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LATE NIGHT SNACKS: No. 12 Miami, No. 18 Purdue win thrillers at home

A.J. Hammons, Vince Edwards

Purdue center A.J. Hammons (20) celebrates with forward Vince Edwards (12) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Michigan State in West Lafayette, Ind., Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. Purdue defeated Michigan State 82-81 in overtime. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

AP

GAME OF THE NIGHT: No. 18 Purdue 82, No. 8 Michigan State 81 (OT)

The Spartans and Boilermakers produced a highly entertaining game in West Lafayette, with Matt Painter’s team finding a way to pick up a critical one-point win. Rapheal Davis scored 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Boilermakers, and A.J. Hammons was excellent in the post. The senior center finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocked shots. As Rob Dauster notes, this was a huge win for a team that was in danger of falling to seventh in the Big Ten standings.

Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine finished two rebounds shy of a triple-double with 27 points, eight rebounds and ten assists, but he was made to work for those points (10-for-23 FG). But he needed more help from Bryn Forbes and Eron Harris, who combined to score ten points on 4-for-19 shooting.

IMPORTANT OUTCOMES

No. 6 Kansas 75, No. 10 West Virginia 65: Kansas got some revenge on the Mountaineers, who won the first meeting between the two teams in Morgantown last month. Perry Ellis scored 21 points and Landen Lucas added nine points, 16 rebounds and four blocks to lead the way for the Jayhawks, who forced a three-way tie atop the Big 12 with the win. The front court play and Kansas’ offensive execution and balance are what won the game for Bill Self’s bunch.

No. 12 Miami 65, Pittsburgh 63: The Panthers, in need of another quality win, fell short as a result of their inability to box out Miami’s Angel Rodriguez on the game’s decisive play. Rodriguez managed to work his way in between three Panthers to tip in a missed shot with 1.4 seconds remaining to give the Hurricanes the win. Rodriguez finished the game with 17 points, eight assists and just one turnover.

Creighton 70, No. 5 Xavier 56: The Bluejays picked up a huge win for their NCAA tournament hopes while also dropping the Musketeers two games behind No. 1 Villanova in the Big East standings. Maurice Watson Jr. was outstanding at the point for Greg McDermott’s team, finishing with 32 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. Xavier’s biggest issue was making shots: they shot 1-for-21 from beyond the arc and 30 percent from the field on the night. And that may have cost them a shot at the Big East title.
BUBBLE BANTER: Pitt’s missed chance and Creighton’s big win

STARRED

A.J. Hammons, Purdue: Hammons finished Purdue’s overtime win over No. 8 Michigan State two blocks shy of a triple-double, finishing with 19 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks.

Maurice Watson Jr., Creighton: 32 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals in the Bluejays’ win over No. 5 Xavier.

Angel Rodriguez, Miami: 17 points, eight assists, one turnover and the game-winning tip-in with 1.4 seconds remaining as the Hurricanes beat Pittsburgh.

STRUGGLED

Bryn Forbes and Eron Harris, Michigan State: Forbes and Harris scored ten points combined, shooting 4-for-19 from the field, in a one-point overtime loss at No. 18 Purdue.

Xavier from the perimeter: The Musketeers shot a stunning 1-for-21 from three in their loss at Creighton.

Kale Abrahamson and Ore Arogundade, Drake: They combined to score six points on 2-for-14 shooting in a blowout home loss to No. 25 Wichita State.

THE REST OF THE TOP 25


  • Playing their first-ever game as the nation’s top-ranked team, No. 1 Villanova took control from the start of their 86-59 win at DePaul. Josh Hart led five Wildcats in double figures with 18 points, and Villanova forced 18 DePaul turnovers on the other end.
  • No. 2 Maryland stepped outside of Big Ten (and Division I) play, and they did what was expected in taking care of Division II program Bowie State 93-62. Rasheed Sulaimon scored 16 points in 20 minutes of action, as Mark Turgeon was able to get his key guys some rest ahead of the stretch run.
  • No. 7 Virginia has now won seven straight games, as they beat Virginia Tech 67-49 in Charlottesville. Anthony Gill scored 16 points and Isaiah Wilkins 14 for the Cavaliers, who limited the Hokies to 35.6 percent shooting on the night.
  • No. 19 Dayton erased a ten-point second half deficit, closing the game on a 19-5 run as they beat Duquesne 76-74. Charles Cooke led the way with 22 points and eight rebounds for the Flyers, who won despite Duquesne getting 48 points from Micah Mason (27) and Derrick Colter.
  • No. 22 Kentucky rolled to an 84-48 win over Georgia, as the Bulldogs struggled mightily offensively. Mark Fox’s team shot 22.4 percent from the field and at one point went more than 13 minutes without a field goal. As for Kentucky, Jamal Murray scored 24 points and Tyler Ulis added 14 and eight assists as they won their second straight.
  • No. 25 Wichita State rebounded from its loss at Illinois State over the weekend with a 74-48 win at Drake. Gregg Marshall’s team used a familiar formula: offensive balance (eight players scored six points or more) and stifling defense (Drake shot 25 percent from the field).

OTHER NOTABLE RESULTS


  • Cincinnati rebounded from its loss at Memphis with a 69-51 win at UCF. Kevin Johnson scored 13 points as the Bearcats blew the game open in the second half after leading by a point at the break.
  • Akron has now won seven straight, as they beat Bowling Green 83-68 to move to 9-2 in MAC play (20-4 overall). Antino Jackson scored 20 points and Reggie McAdams and Isaiah Johnson added 15 apiece for the Zips.
  • Monmouth retained its one-game lead atop the MAAC with an 87-61 win at Marist. Justin Robinson and Micah Seaborn scored 16 apiece for the Hawks, who have won their last six games.
  • Ohio State snapped its two-game losing streak with a 71-63 win over Northwestern, which has lost six of its last seven games. Five Buckeyes scored in double figures, led by freshman guard JaQuan Lyle (16 points, six rebounds).
  • Two Galal Cancer free throws with 7.5 seconds remaining gave Kent State a 75-74 win over Northern Illinois. The Golden Flashes remain two games behind Akron in the MAC East standings as a result of the win.