BLOSSOMGAME, TIGERS HOLD OFF DUKE FOR WIN

greenville, s.c.» Jaron Blossomgame scored 17 points, including the clinching dunk with 13.5 seconds left, to lift Clemson to a 68-63 victory over No. 9 Duke on Wednesday night.

Coupled with Sunday’s win over then No. 16 Louisville, it’s the first time the Tigers (11-6, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) have beaten consecutive ranked opponents since closing the 1989 season with victories over Duke and Georgia Tech.

This one started like a typical Blue Devils blowout, with Duke taking a 28-16 lead midway through the opening half. Instead, the Tigers hung tough to beat Duke (14-3, 3-1) for the second time in three seasons.

After Blossomgame’s jam, Matt Jones missed a 3-pointer from the left corner. Clemson’s Avry Holmes got the rebound and hit two foul shots with 1.8 seconds left to put things out of reach.

Grayson Allen led Duke with 17 points, three off his season average.

WEDNESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

Buddy Hield scored 26 points to help No. 2 Oklahoma hold off a spirited Oklahoma State squad 74-72. Hield made 10-of-17 shots for the Sooners (14-1, 3-1 Big 12), but he committed 10 turnovers, including a crucial one that gave Oklahoma State a chance to win. Jeffrey Carroll missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer for the Cowboys as time expired. … Kris Jenkins scored 20 points and Jalen Brunson had 14 to lead No. 6 Villanova to an 83-68 win over Marquette. The Wildcats (15-2, 5-0 Big East) blew a 16-point lead and trailed early in the second half until they took control late in game for the 36th straight time at the Pavilion. … Ben Moore scored 17 points and No. 10 SMU remained unbeaten by routing East Carolina 79-55. Markus Kennedy had 11 points and 10 rebounds, Jordan Tolbert finished with 15 points and Nic Moore had a career-high 12 assists for the Mustangs (16-0, 5-0 American Athletic Conference). … Terry Maston scored a career-high 17 points and combined with Taurean Prince for all the scoring in No. 22 Baylor’s game-turning run before halftime as the Bears beat 82-54. Baylor (13-3, 3-1 Big 12) went ahead to stay with a 13-0 run over the final 3½ minutes of the first half. Since the in-state rivals became conference foes again three seasons ago, Baylor has won all eight meetings by an average margin of 20 points. … Vince Edwards scored 19 points, Isaac Haas had 14 and Caleb Swanigan added 13 as No. 24 Purdue routed struggling Penn State 74-57. The Boilermakers (15-3, 3-2 Big Ten) have won nine straight at home against the Nittany Lions.