BLACKSBURG, Va. — Terrell Bell scored 12 points, including five consecutive to give Virginia Tech the lead for good, and the Hokies beat No. 1 Duke 64-60 on Saturday night.
The Hokies (19-8, 9-5 Atlantic Coast Conference), in need of a signature victory to enhance their NCAA Tournament credentials, got it thanks to 12-4 run over a span of 4:30 that turned a 53-47 deficit into a 62-57 lead with 2:00 left.
The Blue Devils (26-3, 12-2) had chances in the closing minute to pull even when Virginia Tech struggled at the free throw line, but couldn’t capitalize. Duke had its sevengame winning streak snapped and allowed the Hokies to get a badly-needed boost to their NCAA hopes.
Kyle Singler led Duke with 22 points and Nolan Smith had 18.
Jeff Allen led the Hokies with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Bell and Erick Green each scored 12 as the Hokies improved to 4-7 all-time against teams ranked No. 1.
The Hokies trailed 51-45 until Malcolm Delaney’s driving basket with 9:28 left. It ignited a 12-4 burst, with the last seven coming in succession to give them a 57-55 lead. Bell had the last five - a three-pointer to tie it from the right corner and two free throws.
Bell then blocked a driving shot by Smith, and after an exchange of misses at each end, Mason Plumlee went high to block a shot by Allen and was called for goaltending, doubling the Hokies lead to 59-55 leading into a timeout with 2:39 remaining.
Singler scored for the Blue Devils, but Delaney atoned for a rough night by making his only three-pointer from the top of the key, rebuilding the margin to 62-57 with 2:01 to play.
A layup by Plumlee with 1:25 left and his free throw with 23.2 seconds left was all the Blue Devils could muster the rest of the way, allowing Virginia Tech to hang on.
NO. 3 KANSAS 82, OKLAHOMA 70
NORMAN, Okla. - Marcus Morris scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds, twin brother Markieff added 19 points and 10 boards and No. 3 Kansas (27-2, 12-2 Big 12) moved into a tie for first place in the Big 12 by beating slumping Oklahoma (12-16, 4-10).
The Jayhawks shot 57 percent, making more than half of their shots from the field for the 21st time this season,and notched their seventh consecutive victory in the series.
Kansas opened a double-digit lead in the opening eight minutes and led by at least 10 points for the final 27 minutes but struggled to put away the Sooners, who lost their seventh consecutive game.
Cade Davis led Oklahoma with 19 points and Andrew Fitzgerald scored 16.
The Sooners were simply no match for the Jayhawks, who lead the nation in shooting at 52 percent.
COLORADO 91, NO. 5 TEXAS 89
BOULDER, Colo. - Colorado overcame a 22-point first-half deficit to upset No. 5 Texas behind 33 points from Alec Burks and 21 from Levi Knutson.
Colorado (18-11, 7-7 Big 12) was down 48-33 at halftime, but the Longhorns (24-5, 13-2), who used their superior size and athleticism to take control early, suddenly seemed to be affected by the altitude and the Buffaloes’ push-the-pace style that led to first-year Coach Tad Boyle’s biggest victory in Boulder.
Because of issues at the free throw line - where Burks, an 84 percent shooter, missed eight shots - the Buffs had to sweat out the final minute.
The loss dropped Texas into a tie for first place in the Big 12 with No. 3 Kansas, which beat Oklahoma 82-70.
J’Covan Brown and Jordan Hamilton each had 21 points to lead Texas, but the Longhorns went 8:30 without a field goal as Colorado climbed back into it behind Burks, who scored 11 points in a 14-0 run early in the second half.
NO. 9 NOTRE DAME 60, SETON HALL 48
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Tim Abromaitis scored 22 points and Ben Hansbrough added 21 to lead Notre Dame (23-5, 12-4 Big East) to a victory over Seton Hall (11-17, 5-11).
The victory allowed the Irish to stay in second place in the conference and was another step toward the double-bye in the upcoming league tournament.
Jeff Robiinson had 16 points and Jeremy Hazell added 14 for Seton Hall.
After trailing by 11 points in the first half, Notre Dame came back quickly in the second half. Carleton Scott’s 15-footer with 17:30 remaining gave the Irish a 31-30 edge. It was part of a 13-0 run that gave Notre Dame a 37-30 lead.
Seton Hall pulled within 44-43 with 6:00 left but consecutive three-pointers by Abromaitis and Scott Martin sealed the Irish’s victory.
UCLA 71, NO. 10 ARIZONA 49
LOS ANGELES - Reeves Nelson had a career-high 27 points and 16 rebounds, and UCLA (21-8) moved into a tie with Arizona (23-6) for first place in the Pac-10 in the last men’s game played at historic Pauley Pavilion before it closes for renovation.
Joshua Smith added 17 points and Tyler Honeycutt had 15 for the Bruins, who share the league’s top spot at 12-4 with two games remaining. They have won 12 of 14.
Derrick Williams scored 15 points and Kyle Fogg had 10 for the Wildcats, who were upset by Southern California on Thursday, when Williams, the league’s No. 2 scorer, was held to a season-low eight points.
UCLA held the Wildcats to a seasonlow in points; Arizona came in averaging 77.6 - second-best in the Pac-10. The Wildcats shot 21 percent from threepoint range, well off their league-leading 41 percent.
The Bruins gained control of a game that was close early with a 22-2 runspanning halftime.
NO. 17 SYRACUSE 58, NO. 11 GEORGETOWN 51
WASHINGTON - Scoop Jardine had 17 points and seven assists to lead Syracuse (24-6, 11-6 Big East) over Georgetown (21-8, 10-7).
The Orange won their fourth consecutive game by pulling away down the stretch after the teams were tied at 45 with 7:00 left.
Austin Freeman scored 16 points for the Hoyas, who were playing their first game since point guard Chris Wright hurt his non-shooting hand and underwent surgery.
Georgetown ranks No. 6 in the country in field-goal percentage at 48.9, but Syracuse limited the Hoyas to 36 percent (18 for 50).
James Southerland scored seven points in a 9-2 run by the Orange that put them ahead 33-23 at halftime.
The visitors held the Hoyas to 9-of-26 shooting in the half, including 2 of 12 on three-pointers.
NO. 23 ST. JOHN’S 81, NO. 15 VILLANOVA 68
PHILADELPHIA - Dwight Hardy scored a career-high 34 points and St. John’s (19-9, 11-5 Big East) beat Villanova (21-8, 9-7).
The Red Storm won their sixth consecutive game and beat their first Top 25 team away from Madison Square Garden. Led by first-year Coach Steve Lavin, the Red Storm have knocked off six ranked opponents this season.
St. John’s raced to a 14-point lead in the opening minutes, then held on down the stretch to hold off the struggling Wildcats.
D.J. Kennedy had 12 points and 14 rebounds for St. John’s.
Corey Stokes scored 20 points and Maalik Wayns had 19 for the Wildcats, who have lost two consecutive and four of six.
KANSAS ST. 80, NO. 20 MISSOURI 70
MANHATTAN, Kan. - Jacob Pullen scored 24 points and joined Mike Evans as the only players in Kansas State history to top the 2,000-point mark as the Wildcats (20-9, 8-6 Big 12) beat Missouri (22-7, 8-6).
Curtis Kelly added 15 points and six rebounds for the resurgent Wildcats, who have won six of seven and are battling Missouri for the fourth and final bye in the Big 12 Tournament.
BAYLOR 58, NO. 21 TEXAS A&M 51
WACO, Texas - LaceDarius Dunn and Perry Jones each scored 16 points and Baylor (18-10, 7-7 Big 12) beat No. 21 Texas A&M (22-6, 9-5).
Quincy Acy added 10 points for the Bears, who swept the season series with the Aggies. Baylor took a 76-74 overtime victory in College Station on Feb. 5, the last loss for Texas A&M before it went on a five-game winning streak.
Khris Middleton had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Aggies. David Loubeau added 14 points.
Baylor led 41-32 with 10:29 left before Texas A&M went on a 7-0 run. Dunn then took over, hitting two three-pointers, two free throws after an intentional foul by Lebeau, and two more foul shots for a 53-43 lead.
NO. 24 TEMPLE 57, GEORGE WASHINGTON 41
WASHINGTON - Lavoy Allen scored 19 points and had a season-high 16 rebounds for Temple (22-6, 12-2 Atlantic 10) in a victory over George Washington (15-13, 8-6).
Sports, Pages 32 on 02/27/2011