Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Late three-pointer lifts Virginia Tech
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Ty Outlaw hit a tiebreaking three-pointer with 88 seconds left and No. 20 Virginia Tech beat No. 3 Duke 77-72 on Tuesday night, while Blue Devils star freshman Zion Williamson sat out his second consecutive game with a sprained right knee.
Kelly Blackshear Jr. had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Ahmed Hill scored 17 points for Virginia Tech (22-6, 11-5 Atlantic Coast Conference), which beat Duke at Cassell Coliseum for the third time in a row. The Blue Devils (24-4, 12-3) had been the only team in the country yet to lose on the road this season, but Duke hasn’t won at Virginia Tech since Feb. 25, 2015.
RJ Barrett scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Blue Devils from dropping out of a first-place tie with No. 2 Virginia and No. 5 North Carolina in the ACC. Cam Reddish added 17 points as Duke dropped its second in three games, including an 88-72 loss to UNC when Williamson was injured Feb. 20.
The Hokies seemed to have taken control with a 9-2 run to open a 68-61 lead with 4:32 to play, but Duke used a 9-2 run to tie it at 7070 with 1:51 to play. Outlaw’s three-pointer from the right wing followed a pass from Wabissa Bede, and after Reddish missed at the other end, Nickeil Alexander-Walker was fouled and made both free throws for the Hokies.
Alexander-Walker had 13 points.
NO. 21 BUFFALO 77, AKRON 64
AMHERST, N.Y. — CJ Massinburg had 23 points and 10 rebounds to rally No. 21 Buffalo over Akron for its 25th consecutive home victory.
Nick Perkins scored 25 points, and the Bulls (25-3, 13-2 Mid-American Conference) outscored the Zips 14-2 over the final four minutes in a game that featured 12 lead changes. Buffalo has won six in a row, and its home winning streak is the second longest in the nation behind No. 8 Houston, which has won 33 consecutive.
The Bulls haven’t lost at home since a 73-62 defeat to St. Bonaventure on Dec. 2, 2017. They’ve won 17 consecutive MAC games at home since an 89-83 loss to Akron on Feb. 24, 2017.
Tyler Cheese scored 20 points for Akron (15-13, 7-8).
OHIO STATE 90, NO. 22 IOWA 70
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Freshman Justin Ahrens scored a career-high 29 points to lead Ohio State over No. 22 Iowa.
Kaleb Wesson chipped in 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Buckeyes, Keyshawn Woods scored 13, Andre Wesson had 11 and Duane Washington Jr. scored 10.
Ohio State (18-10, 8-9 Big Ten), fighting to improve its NCAA Tournament chances, got its first victory in five tries against ranked teams this season.
Joe Wieskamp had 17 points to lead Iowa (21-7, 10-7), and Tyler Cook added 12 points.
ALABAMA 68, SOUTH CAROLINA 62
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Kira Lewis Jr. had 17 points including the go-ahead foul shots with 3:34 to play as Alabama lost a double-digit lead before rallying late to beat.
The Crimson Tide (17-11, 8-7 SEC) looked to have an easy one after opening a 28-15 lead. But the Gamecocks (14-14, 9-6) came all the way back and were up 54-49 after Tre Campbell’s three-pointer with 7:15 to go.
That’s when Alabama found its touch in a 14-3 run over the next five minutes to take control.
Donta Hall had 15 points and 10 rebounds as Alabama won its second in a row after three consecutive defeats.
Chris Silva led South Carolina with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 68, MISSOURI 49
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Tyson Carter scored a season-high 22 points, Quinndary Weatherspoon added 20 and Mississippi State beat Missouri 68-49 on Tuesday night.
Mississippi State (21-7, 9-6 SEC) has won five consecutive league games for the first time since 2008. The Bulldogs never trailed, pulling away in the final minutes for a relatively easy win.
Carter shot 7 of 12 from the field, including 4 of 8 from three-point range. Weatherspoon, a senior, passed 1,900 points for his career and made 3 of 4 3threepoint attempts.
Missouri (12-15, 3-12) lost its fourth consecutive game. Its 49 points were a season low.
NO. 2 CONNECTICUT 84, WICHITA STATE 47
WICHITA, Kan. — Napheesa Collier scored 32 points, making 13 of 15 shots, and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead No. 2 UConn to an 84-47 victory over Wichita State on Tuesday night.
The Huskies were missing Coach Geno Auriemma for the second consecutive game because of a stomach virus. The Hall of Famer issued a statement saying he expects to be back on the sideline Saturday for the Huskies final home game of the season against Houston.
In his absence, associate head coach Chris Dailey guided UConn (26-2, 14-0 American) to the outright American Athletic Conference championship with the victory. The Huskies moved to 100-0 in regular-season American games since joining the conference. Katie Lou Samuelson scored 18 points for the Huskies, making five three-pointers. Crystal Dangerfield had 14 points and eight assists for UConn. Christyn Williams (Central Arkansas Christian) scored 6 for the Huskies.
NO. 20 IOWA STATE 64, TEXAS TECH 62
LUBBOCK, Texas — Bridget Carleton scored all of her 27 points in the second half, including a layup with 3.1 seconds left, as No. 20 Iowa State rallied late to beat Texas Tech.
The Red Raiders led 55-45 with 7:15 remaining before the Cyclones closed on a 19-7 run. Carleton scored 12 points during the stretch. Texas Tech took the lead with 4:08 to play in the second quarter, and led by as many as 11 points early in the fourth.
Iowa State (21-7, 11-5 Big 12) rebounded from a 73-60 loss to topranked Baylor on Saturday and swept the series with the Red Raiders. The victory was also the 500th win for Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly.