Maryland Climbs Back Into Big 10 Race, College Scores

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Published on February 25 2015 6:23 am
Last Updated on February 25 2015 6:23 am
Written by Millie Lange

College Park, MD (SportsNetwork.com) -- The Big Ten rookies are making their move, but still need a lot of help. Dez Wells helped Maryland take a huge step Tuesday night. Wells had 26 points, seven rebounds and four assists as the 14th-ranked Terrapins climbed back into the Big Ten race with a 59-53 win over No. 5 Wisconsin. The Badgers stormed back from an 11-point halftime hole by hitting 11 of their first 15 shots to start the second half and tie the game at 47-47 with 6:36 remaining.

Wells took over from there, sinking four straight free throws before capping the Terps' 6-1 spurt by blowing by Sam Dekker along the left wing and finishing with an emphatic one-handed baseline dunk. His slam staked Maryland to a 53-48 advantage with just over four minutes to play, and Wisconsin never got within less than three the rest of the way. Maryland (23-5, 11-4 Big Ten) trails Wisconsin (25-3, 13-2) by two games for first place in the conference with three to play for each team.


(6) Villanova 89, (25) Providence 61

Villanova, PA (SportsNetwork.com) -- Darrun Hilliard and JayVaughn Pinkston shined on senior night in No. 6 Villanova's 98-61 win over No. 25 Providence. Hilliard's 24 points with six 3-pointers led all scorers and Pinkston added 16 points and eight rebounds, including the 700th of his career, to help the Wildcats (26-2, 13-2 Big East) move closer to another regular season title. Ryan Arcidiacono netted 13 points, and Kris Jenkins and Phil Booth added 11 and 10 points, respectively. The Friars (19-9, 9-6) never led despite getting 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting from Tyler Harris. LaDontae Henton and Kyron Cartwright each scored 12 points, while Kris Dunn was limited to four points.


Syracuse 65, (9) Notre Dame 60

South Bend, IN (SportsNetwork.com) -- Trevor Cooney put Syracuse on his injured back and the Orange upset No. 9 Notre Dame 65-60 at Purcell Pavilion. The Orange kept the Fighting Irish fans quiet most of the night by essentially leading wire-to-wire. The crowd stirred when Notre Dame made a late run, but Cooney scored nine of his 11 points in the final six minutes to secure the most impressive win in Syracuse's lost season. Despite having no post-season to play for given its self-imposed sanctions, Syracuse (18-10, 9-6 ACC) clamped down defensively and limited the usually smooth-shooting Irish to 34.7 percent from the field. B.J. Johnson scored 19 points, none more important than a critical three-point play in the final minute, while Rakeem Christmas recorded 14 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out. Bonzie Colson led Notre Dame (24-5, 12-4) with 16 points, and the backcourt duo of Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton each netted 13 on a combined 5-of-18 shooting effort.


North Carolina State 58, (15) North Carolina 46

Chapel Hill, NC (SportsNetwork.com) -- Anthony "Cat" Barber tallied 15 points, four rebounds and four assists and NC State won its first game in Chapel Hill in 12 years, upsetting 15th-ranked North Carolina 58-46 on Tuesday. Trevor Lacey and Ralston Turner added 14 points apiece for the Wolfpack, who knocked off their rival on the road for the first time since Feb. 25, 2003. NC State (17-11, 8-7 ACC) won the rebounding battle, 40-36, and held North Carolina to 3-for-12 from beyond the arc in its third straight win overall. The Tar Heels are in a free fall, with a pair of road games against Miami and Georgia Tech remaining before finishing the regular season back at home against No. 4 Duke. They have dropped five of their last seven games, with four of those losses coming by double figures. Kennedy Meeks led UNC (19-9, 9-6) with 12 points and 14 rebounds, and Justin Jackson netted a game-high 16 points.


(18) Arkansas 81, Texas A&M 75

Fayetteville, AR (SportsNetwork.com) -- Bobby Portis scored 22 points and No. 18 Arkansas raced out to a huge lead before nearly faltering late in its 81-75 win over Texas A&M on Tuesday. Anthlon Bell added 14 points and Alandise Harris and Rashad Madden gave 11 apiece for the Razorbacks, who moved two games up on Texas A&M for second place in the SEC behind undefeated Kentucky. Arkansas (23-5, 12-3) has won seven straight games. Danuel House's 28 points weren't enough for the Aggies (19-8, 10-5), who had won three straight games and 10 of 12 after opening conference play with two losses.


(20) West Virginia 71, Texas 64

Morgantown, WV (SportsNetwork.com) -- Devin Williams scored 14 points and No. 20 West Virginia got revenge for its worst loss of the season and knocked off Texas, 71-64. Jonathan Holton and Daxter Miles Jr. added 12 points apiece for West Virginia, which has won three straight and ended a four-game drought against Texas. The Longhorns held WVU to 24.1 percent shooting in their 77-50 blowout on Jan. 17, but it was a different story on Tuesday. The Mountaineers (22-6, 10-5 Big 12) shot 42.3 percent from the floor and 20- of-23 from the free throw line in this one. They led by 13 points with seven minutes to play before a furious Texas rally, eight straight points in less than 1 1/2 minutes, made things interesting.


Illinois At Iowa Tonight

(Iowa City, IA) -- Illinois will try to snap a two-game losing streak tonight at Iowa. The Fighting Illini have dropped consecutive games to Wisconsin and Michigan State to fall to 17-10 overall and 7-7 in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes have won two straight to improve to 17-10 and 8-6.

 

Tuesday, February 24 Scoreboard

NCAA Top-25 Men's Basketball  ("USA Today" Rankings)

#14 Maryland Terrapins 59, #4 Wisconsin Badgers 53

#6 Villanova Wildcats 89, Providence Friars 61

Syracuse Orange 65, #8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 60

#16 Arkansas Razorbacks 81, Texas A&M Aggies 75

North Carolina State Wolfpack 58, #18 North Carolina Tar Heels 46

#19 West Virginia Mountaineers 71, Texas Longhorns 64


Wednesday, February 25 Schedule (All Times Central)

NCAA Top-25 Men's Basketball  ("USA Today" Rankings)

6:00 p.m. - #1 Kentucky Wildcats at Mississippi State Bulldogs

6:00 p.m. - #3 Virginia Cavaliers at Wake Forest Demon Deacons

8:00 p.m. - #5 Duke Blue Devils at Virginia Tech Hokies

8:00 p.m. - #10 Northern Iowa Panthers host Evansville Aces

6:05 p.m. - #11 Wichita State Shockers at Indiana State Sycamores

8:00 p.m. - #13 Iowa State Cyclones host #20 Baylor Bears

7:00 p.m. - #23 Butler Bulldogs host Marquette Golden Eagles

6:00 p.m. - #24 VCU Rams at Richmond Spiders