Latif Rivers scored all 18 of his points in the second half — including six critical free throws in the final minute — to lead Wagner to a stunning 59-54 victory over No. 15 Pittsburgh Friday. Kenneth Ortiz had 12 points and Tyler Murray added 10 for the Seahawks (8-3), who won their first game over a ranked opponent since knocking off then-No. 15 Alabama on Nov. 24, 1978. Pitt (11-2) saw its nine-game winning streak snapped in emphatic fashion. Ashton Gibbs scored 14 points for the Panthers, who turned it over 18 times while losing to a Northeastern Conference opponent for the first time ever. The Panthers came in 70-0 all-time against NEC foes, but struggled against Wagner's pressure and never led over the game's final 33 minutes. No. 4 Louisville 70, Western Kentucky 60: Western Kentucky gave itself reason to hope in its loss to No. 4 Louisville. The Hilltoppers, who started four freshmen in a KFC Yum! Center where the Cardinals entered on a 19-game winning streak, nearly snagged a signature win in the process. Western Kentucky (4-9) led by as many as 13 points in the first half and eight in the second before losing to the Cardinals, who entered the game as one of six undefeated teams left in Division I. “This is probably the only game honestly that we've really played together,” said Derrick Gordon, one of the Hilltoppers' seven freshmen who had a team-high 13 points and nine rebounds. Russ Smith scored 23 points to lead the Cardinals (12-0), who used a 14-0 second-half run — seven of those points from Smith — to take the lead for good over the resilient Hilltoppers. Kyle Kuric added 15 points, and Gorgui Dieng had 13 and 15 rebounds to notch his fifth straight double-double, adding to Louisville's best start in 37 years. Jamal Crook matched Gordon's 13 points for the Hilltoppers. No. 13 Wisconsin 79, Mississippi Valley State 45: Just going to Madison to play No. 13 Wisconsin is tough enough. Mississippi Valley State coach Sean Woods said putting the Badgers on the free throw line 44 times pretty much made it impossible. Jordan Taylor scored 17 points to lead Wisconsin to victory, a win in which the Badgers took 23 more free throws than their previous season-high. Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said it was simply a matter of the Badgers (11-2) taking advantage of what Mississippi Valley State (1-10) presented defensively. Jared Berggren had 15 points for the Badgers. Paul Crosby and Terrence Joyner both scored 14 points for the Delta Devils of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Other results: Baylor 83, West Virginia 81; Hawai 84, Wagner 59; UNLV 86, California 68.
