Mcdermott’s 30 lead Creighton by Akron

Top-ranked Indiana loses sophomore forward for year to fractured kneecap.

Creighton coach Greg McDermott said he was “scared to death” of Akron heading into their game on Sunday.

It turns out he had nothing to worry about.

His son, Doug, scored 20 of his 30 points in the first half, leading the 16thranked host Bluejays to a 77-61 victory over the rusty Zips.

“This is a really good win,” Greg McDermott said. “Come March it will be evident what a good win it is. Akron has played in six straight conference championship games.”

Doug McDermott was 10 for 15 from the field, including a 6-for-8 performance from beyond the arc. The six 3s set a career high for the junior, who also had 30 points against Wisconsin last month.

Gregory Echenique added nine points and seven rebounds for Creighton (9-1), which was in control in the second half, holding a doubledigit lead for all but 12 seconds against its opponent from the Mid-American Conference.

Zeke Marshall and Nick Harney had 12 points apiece for Akron (4-3), which is 0-25 against ranked opponents since becoming a Division I program in 1980-81.

The Zips, who came in averaging almost 10 3pointers a game, made a season-low four in 17 attempts and were held to their lowest point total of the season in only their second game in 20 days.

No. 21 UNLV 76, California 75: Quintrell Thomas grabbed Anthony Marshall’s airball under the basket and scored on a short hook shot with 1.2 seconds remaining to lift the Runnin’ Rebels (7-1) over the host Bears (6-2). Anthony Bennett had career-highs of 25 points and 13 rebounds while leading UNLV to its sixth straight win. Bryce Dejean-Jones also had a career-best 22 points. Allen Crabbe scored 18 for California.

Hoosiers forward out for season: No. 1 Indiana has lost sophomore Austin Etherington, who had surgery for a fractured left kneecap suffered in Saturday’s victory over Central Connecticut State.

Women

No. 4 Duke 60, St. John’s 42: Elizabeth Williams had 16 points and five blocks to help the Blue Devils (8-0) defeat the Red Storm (43) in the seventh annual Maggie Dixon Classic in New York. Nadirah McKenith had 19 points for St. John’s. Rutgers (5-3) routed Louisiana Tech (25) 73-46 in the first game of the women’s doubleheader played in honor of Dixon, the former Army women’s basketball coach who died in April 2006 of arrhythmia, probably caused by an enlarged heart.

No. 7 Kentucky 68, Middle Tennessee State 56: DeNesha Stallworth had 16 points, and the host Wildcats (8-1) used a first-half surge to defeat the Blue Raiders (6-4). Icelyn Elie had 15 points and 13 rebounds for Middle Tennessee State.

No. 10 Penn State 97, Georgetown 74: Maggie Lucas made 7 of 13 3pointers and finished with a career-high 39 points to lead the host Lady Lions (7-2) over the Hoyas (7-3). Sugar Rodgers scored 22 for Georgetown, which had won three in a row.

No. 15 Purdue 68, Tennessee-Martin 60: Sam Ostarello scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half, and Taylor Manuel also scored 16 as the Boilermakers (9-1) rallied to defeat the host Skyhawks (4-7).

No. 17 Kansas 97, Newman 64: Carolyn Davis scored 24 points and the host Jayhawks (81) never trailed in a rout of the Division II Jets (4-7). Chelsea Gardner added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Jayhawks.

No. 20 Ohio State 81, Lafayette 41: Tayler Hill scored 19 points and the host Buckeyes (6-2) never trailed in defeating the Leopards (3-7) for their 28th straight home win.

No. 22 Iowa State 60, Fairfield 43: Hallie Christofferson scored 18 points as the host Cyclones (6-1) beat the Stags (5-3). Chelsea Poppens, back after missing three games with a concussion, had 12 points and nine rebounds for Iowa State. Katie Cizynski had 13 points to lead Fairfield.

Kevin Durant scored 27 points, Kevin Martin added 24 and the host Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers 104-93 on Sunday night for their eighth straight win.

A matchup of the NBA’s highest-scoring offense and the league’s stingiest defense went the Thunder’s way as they eclipsed 100 points for the 12th straight game.

Russell Westbrook added 21 points and came up with a big block against 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert — 11 inches taller — during a late 8-0 burst by the Thunder that put it away after the Pacers had pulled within three.

David West led the way with 21 points for Indiana, which had all five starters score in double figures.

The Thunder were just the fifth team to top 100 points this season against Indiana, which had been allowing just 91.2 points per game. The Pacers are 1-4 in those games.

The league’s worst shooting team at 41.5 percent from the field, Indiana was connecting on 59 percent midway through the third quarter before a 1-for-13 dry spell allowed Oklahoma City to move ahead to stay.

Knicks 112, Nuggets 106: Carmelo Anthony returned from a two-game absence with 34 points against his former team as New York remained the NBA’s lone unbeaten team at home.

Back in the starting lineup after missing two games with a cut on the middle finger of his left hand that required stitches, Anthony twice made baskets in the final 2:08 after Denver had pulled within four points.

Bucks 97, Nets 88: Brandon Jennings scored 26 points, Monta Ellis had 24 points and visiting Milwaukee withstood Brooklyn’s fourth-quarter rally.

The Bucks led by 29 points with 6:59 left in the third quarter but Brooklyn got within six before the Bucks pulled away in the final two minutes.

Deron Williams had 18 points and eight assists and John Wallace added 16 points and 16 rebounds for the struggling Nets, who have lost their last four.

Clippers 102, Raptors 83: Jamal Crawford led a fourth-quarter rally by the reserves with 16 points and host Los Angeles won its sixth in a row while handing Toronto its 10th consecutive road loss.

The backups gave the Clippers their first doubledigit lead of the game after Toronto kept it close through the first three periods before dropping its fourth straight and 10th in its last 11.

Magic 98, Suns 90: Rookie Andrew Nicholson scored nine of his career-high 19 points in the fourth quarter as visiting Orlando pulled away to hand Phoenix Suns its seventh loss in a row.

Nicholson made 9 of 11 shots and grabbed nine rebounds, also the best of his young career.

J.J. Redick scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half for the Magic.