Illinois routed, thanks to hideous second half
Shep Garner led all five starters in double figures with 16 points, and Penn State turned a one- point halftime lead into a laugher en route to a 74- 52 rout Sunday of Illinois in Big Ten play in Champaign.
The Illini ( 12- 14, 2- 11) trailed only 37- 36 at the half but missed their first nine shots after the break and didn’t score for seven- plus minutes. The Nittany Lions, meanwhile, went on a 12- 0 run to push their lead to 49- 36. Penn State ( 18- 9, 8- 6) led by at least nine points the rest of the way.
Tony Carr added 15 points to go with six rebounds and six assists, Lamar Stevens 11 points andMikeWatkins and Josh Reaves 10 points each for the Nittany Lions, who shot 55 percent overall and outscored Illinois 37- 16 in the second half.
Leron Black scored 18 points, Kipper Nichols 12 and Te’Jon Lucas 10 for the Illini, who led for most of the first half before losing to Penn State for the fourth consecutive time.
Michigan 83, Wisconsin 72
Moe Wagner scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and the No. 20 Wolverines ( 20- 7, 9- 5) shot 65 percent in the first half on their way to a Big Ten victory against the Badgers ( 11- 16, 4- 10) in Madison, Wisconsin.
Duncan Robinson added 16 points, including four three- pointers, and MuhammadAli Abdur- Rahkman 15 for Michigan, which led by 22 points at halftime and weren’t seriously threatened in the second half.
Ethan Happ scored 18 of his season- high 29 points in the second half for Wisconsin, which lost to the Wolverines at home for only the second time since 2000.
Duke 80, Georgia Tech 69
Grayson Allen scored 23 points, including a 10- for- 10 effort from the free- throw line, and the No. 9 Blue Devils ( 20- 5, 8- 4) ended amodest two- game losing streak by defeating the Yellow Jackets ( 11- 14, 4- 8) in Atlantic Coast Conference action in Atlanta.
Wendell Carter Jr. added 19 points and 10 rebounds and Gary Trent Jr. 15 points for Duke, which played without freshman phenom Marvin Bagley III ( mild sprain of right knee). Josh Okogie led Georgia Tech with 29 points.
Trouble at TexasA& M
Texas A& M dismissed guard J. J. Caldwell from the team and suspended guard Jay Jay Chandler indefinitely after the two were arrested on charges of possession of marijuana in College Station, Texas. They were released after posting $ 2,000 bond.