Wolverines last men standing
No. 3 Michigan outlasts No. 4 Ohio State in tight matchup
COLUMBUS, Ohio — In a virtually empty Value City Arena, the matchup between No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 Ohio State in February looked more like an intense NCAA Tournament game in March: good shooting, timely 3-pointers, fierce play under the rim, few mistakes and some late drama.
After six ties in the second half, Michigan pulled away in the final minutes and then held off Ohio State 92-87 Sunday in a meeting that showcased two teams aiming for No. 1 seeds next month.
“It was like a boxing match,” Michigan coach Juwan Howard said. “One team delivered a blow. The other team delivered another blow. It went back and forth. Our guys showed their mental toughness through some of those ups and downs.”
The win also highlighted the importance of Michigan’s 7-foot-1 freshman center Hunter Dickinson, who had several inches and considerable reach on Ohio State’s big men. He led the Wolverines with 22 points and nine rebounds, hitting all six of his foul shots.
“I thought his length and size bothered us,” Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann acknowledged.
Michigan (16-1, 11-1 Big Ten) had pulled away and led by nine with 23 seconds left. But a pair of 3-pointers from Duane Washington Jr. around a layup by CJ Walker got the Buckeyes within three points with 3 seconds to go.
Ohio State was forced to foul, and Eli Brooks hit
both of his free throws to seal Michigan’s fifth straight win, a run that came around a three-week break due to COVID-19 issues.
Brooks had 17 points, Chaundee Brown Jr. came off the bench to score 15 and Isaiah Livers added 12 for Michigan, which snapped Ohio State’s seven-game win streak.
Washington had a careerhigh 30 points and went 5 for 10 on 3s for the Buckeyes (18-5, 12-5). E.J. Liddell had 23 to go along with 10 rebounds.
NO. 6 HOUSTON 90, CINCINNATI 52: In Houston, Quentin Grimes had 20 points and eight rebounds, and Houston used a big first half to roll past Cincinnati.
Tramon Mark scored 12 points, DeJon Jarreau added 11 points and five rebounds, and Fabian White Jr. had 10 points and nine rebounds for Houston (18-3, 12-3 American Athletic Conference). The Cougars shot 47% and hit 19 of 21 from the free throw line.
Jeremiah Davenport scored 11 points and Tari Eason added 10 points for the Bearcats (7-8, 5-5), who saw their four-game winning streak snapped.
NO. 11 IOWA 74, PENN STATE 68: In Iowa City, Iowa, Luka Garza scored 23 points to become Iowa’s alltime leading scorer, and the Hawkeyes beat Penn State.
Garza has 2,126 points for Iowa, breaking the record of 2,116 points set by Roy Marble from 1985-89. Garza also had 11 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. CJ Fredrick added 18 points for the Hawkeyes.
NO. 21 WISCONSIN 68, NORTHWESTERN 51: In Evanston, Illinois, Micah Potter scored 19 points, D’Mitrik Trice had 13 and Wisconsin shut down lowly Northwestern.
Jonathan Davis and Brad Davison added 12 points apiece, helping Wisconsin (16-8, 10-7 Big Ten) bounce back from consecutive losses to No. 3 Michigan and No. 11 Iowa. The balanced Badgers improved to 10-1 when they have at least four players score in double figures.
Women
FLORIDA STATE 68, NO. 3 LOUISVILLE: In Tallahasse, Florida, Morgan Jones scored 26 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as Florida State stunned No. 3 Louisville.
Jones shot 7 of 13 from the floor and 12 of 15 from the free-throw line for the Seminoles (9-6, 8-6 Atlantic Coast Conference), recording her third double-double of the season.
Florida State knocked off Louisville twice in the 201920 season when the Cardinals were ranked in the top 5 each time.
Dana Evans had 13 points, 10 in the second half, but shot just 5 of 21 for Louisville (202, 13-2).
OREGON STATE 71, No. 8 UCLA 64: In Los Angeles, Aleah Goodman scored 20 points, Taylor Jones posted her fifth double-double of the season and Oregon State upset UCLA to boost its NCAA Tournament hopes.
UCLA was within two late in the fourth quarter, but Goodman hit a 3-pointer with 1:32 remaining to extend Oregon State’s lead to 66-61. Jones had 16 points and 11 rebounds as the Beavers controlled the inside with a 38-24 advantage in points in the paint.
No. 2 SOUTH CAROLINA 76, No. 17 KENTUCKY 55: In Columbia, South Carolina, Zia Cooke scored 21 points and South Carolina got back on track after its first Southeastern Conference loss in two seasons with a victory over Kentucky.
No. 4 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 82, NORTH CAROLINA 63: In Raleigh, North Carolina, Jakia Brown Turner scored a career-high 25 points and North Carolina State avenged a loss earlier this month by beating rival North Carolina.
Elissa Cunane added 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Wolfpack (15-2, 10-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who led by double figures much of the way.
No. 5 TEXAS A&M 66, MISSISSIPPI 55: In Oxford, Mississippi, Kayla Wells had 18 points and eight rebounds and Texas A&M rode a dominant fourth quarter to a victory over Mississippi.
The Aggies (20-1, 11-1 Southeastern Conference) won their eighth straight game, but the Rebels (9-9, 3-11) kept it competitive into the fourth, trailing just 44-39.
No. 7 BAYLOR 77, OKLAHOMA 66: In Norman, Oklahoma, Dijonai Carrington scored 19 points, and Baylor broke away from a halftime tie to beat Oklahoma.
Moon Ursin had 17 points and Nalyssa Smith added 16 for the Lady Bears (17-2, 12-1 Big 12), who shot 57% in their ninth straight win.
No. 11 MICHIGAN 75, No. 15 OHIO STATE 66: In Ann Arbor, Michigan, Naz Hillmon scored 27 points and Michigan defeated Ohio State to split the season series.
No. 13 OREGON 72, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 48: In Los Angeles, Sydney Parrish hit four 3-pointers and scored 17 points off the bench and Oregon ended a three-game losing streak with a win over USC.
No. 22 GEORGIA 57, No. 21 TENNESSEE 55: In Athens, Georgia, Gabby Connally scored 24 points, Jordan Isaacs blocked a last-second shot and Georgia defeated Tennessee for the Bulldogs’ first sweep of the Lady Vols in 36 years.