IN THE BAG’
Duke wins third straight minus frosh star
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has gotten more than he’s expected out of the Blue Devils the past couple of weeks with Marvin Bagley III out. And he’s certain it will pay dividends down the stretch once Duke’s leading scorer and rebounder returns.
Gary Trent Jr. hit three foul shots with 1:31 left to put No. 12 Duke ahead for good, and the Blue Devils won their third straight with Bagley on the sidelines, 66-57 over Clemson in Clemson, S.C. on Sunday.
“For us, that’s three wins with arguably as talented a kid as there is in the country out,” Kzyzewski said.
Krzyzewski said Bagley’s right knee sprain is improving. The coach said it’s unsure when Bagley will be back, but “it’ll be soon.”
That won’t be good news for Duke’s opponents down the stretch, especially if the Blue Devils show the toughness they displayed at Clemson.
The Blue Devils gave up all of their 10-point lead over a six-minute stretch when the Tigers tied it at 57 on David Skara’s jumper. That’s when Trent was off the mark on his 3 from the right corner, but got fouled by Clemson reserve Scott Spencer.
Trent’s first shot rattled around before falling through and he swished the next two for Duke (22-5, 10-4 Atlantic Coast Conference). The Blue Devils outscored the Tigers 9-0 the final 90 seconds.
Wendell Carter Jr. followed Trent’s foul shots with an inside bucket, and the Tigers (20-6, 9-5) could not respond in losing for the first time at home this season.
“Some of these young guys grew up a little bit today,” Kzyzewski said.
Grayson Allen had 19 points, four assists and four steals for Duke. All but two of his points came in the opening half. Carter had 15 points and 10 rebounds while Trevon Duval had 12 and Trent scored 11.
“We’re becoming a team,” Allen said. “We’re coming together.”
Marcquise Reed and Elijah Thomas led Clemson with 13 points apiece. Thomas also had 15 rebounds.
The Tigers were also without one of their starters in point guard Shelton Mitchell, who suffered a concussion in a loss to Florida State this past Wednesday night.
Wichita State 76, Cincinnati 72
In Highland Heights, Ky., Landry Shamut scored 19 points, and No. 19 Wichita State ended the nation’s longest home-court winning streak, beating No. 5 Cincinnati to leave the American Athletic Conference race wide-open.
The Shockers (21-5, 11-3) beat a Top 5 team on the road for the first time since 1964. They led most of the way, building an 11-point lead midway through the second half and holding on. Shaquille Morris’ dunk with 5 seconds left finished it off.
The Bearcats (23-4, 12-2) had their 39-game home-court winning streak snapped.
Michigan 74, Ohio State 62
In Ann Arbor, Mich., Jordan Poole scored 12 of his 15 points in the first half to help No. 22 Michigan take the lead and it never trailed in the second half of a win over No. 8 Ohio State.
The Wolverines (22-7, 11-5 Big Ten) beat a rival and helped out another rival, giving No. 2 Michigan State a one-game lead atop the conference standings with two games left in the regular season.
The Buckeyes (22-7, 13-3) have fallen out of first place by losing consecutive Big Ten games for the first time this season.
Michigan’s Muhammad-Ali AbdurRahkman scored 17, Zavier Simpson had 13 points and Moe Wagner added 12. Jae’Sean had 20 points and 15 rebounds for the Buckeyes.
Purdue 76, Penn State 73
In West Lafayette, Ind., Carsen Edwards scored 27 points to lead sixthranked Purdue. Dakota Mathias added 18 points and Isaac Haas had 12 points and six rebounds for the Boilermakers (24-5, 13-3 Big Ten), who snapped a season-worst three-game skid.
Tony Carr had 19 points, five rebounds and five assists and Shep Garner added 17 points for the Penn State (19-10, 9-7).