Losing streak over, Duke tops Ga. Tech
ATLANTA — Grayson Allen scored 23 points and No. 9 Duke beat Georgia Tech 80-69 on Sunday night to end a twogame losing streak.
Held to single-digits the last two games in losses at St. John’s and North Carolina, Allen was 5 for 14 from the field, including 3 three-pointers, and made all 10 of his free throws. He added six assists and four rebounds. It was the most points he had scored since getting 22 against Florida State on Dec. 30.
The Blue Devils (20-5, 8-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) won without center Marvin Bagley, the ACC’s leading scorer and rebounder. The freshman sat out with a mild right knee sprain.
Wendell Carter Jr. had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Gary Trent Jr. added 15 points and 6 rebounds.
Josh Okogie had 29 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for Georgia Tech (11-14, 4-8).
Duke scored the first nine points. The Blue Devils pulled away with a 10-0 run midway through the half, a streak punctuated by back-to-back dunks from Carter, for a 2810 lead.
Georgia Tech lost starting point guard Jose Alvarado to a left elbow injury with 8:14 left in the first half. He was taken to a hospital for X-rays.
NO. 6 CINCINNATI 76, SMU 51
DALLAS — Kyle Washington had 17 points with eight rebounds and No. 6 Cincinnati remained undefeated in American Athletic Conference play, stretching its overall winning streak to 16 games with a victory over short-handed SMU.
The Bearcats (23-2, 12-0 AAC) missed their first seven shots in the game, but were down only 5-2 when they finally scored just more than 3 minutes in on a dunk by Nysier Brooks. That started a 9-0 run that put them ahead to stay.
Jarron Cumberland had 12 points and Gary Clark 11 for Cincinnati, which finished 44 percent (28 of 63) overall from the field. Washington was 8-of-12 shooting.
Jimmy Whitt and Jahmal McMurray each had 19 points for SMU (15-10, 5-7), which has lost three consecutive and seven of 10. It was still only the second loss for the Mustangs in 40 home games coached by Tim Jankovich.
SMU was down to six available scholarship players for the rematch with preseason AAC player of the year Shake Milton missing his third consecutive game because of an injured right hand. Freshman forward Ethan Chargois sat out because of an ankle injury. Jarrey Foster (left knee) and Everett Ray (left foot) were already sidelined by season-ending injuries.
Cincinnati hit 11 of 13 shots during a stretch after halftime stretching its 11-point halftime lead to 62-27 midway through the second half.
NO. 20 MICHIGAN 83, WISCONSIN 72
MADISON, Wis. — Moe Wagner scored 20 points, went 8 of 14 from the field and added 11 rebounds, and No. 20 Michigan rode a hot-shooting first half for a victory over Wisconsin.
Duncan Robinson scored 16 points for the Wolverines (20-7, 9-5), who won for the first time on the road since upsetting Michigan State on Jan. 13.
This time, Michigan had to hold on after allowing much of its 22-point halftime lead slip away in the second half.
A quiet Kohl Center crowd reawakened after a 12-0 run drew the Badgers within 58-47 with 8:52 left. Aleem Ford’s three with 2:37 left to get within eight kept Wisconsin’s flickering hopes alive.
But Coach John Beilein’s club kept its composure and Wisconsin ran out of time. Allowing Michigan to shoot 65 percent in the first half proved to be too problematic.
Forward Ethan Happ led Wisconsin (1116, 4-10) with a season-high 29 points, including 18 on 7-of-10 shooting in the second half. Happ had his way in the paint down the stretch with an array of baseline drives and post moves.