Butler backcourt too much for No. 8 Villanova
INDIANAPOLIS — Chuck Harris jump-started Butler’s offense early. Jair Bolden delivered the finishing touch.
Together, the Bulldogs’ backcourt was unbeatable.
Harris scored 15 of his 20 points in the first half on Sunday, and Bolden finished with 12 of his 15 in the second half to help Butler pull away for a 73-61 win over No. 8 Villanova.
“Their guards just dominated the game,” Wildcats coach Jay Wright said. “Specifically Bolden and Harris — we just couldn’t control them.”
Harris and Bolden combined for four of Butler’s 10 3-pointers, including two in the waning moments to seal the victory.
It was a rough day for the Wildcats (15-4, 10-3 Big East), who entered the game as a 10½point favorite but made just 2 of 27 3s. Villanova became the sixth top-15 team to stumble this weekend, following losses on Saturday by No. 2 Baylor, No. 7 Oklahoma, No. 11 Florida State, No. 13 Creighton and No. 14 Texas.
It wasn’t terribly close, either. Butler (9-13, 8-11) swung the game with a suffocating defense that limited the Wildcats to one basket during the final seven minutes of the first half and an offensive charge fueled by Harris. That combination resulted in a 16-3 run that gave the Bulldogs a 31-20 lead. They never trailed again, winning their second straight while beating Villanova for the fourth time in the last five meetings at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
“I felt like our guys deserved it,” Butler coach Lavall Jordan said. “From start to finish, they executed the game plan, played through mistakes and played all the way through.”
NO. 9 IOWA STATE 73 NO. 4 OHIO STATE 57
Luka Garza had 24 points and 11 rebounds as the visiting Hawkeyes bounced back from a midweek loss. Dominated by No. 3 Michigan
79-57 on Thursday, Iowa State pulled away in the second half.
Joe Weiskamp added 19, including 5-for-9 shooting from 3-point range, for Iowa (18-7, 12-6 Big Ten).
Women
NO. 2 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 68 SYRACUSE 61
Elissa Cunane had 17 points and nine rebounds, Jada Boyd added 16 points as the visiting Wolfpack held off the Orange for
their fifth consecutive win.
North Carolina State (17-2, 12-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) has won its last four games against Syracuse and handed the Orange (12-7, 9-7) their first loss of the season in the Carrier Dome.
The game had special meeting for both teams because it was part of the Play4kay campaign. The Orange donned pink uniforms to honor former N.C. State coach Kay Yow, who battled breast cancer for 22 years until her death in 2009.
NO. 4 STANFORD 72 CALIFORNIA 33
Kiana Williams scored 12 points in her final home game, and the Cardinal used a big second half to win at home.
Hannah Jump added 14 points with four 3-pointers for Stanford, which won its 11th straight game.
NO. 6 LOUISVILLE 78 NOTRE DAME 61
Dana Evans and the visiting Cardinals took care of business quickly, wrapping up their fourth straight regular-season Atlantic Coast Conference title.
Evans, a senior point guard and the reigning ACC Player of the Year, had 26 points and five assists for coach Jeff Walz’s Cardinals (21-2, 14-2 ACC).
NO. 8 MARYLAND 62 NORTHWESTERN 50
Mimi Collins had 18 points and 10 rebounds to help the visiting Terrapins clinch a share of their third consecutive Big Ten regular-season title.
Maryland (19-2, 15-1 Big Ten) can win an outright Big Ten championship with either a win at Michigan on Thursday or an Indiana loss to Iowa Wednesday.
ARIZONA STATE 66 NO. 9 ARIZONA 64 (OT)
Taya Hanson scored 19 points, including hitting five 3-pointers, and Jaddan Simmons added 15 points to lead the Sun Devils to an overtime victory at home.
Maggie Besselink had 13 rebounds for Arizona State.