(AP) - Once John Wall gained his footing, not even a warped court could slow down Kentucky.
The heralded freshman found his form in the second half and proved too much to handle in the open floor as the No. 5 Wildcats raced past Cleveland State 73-49 on Tuesday in the Cancun Challenge at the Moon Palace Resort.
Wall scored a team-high 15 points, including 11 after halftime, as he zipped in and out of the Cleveland State defense. The nation's top-rated recruit last year repeatedly found gaps in the defense, drawing trips to the free-throw line or setting up teammates for open looks at the basket.
The game was played in unconventional surroundings, with the resort's main ballroom being converted into a makeshift gymnasium.
No. 3 Texas 78, Pittsburgh 62
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- J'Covan Brown scored 12 points to help Texas beat Pittsburgh in the championship game of the CBE Classic.
Damion James had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Longhorns, who took charge with a 14-3 run in the second half that ended the Panthers' remarkable run of 38 consecutive victories in the month of November.
The night began on a sour note for Texas (4-0) when Varez Ward injured his right knee during pregame drills and was carried away on a stretcher. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Brown, who was slated to come off the bench after starting the two previous games.
Pittsburgh (4-1) was led by Brad Wanamaker with 13 points and Gary McGhee with 11.
No. 8 West Virginia 69, The Citadel 50
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- John Flowers came off the bench to score 13 points and West Virginia never trailed in a win over The Citadel.
Kevin Jones added 11 points and Darrell Bryant and Casey Mitchell had 10 apiece for West Virginia (2-0).
Cameron Wells scored 19 points for The Citadel (3-2), which played for the fourth time in five days.
West Virginia (2-0) showed signs of lapses on both ends of the court coming off a nine-day layoff. The Citadel's crisp 3-point shooting kept West Virginia from making the game a rout until the end.
No. 10 Syracuse 88, Cornell 73
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) -- Freshman guard Brandon Triche scored a season-high 21 points, Andy Rautins added 18, and Syracuse beat upstate foe Cornell.
It was the 32nd straight win in the series for Syracuse (5-0), but the Orange didn't settle it until the second half.
Unranked a week ago, the Orange catapulted into the Top 25 after beating then-No. 13 California and then-No. 6 North Carolina by an average score of 91-72. They had a more difficult time early with the Big Red (2-2), who beat Alabama and Massachusetts on the road before losing at home Friday night to Seton Hall.
Chris Wroblewski led Cornell with 20 points, Ryan Wittman had 19, and Jeff Foote 12.
No. 17 Ohio State 84, Lipscomb 64
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- David Lighty scored a career-high 22 points and Evan Turner posted his second triple-double of the season to lead Ohio State past Lipscomb.
Turner, who missed his first five shots, finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. In the season-opening 100-60 win over Alcorn State, he picked up only the second recorded triple-double at Ohio State with 14 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists.
Jon Diebler added 17 points, Dallas Lauderdale 13 points and Jeremie Simmons 11 points for Ohio State (4-1).
Adnan Hodzic scored 18 points and Michael Teller added 11 for Lipscomb (0-4), which was chasing its second straight win over a Big Ten team. The Bisons beat Indiana 74-69 last December.
No. 20 Illinois 78, Wofford 64
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) -- Demetri McCamey scored 21 points and Illinois used a second-half run to beat Wofford in the Las Vegas Invitational.
The Illini (4-0) were in a tight game before using a 28-12 spurt in the second half to put the game away.
After trailing for most of the first half, a 17-7 run in the final 4:09 capped off by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by McCamey gave Illinois the 42-39 halftime lead. He scored seven in that spurt, including a four-point play.
Junior Salters (2-3) led Wofford with 15 points.
Cincinnati 69, No. 21 Maryland 57
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) -- Yancy Gates scored 17 points and added 13 rebounds and Deonta Vaughn had 16 points to lead Cincinnati to the championship game of the Maui Invitational with a victory over Maryland at the Lahaina Civic Center.
Gates scored 10 of his 17 points for the Bearcats (4-0) during a decisive second-half stretch that put the game out of reach for the Terrapins.
Greivis Vasquez led Maryland (4-1) with 19 points on 5-of-17 shooting.
No. 23 Notre Dame 80, Kennesaw State 62
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- Luke Harangody had 29 points and 15 rebounds to help Notre Dame beat Kennesaw State in the Chicago Invitational Challenge.
Harangody had a double-double in the first half with 16 points and 11 rebounds and Tim Abromaitis added 14 points. The Irish (5-0), have scored at least 80 points in each game in getting off to their best start since going 7-0 to open the 2001-02 season.
Kurtis Woods, who scored
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