St. John’s stuns Duke to snap 11-game skid
That’s two losses in three games for No. 4 Duke — and this one to a team that hadn’t won since Christmas.
Shamorie Ponds scored 33 points and St. John’s stunned the Blue Devils 81-77 at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday, snapping an 11-game losing streak and handing Duke its second defeat in eight days.
“We got what we deserved,” said coach Mike Krzyzewski as Duke fell to 19-4. “We weren’t able to knock them out after we lost the first 12 rounds of a 15-round fight.”
Bashir Ahmed added 19 points and Tariq Owens had 17 for the Red Storm (11-13), who fought off Duke’s heralded freshmen down the stretch in their biggest victory under third-year coach Chris Mullin.
It was the first win for St. John’s since Dec. 20.
“We would have taken a win if it was in an empty gym,” Mullin said. “Thank God January is over.”
#2 Virginia 59, Syracuse 44:
De’Andre Hunter scored 15 points, Kyle Guy added 14 and the Cavaliers (22-1, 11-0 ACC) won their 14th straight to extend their best start in conference play since Ralph Sampson led the 1980-81 team to a 12-0 start. Tyus Battle finished with 15 points for the Orange (15-8, 4-6).
#3 Purdue 78, Rutgers 76:
Vincent Edward had 18 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, and the visiting Boilermakers (23-2, 12-0 Big Ten) held off the Scarlet Knights (12-13, 2-10) for a school-record 19th straight win.
#5 Michigan State 63, Indiana 60:
Matt McQuaid, who scored 12 points, made the decisive three-pointer with 1:08 to play as the visiting Spartans (22-3, 10-2 Big Ten) won their sixth in a row. Juwan Morgan had 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Hoosiers (12-12, 5-7), who have lost four straight.
#6 Xavier 96, Georgetown 91:
Trevon Bluiett, who scored 31 points, had a four-point play to tie the score with 24.3 seconds left in regulation before the host Musketeers (21-3, 9-2 Big East) defeated the Hoyas (13-9, 3-8) in overtime. Though Xavier had no field goals in the extra period, it sank 10 free throws in overtime to secure the victory.
Oklahoma State 84, #7 Kansas 79:
Kendall Smith capped a 24-point outing with two free throws in the final seconds as the visiting Cowboys (14-9, 4-6 Big 12) beat the Jayhawks (18-5, 7-3). It was Kansas’ third loss this season in Allen Fieldhouse, their most since 1998-99.
#8 Cincinnati 65, Connecticut 57:
Jacob Evans III scored 19 points and Kyle Washington added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the visiting Bearcats (21-2, 10-0 American), who did not trail against the Huskies (11-12, 4-6).
Washington 78, #9 Arizona 75:
Domonic Green hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the host Huskies (17-6, 7-3 Pac-12) the victory over the Wildcats (19-5, 9-2). Arizona had tied the game when Deandre Ayton (19 points, 12 rebounds) scored with 21 seconds left. Noah Dickerson scored 25 points to lead Washington.
#10 Texas Tech 83, TCU 71:
Jarrett Culver scored 20 points to help the visiting Red Raiders (19-4, 7-3) grab a share of the Big 12 lead by beating the Horned Frogs (16-7, 4-6).
#11 Auburn 93, Vanderbilt 81:
Bryce Brown scored 25 points and Mustapha Heron had 23 as the host Tigers (21-2, 9-1 SEC) snapped their 13-game losing streak against the Commodores (8-15, 2-8). Jeff Roberson scored 30 points for Vanderbilt.
Texas 79, #12 Oklahoma 74:
Matt Coleman scored 22 points and the host Longhorns (15-8, 5-5 Big 12) closed with a 22-8 run as they defeated the Sooners (16-6, 6-4). National scoring leader Trae Young scored 19 points for Oklahoma, which was 3-for-22 from three-point range.
#14 Gonzaga 68, BYU 60:
Rui Hachimura scored 15 points, Josh Perkins added 14 and the host Bulldogs (21-4, 11-1 WCC) defeated the Cougars (18-7, 7-5) for their fifth win in a row. TJ Haws had 22 points for BYU.
#15 West Virginia 89, Kansas State 51:
Sagaba Konate scored 19 points and the host Mountaineers (17-6, 6-5 Big 12) beat the Wildcats (16-7, 5-5) to end a three-game losing streak.
#18 Tennessee 94, Mississippi 61:
Grant Williams and Lamonte’ Turner scored 17 points each to lead five Volunteers in double figures as host Tennessee (17-5, 7-3 SEC) defeated the Rebels (11-12, 4-6).
#19 North Carolina 96, Pittsburgh 65:
Luke Maye scored 26 points as the host Tar Heels (17-7, 6-5 ACC) ended a three-game losing streak by dealing the Panthers (8-16, 0-11) their schoolrecord 11th consecutive defeat.
#20 Clemson 75, Wake Forest 67:
Gabe DeVoe scored 24 points and Marcquise Reed added 10 of his 22 in the final six minutes to help the visiting Tigers (19-4, 8-3 ACC) defeat the Demon Deacons (9-14, 2-9).
Missouri 69, #21 Kentucky 60:
Jordan Barnett and Kassius Robertson scored 16 points apiece as the host Tigers (15-8, 5-5 SEC) beat the Wildcats (17-6, 6-4).
Alabama 68, #23 Florida 50:
Collin Sexton had 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Donta Hall notched his fourth double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) as the visiting Crimson Tide (15-8, 6-4 SEC) came back from a late 10-point deficit. The Gators (15-8, 6-4) lost their third consecutive SEC game.
#24 Michigan 76, Minnesota 73:
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman made a tiebreaking three-point play with 3.8 seconds left and finished with 17 points as the host Wolverines (19-6, 8-4 Big Ten) held on in overtime against the Gophers (14-11, 3-9).
UCLA 82, USC 79:
Thomas Welsh, who scored 21 points, hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 51 seconds left as the host Bruins (16-7, 7-4 Pac-12) snapped the Trojans’ six-game winning streak. Elijah Stewart scored 20 points to pace USC (17-7, 8-3).
Coach put on leave:
Colorado State placed basketball coach Larry Eustachy on administrative leave while the school assesses the program, a decision that raises questions about his conduct. Athletic director Joe Parker said he asked the coach to “temporarily step away” while the university gets a better understanding of the “climate” surrounding the team. Eustachy resigned from Iowa State in 2003 after photos of him partying with students surfaced.
WOMEN #3 Baylor 90, Texas Tech 44:
Juicy Landrum had 20 points as visiting Baylor (21-1, 11-0 Big 12) won its 18th straight.
#8 Texas 92, #22 TCU 65:
Ariel Atkins scored 16 points for the host Longhorns (18-4, 9-2 Big 12), who led 27-4 after the first quarter. Lauren Heard had 18 points for the Horned Frogs (16-6, 7-4).
Record loss streak:
Chicago State set a Division I women’s record with its 59th consecutive loss, falling 59-43 to Grand Canyon. Chicago State (0-23) broke the mark set by Brooklyn from 1987-89.