Duke’s brief run at No. 1 is nearly over. But if the Blue Devils keep playing like this, they’ll probably be back on top soon enough.
Gerald Henderson scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half to lead top-ranked Duke past Virginia 79-54 yesterday in Durham, N.C.
Nolan Smith added 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting for the ACC-leading Blue Devils (19-2, 6-1). They wrapped up what surely will be a one-week run as the nation’s top-ranked team with a dominating effort that helped them bounce back from a final-seconds loss to Wake Forest.
“There’s got to be some kind of fire in you after a loss, and it’s nothing like you just try to show,” Henderson said. “It’s just something that’s there. Because the last time you played, the last time people saw you play, you were a loser. We don’t want to be seen as that.”
Jon Scheyer finished with 11 points for Duke, which never trailed, shot 46 percent and forced 23 turnovers – 17 in the first half. And for a while, at least, its tough defense frustrated star freshman Sylven Landesberg in his first visit to Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Mike Scott added 10 points for Virginia (7-10, 1-5), which lost its fifth straight and hasn’t won an ACC game since the start of 2009.
Penn St. 72, Mich. St. 68
In East Lansing, Mich., Talor Battle scored a career-high 29 points and Jamelle Cornley had 16 to lead Penn State to an upset of No. 9 Michigan State.
It was the first win in 17 trips to East Lansing for the Nittany Lions (17-5, 6-3 Big Ten).
Kalin Lucas had 23 points but missed a tying free throw and jump shot for the Spartans (17-4, 7-2), who played without virus-plagued Raymar Morgan and fell into a first-place tie with Purdue.
Illinois 62, Iowa 54
In Champaign, Ill., Mike Tisdale scored 18 points and No. 19 Illinois rebounded from its worst offensive showing in more than two decades by hanging on to beat Iowa. Held to their lowest point total in 24 years in a 59-36 loss at Minnesota on Thursday, the Fighting Illini barely beat the Big Ten’s 10th place team.
Villanova 71, Cincinnati 50
In Philadelphia, Dante Cunningham scored 21 points, Scottie Reynolds added 11 and No. 21 Villanova rallied from an early deficit for a victory over Cincinnati.
Corey Fisher also had 11 for the Wildcats (17-4, 5-3 Big East), who won their third straight thanks to 51 percent shooting.
Villanova also extended its winning streak to 25 at The Pavilion, its 6,500-seat on-campus arena. The last loss for the Wildcats at the arena was Jan. 6, 2007, when they fell to DePaul, 73-65. The streak began with a 102-87 win over Notre Dame on Jan. 17, 2007.
Dayton 69, St. Joseph’s 58
In Dayton, Ohio, Chris Wright scored 14 points as Dayton took control early in the second half on their way to a victory over Saint Joseph’s.
Creighton 75, Missouri St. 51
In Omaha, Neb., Kenton Walker and P’Allen Stinnett came off the bench to spark Creighton to a win over Missouri State.
Fairfield 68, Loyola (Md.) 54
In Fairfield, Conn., Greg Nero scored 19 points and pulled down 14 rebounds to lead Fairfield over Loyola, Md.
