Michigan uses threes, free throws to top Penn State
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Duncan Robinson scored 19 points and Moritz Wagner added 18 to help No. 17 Michigan beat Penn State 72-63 in a Big Ten game on Wednesday night.
Michigan took an early lead with a 25-12 run midway through the first half, and Robinson made the Wolverines' fifth of 10 three-pointers for a 13-point lead, their biggest of the game.
But the Nittany Lions opened the second half with a 13-4 run and took a 39-38 lead on a layup by Tony Carr. Michigan, however, went ahead for good on a three-pointer by Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman with 10:19 left, then went 9 of 10 from line in the final minute to close it out.
The Wolverines (23-7, 12-5) have won four straight and are guaranteed no worse than a No. 5 seed in the Big Ten tournament.
Carr scored 21 points and Lamar Stevens added 19 for the Nittany Lions (19-11, 9-8).
Nate Mason scored 33 points as Minnesota (15-15, 4-13) snapped a nine-game losing streak with a Big Ten victory over visiting Iowa (12-18, 3-14), which lost its sixth in a row. Isaiah Moss led the Hawkeyes with a careerhigh 32 points, including 19 in the final two minutes as Iowa fought back from an early 20-point deficit. Both teams are assured of a bottom-four finish and could face each other in a Big Ten Tournament opener.
Ty Jerome scored 18 points and Virginia (25-2, 14-1) held off visiting Georgia Tech (11-17, 4-11) to clinch the regular season title and top seed in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. The Cavaliers led just 31-30 at halftime and didn't open a double-digit lead until 5:14 remained. Ben Lammers scored 22 points to lead the Yellow Jackets.
Mikal Bridges scored 27 points to lead host Villanova (25-3, 12-3) to a Big East victory over DePaul (10-17, 3-12). Max Strus scored 21 points for the Blue Demons, who trailed 46-30 at halftime in dropping their 16th straight against the Wildcats.
Naji Marshall scored a career-high 21 points, J.P. Macura added 20 with four three-pointers, and visiting Xavier (25-4, 13-3) rallied past Georgetown (15-11, 5-10) in the Big East, bouncing back from Saturday's loss to Villanova. The Musketeers trailed 40-38 at halftime but used a 12-0 run to take a 59-50 lead, and the Hoyas got no closer than five the rest of the way. Jamorko Pickett had 21 points to lead Georgetown.
Grayson Allen scored 28 points and host Duke (23-5, 11-4) used a 26-6 run in the first half to rout Louisville (18-10, 8-7) in the ACC. The Blue Devils have won four straight, all without star freshman Marvin Bagley III (sprained knee). Ray Spalding scored 17 points for the Cardinals, playing for the first time since an NCAA panel upheld sanctions against the program in the wake of a sex scandal, which cost the school 123 victories and the 2013 national championship.
Kendall Smith scored 21 points to help Oklahoma State (16-12, 6-9) stun visiting Texas Tech (22-6, 10-5), which needed a win to tie Kansas for the Big 12 lead. The Cowboys, who took control early in the second half, shot 52.2 percent and made 11 of 22 from three-point range. Zhaire Smith scored 18 points for Tech, which lost its second in a row.
Theo Pinson scored a career-high 23 points, Joel Berry II added 18, including the tiebreaking layup with 1:36 left, and visiting North Carolina (22-7, 11-5) held off NCAA Tournament bubble team Syracuse (18-10, 7-8) in the ACC. Tyus Battle scored 26 points for the Orange, which rallied from a 10-point deficit to tie it at 74 with 3:05 to go. Sterling Manley of Pickerington Central had 12 points and six rebounds for the Tar Heels.
WOMEN
Kylee Smith had 17 points and eight rebounds, and Belmont (27-3, 17-0) downed host Jacksonville State (17-11, 11-6) for its 18th straight victory. It was Belmont's 42nd consecutive Ohio Valley Conference win, the secondlongest streak in the nation behind Connecticut's 94 in a row in the American Athletic Conference.