dug McDaniel and 13 from David N’Guessan.Dan Skillings Jr., who was 3-for-15 from 3-point range entering Monday, was 4-for-8 from deep to lead the Bearcats with 18 points. Dillon Mitchell had 15 points and 11 boards.After Cincinnati (10-2, 0-1) tied the score at 31 early in the second half, McDaniel scored six straight points for the Wildcats. Kansas State soon extended the lead to nine points before the Bearcats tied it again at 56-56. N’Guessan then scored a three-point play to give Kansas State a 59-56 lead and the Wildcats never trailed again.No. 2 Auburn 87, Monmouth 58Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell each recorded double-doubles to lead the host Tigers past the stubborn Hawks in Auburn, Ala.Broome led all Auburn scorers with 14 points and collected 11 rebounds, while Cardwell finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds as Auburn (12-1) picked up its fifth consecutive win. Monmouth (2-11) lost for the third time in its past four games.The Hawks remained competitive with one of the nation’s best for more than 13 minutes of the first half before the Tigers, playing for the first time since Dec. 21, broke a 28-28 tie with an 18-0 run to close out the first half.No. 3 Iowa State 79, Colorado 69Curtis Jones scored 20 points, Keshon Gilbert added 14 points and the Cyclones held on for a win over the Buffaloes in Boulder, Colo., in the Big 12 opener for both teams.Joshua Jefferson finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and eight steals for Iowa State (11-1, 1-0 Big 12), which won its eighth game in a row.Julian Hammond III scored 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting to lead Colorado (9-3, 0-1). RJ Smith finished with 14 points and Javon Ruffin scored nine as the Buffaloes fell to 8-1 at home.No. 14 Houston 60, Oklahoma State 47J’Wan Roberts scored a season-high 20 points and recorded his first double-double of the campaign as the Cougars beat the Cowboys in Stillwater, Okla., to open conference play.Roberts corralled 11 rebounds to lead the Cougars (9-3, 1-0 Big 12) to their fifth consecutive victory. Houston seized control with a 17-1 run that closed the first half and yielded a 28-18 lead at the intermission.Brandon Newman scored 12 points for Oklahoma State (8-4, 0-1) and Robert Jennings had 10. Marchelus Avery, the Cowboys’ leading scorer on the season, scored just five points on 2-for-8 shooting.No. 17 Mississippi State 87, Bethune-Cookman 73Riley Kugel scored 22 points off the bench and the Bulldogs used improved defense in the second half to pull away from the Wildcats in Starkville, Miss.Josh Hubbard scored 16 and RJ Melendez and Claudell Harris Jr. had 12 each as the Bulldogs (12-1) held the Wildcats (3-10) to 28 points in the second half after allowing 45 in the first half. Mississippi State forced a total of 17 turnovers, leading to 24 points.Trey Thomas and Brayon Freeman scored 21 each to lead Bethune-Cookman, which received just 15 points from its bench compared to 34 for the Mississippi State reserves.
