Shead’s jumper hands Cougars a win
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NO. 1 HOUSTON 67, MEMPHIS 65
MEMPHIS — Jamal Shead scored 16 points, including the winning basket as time ran out, and top-ranked Houston escaped a second-half rally by Memphis for a 67-65 win Sunday in the regular-season finale.
Memphis’ Kendric Davis drove to the basket with nine seconds left and tied the game at 65. Houston chose not to call time out.
Shead then maneuvered along the top of the key, created some space from defender Elijah McCadden with a stepback move, let it go from about 18 feet and saw the ball nestle through the net as the lights around the basket showed time had expired.
“I knew Coach [Kelvin Sampson] wouldn’t call time out because we’ve been in that situation before and he trusts me,” Shead said, adding: “God willing, I was able to make that shot.”
Sampson said there was too much time left to call time out after Davis tied the game, noting that it also would have allowed Memphis Coach Penny Hardaway to make adjustments, put in better defensive players and switch on all ballscreens.
“The difference is we had them in retreat,” Sampson said. “When you get them back on their heels, then you can get a good shot.”
Tramon Mark matched Shead’s 16 points for Houston (29-2, 17-1), while Marcus Sasser finished with 13.
Davis led Memphis (238, 13-5) with 26 points, while Chandler Lawson added 10.
A second-half run by Memphis, capped by a Davis three-pointer, provided the Tigers a 56-51 lead. But they couldn’t hold it, and Houston scored 10 consecutive points.
The matchup between the conference’s top teams came two weeks after the Cougars defeated Memphis 72-64 on Feb. 19.
“I had a bad game plan in the first half, and I’ll put this on my back,” Hardaway said. “My guys came back for me. Got back in the game. Had a chance to win. Held them to 26 points in the second half. We’ll just try to do better next time.”
NO. 5 PURDUE 76, ILLINOIS 71
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Brandon Newman scored 19 points, Zach Edey added 17 and Purdue held on to beat Illinois and become the first team to win the Big Ten title by three or more games since 2014.
Braden Smith added 15 points for the Boilermakers (26-5, 15-5), who led by 24 early in the second half before the Illini rallied.
Matthew Mayer led the Illini (2011, 11-9) with 16 points, followed by Terrence Shannon Jr. with 13, Sencire Harris with 11 and Luke Goode with 10.
The Boilermakers shot 62% for a 4726 lead at half, but cooled to 29% in the second half. Mayer tied the game at 67 with 1:17 to go, but Edey’s layup gave Purdue a 69-67 edge, Illinois turned the ball over with 31 seconds left and Purdue’s Fletcher Loyer sank two free throws to push the lead to 71-67. I
NO. 15 INDIANA 75, MICHIGAN 73, OT
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Trayce Jackson-Davis had 27 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists in his final home game, and No. 15 Indiana forced a steal on Michigan’s final possession to seal an overtime victory.
The Hoosiers (21-10, 12-8) clinched a double bye into Friday’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals by rebounding from their most lopsided home loss since 2017.
Hunter Dickinson had 24 points and 14 rebounds. Kobe Bufkin added 19 points and six rebounds, but the Wolverines wound up getting swept in the season series. It was the second consecutive overtime loss for Michigan (1714, 11-9), which will open conference tournament play Thursday.
And, fittingly in the Hoosiers’ final home game this season, it was three seniors — Jackson-Davis, Race Thompson and Miller Kopp — who proved the difference by scoring all six Indiana points in overtime.
PENN STATE 65, NO. 21 MARYLAND 64
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Camren Wynter made a layup with less than a second remaining to lift Penn State over Maryland.
Jalen Pickett scored 16 points, Andrew Funk had 14 and Myles Dread had 11 for the Nittany Lions (19-12, 10-10), who trailed by as many as 16 late in the first half.
Jahmir Young scored 14 of his 26 points in the second half for the Terps (20-11, 11-9), who entered the afternoon looking to earn the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten tournament.