WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Dexter Dennis registered 13 points as Wichita State easily defeated Newman 81-43 on Wednesday night.
Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler added 11 points, and Clarence Jackson had eight rebounds for Wichita State (5-2), which won its fourth consecutive game.
Joel Boyce had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Jets. David Javorsky added seven rebounds and five steals.
Tennessee 73, Missouri 53
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Yves Pons can help Tennessee win games even without scoring, yet he’s perfectly capable of dominating on offense, too.
On Wednesday night, the reigning Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year did a bit of everything, leading the seventh-ranked Volunteers to a 73-53 victory over 12th-ranked Missouri.
Pons scored 13 points, grabbed six rebounds and blocked four shots to help Tennessee (7-0) win its SEC opener.
Pons, a bouncy 6-foot-6 senior forward, can guard any position on the floor. His early blocks caused Missouri players to alter their shots when they got into the lane. The Tigers (6-1) shot just 36% from the field.
Pons had plenty of offensive help from an efficient Tennessee team. Santiago Vescovi scored 15 points, Jaden Springer had 13 and John Fulkerson added 11. The Volunteers relied on their mid-range game to shoot 50% from the field, and they hit 5 of 7 3-pointers.
Xavier Pinson led Missouri with 11 points. The Tigers had just four assists and 21 turnovers and were thoroughly frustrated by Tennessee’s defense.
Playing its first road game of the year, Tennessee was right at home in Mizzou Arena. The Volunteers made their first seven shots to build a 21-4 lead. The second half was more of the same as the Volunteers hit their first three shots and scored eight points in the first minute and a half. Tennessee led by as many as 28 points.
On consecutive second-half possessions, Tennessee ran isolation plays for Pons on the left wing. Defender Parker Braun backed off, but Pons still drove past him to the basket, dunking on the first drive and drawing a foul on the second. Barnes told Pons they would run the play again, and the next time he should shoot a 3-pointer. Pons never got the chance, leaving at least one column blank on the stat sheet.
