Purdue finally bests Spartans
No. 18 Purdue turned Tuesday night’s home game into an impromptu senior- night celebration.
Rapheal Davis, the Boilermakers’ defensive stopper, played the best offensive game of his four- year career, A. J. Hammons, a 7- foot senior center, nearly posted a triple- double, and together they prevented No. 8 Michigan State from beating Purdue again.
Davis made the first of two free- throw tries with 4.6 seconds left in overtime to break a tie, and Hammons wrestled the ensuing rebound from several defenders to preserve an 82- 81 victory.
“I’ve been telling these guys since the summer I just want to beat Michigan State,” Davis said. “I’ve never beat Michigan State. Playing Michigan State is like playing IU ( Indiana) for me. It’s a little bit more than playing IU for me.”
Leading up to the game, the talk had focused almost exclusively on the Boilermakers’ sevengame losing streak in the series.
So when Purdue’s 18point second- half lead vanished and Michigan State ( 20- 5, 7- 5 Big Ten) took a 72- 68 lead with 1: 59 left in regulation, it looked as if the Boilermakers were doomed again.
Caleb Swanigan then answered with two baskets to set up overtime.
Davis needed just one half to produce a seasonhigh 19 points and set a career high by making five three- pointers. When the shooting guard cooled in the second half and overtime, finishing with 24 points, Hammons finished the job. He scored 19 points, had a season- high 13 rebounds and eight blocks to equal a career high.
Denzel Valentine finished with 27 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Spartans.
His three three- pointers in a 49- second flurry early in the second half got the Spartans back into the game and his layup with 11.5 seconds left in overtime tied the score 81- 81. # 1 Villanova 86, DePaul 59: Josh Hart scored 18 points and the Wildcats ( 21- 3, 11- 1 Big East) celebrated their first game as
the nation’s top team with a lopsided road win over the Blue Demons ( 8- 16, 2- 10). The victory was Villanova’s 13th in 14 games.
# 2 Maryland 93, Bowie State 62: Rasheed Sulaimon scored 16 points, and the Terrapins ( 22- 3) set a school record with their 27th consecutive victory at home, beating the Division II Bulldogs ( 13- 10).
Creighton 70, # 5 Xavier 56: Maurice Watson scored a career- high 32 points and the host Bluejays ( 16- 9, 7- 5 Big East) used an early 16- 0 run to help end the five- game winning streak of the Musketeers ( 21- 3, 9- 3). # 6 Kansas 75,
# 10West Virginia 65: Perry Ellis had 21 points and Landen Lucas pulled down a career- high 16 rebounds as the host Jayhawks ( 20- 4, 8- 3) forged a three- way tie atop the Big 12. Kansas pulled even with the Mountaineers ( 19- 5, 8- 3) and No. 3 Oklahoma as it pursues its 12th consecutive regular- season conference title.
# 7 Virginia 67, Virginia Tech 49: Anthony Gill scored 16 points, and the host Cavaliers ( 20- 4, 9- 3 ACC) won their seventh straight game, beating a team to which they had lost this season. Chris Clarke had 11 points in his first action for the Hokies ( 13- 12, 5- 7) since breaking his right foot in late December.
# 9 North Carolina 68, Boston College 65: Playing most of the second half without head coach Roy Williams, who left the bench after complaining of vertigo, the Tar Heels ( 20- 4, 9- 2 ACC) rallied to beat the host Eagles ( 7- 17, 0- 11) and snap a two- game losing streak. Marcus Paige’s three- pointer with 1: 47 left put North Carolina ahead for good at 62- 60. A Carolina spokesman said Williams, 65, who has suffered from vertigo in the past, felt dizzy and went to the locker room but was OK. Assistant Steve Robinson took over the coaching.
# 12 Miami 65, Pittsburgh 63: Guard Angel Rodriguez scored on an offensive rebound with 1.4 seconds left to give the host Hurricanes ( 19- 4, 8- 3 ACC) the win over the Panthers ( 17- 6, 6- 5).
# 19 Dayton 76, Duquesne 74: Scoochie Smith hit a threepointer with 46 seconds left that put the host Flyers ( 20- 3, 10- 1 Atlantic 10) ahead to stay as they overcame a late 12point deficit against the Dukes ( 15- 9, 5- 6).
# 22 Kentucky 82, Georgia 48: Jamal Murray scored 24 points, and the host Wildcats ( 18- 6, 8- 3 SEC) held the Bulldogs ( 13- 9, 6- 5) to a seasonlow 22 percent shooting. Head coach John Calipari said after the game that forward Alex Poythress, who has missed two games with a knee injury, will be out a few weeks.
# 25Wichita St. 74, Drake 48: Ron Baker and Shaq Morris had 11 points each and the Shockers ( 18- 5, 12- 1 Missouri Valley) pounded the host Bulldogs ( 6- 19, 1- 12) to get their 13th win in 14 games.