Dec. 18, 2012

VCU 76, W. Kentucky 44

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Briante Weber scored 13 points and helped lead a stifling Virginia Commonwealth defense that forced 32 turnovers in a 76-44 rout of Western Kentucky Tuesday night.

The Rams (8-3) won their fifth straight game with suffocating defense against the Hilltoppers (8-4), whose starting backcourt was injured and didn't play. Weber set the night's tone by making a steal on the opening possession and then throwing down a dunk. At halftime, VCU led 42-16.

Western Kentucky had no one score in double figures. George Fant and Kevin Kaspar led the Hilltoppers with 8 points apiece. They badly missed starting guards T.J. Price and Jamal Crook, who are also the team's top two scorers.

Virginia Commonwealth shot 42.4 percent from the floor (28 of 66) while Western Kentucky was just 15 of 42 (34.7 percent). Rob Brandenburg scored 12 points for the Hilltoppers. Treveon Graham added 11 and Juvonte Reddic 10.

No. 9 Kansas 87, Richmond 59

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Jeff Withey had 17 points and 13 rebounds, Ben McLemore added 14 points and No. 9 Kansas used another big first-half run to help put away Richmond, 87-59 on Tuesday night.

Travis Releford and Naadir Tharpe each added 11 points, and Elijah Johnson had seven assists for the Jayhawks (9-1), who will ride an eight-game win streak into Saturday's showdown at No. 7 Ohio State - a rematch of last year's national semifinal won by Kansas.

The Jayhawks used an 18-0 first-half run to bury the Spiders, allowing them to push their home winning streak to 28 games, tied for the sixth-longest in school history.

Derrick Williams had 14 points and Cedrick Lindsay finished with 12 for the Spiders (9-3), who had been 7-3 in their last 10 games against ranked opponents.