EAST LANSING, Mich. - Nik Stauskas made a tie breaking three-pointer with 3:12 left and finished with 19 points and freshman Derrick Walton Jr. scored a season-high 19, lifting No. 21 Michigan to an 80-75 victory over No. 3 Michigan State on Saturday night to remain the only Big Ten team without a conference loss.
The Wolverines (15-4, 7-0) went on a 10-0 run late in the game to take control and held on to win for just the second time in 15 games at the Breslin Center.
Michigan is the first team since at least the 1996-97 season to win three consecutive games against top-10 teams in the regular season, according to STATS. It was coming off a victory over No. 10 Iowa at home after beating then-No. 3 Wisconsin on the road.
The Spartans (18-2, 7-1) had won 11 consecutive games since losing to North Carolina at home.
Michigan State’s Gary Harris scored a career-high 27 points and didn’t get much help offensively from his team that was without two of its best players. Freshman Alvin Ellis scored a season-high 12 points, surpassing his scoring total from his first seven Big Ten games.
Keith Appling was held to 10 points on 3 of 11 shooting, a setback for a team that was without two of its best players. Adreian Payne missed a fifth consecutive game with a sprained right foot and Branden Dawson was out for the first time since he said he broke his right hand hitting a table.
In other Big Ten games Saturday, Sam Dekker and Traevon Jackson each scored15 points, helping No. 9 Wisconsin end its three-game losing streak with a 72-58 victory at Purdue. ... Roy Devyn Marble had 14 points and Gabriel Olaseni had 14 points and 11 rebounds as No. 10 Iowa (16-4, 5-2) got a 76-50 victory over Northwestern (10-11, 3-5) in Evanston, Ill.
ATLANTIC COAST Syracuse still unbeaten
CORAL GABLES, Fla. - No. 2 Syracuse held Miami without a basket for 7 ½ minutes down the stretch Saturday and made eight consecutive free throws in the final minute to remain unbeaten with a 64-52 victory over the Hurricanes.
Miami led 47-46 with less than 7 minutes to go but made only one field goal the rest of the way.
Syracuse (19-0, 6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) needs one more victory to tie the school record for most victories to start a season, set two years ago. The ACC newcomers beat defending league champion Miami (10-9, 2-5) for the second time in three weeks.
Both teams played zone defense and made points tough to come by for long stretches. The game was nearly 30 minutes old before either side made a fast-break basket.
Jerami Grant scored 16 points to lead the Orange, who had a 39-24 rebounding advantage.
Davon Reed scored 16 points for the Hurricanes, who kept it close by shooting 9 of 17 from three-point range.
In other ACC games Saturday, Rodney Hood scored 18 points to help No. 18 Duke beat Florida State 78-56, giving Hall of Fame Coach Mike Krzyzewski his 900th victory at the school. … Devin Thomas scored 21 points and Wake Forest beat Notre Dame 65-58. … Malcolm Brogdon scored 18 points, Joe Harris had 12 and streaking Virginia closed the first half on a 21-6 run and cruised to its fourth consecutive victory against Virginia Tech 65-45. … Lamar Patterson scored 28 points, and No. 20 Pittsburgh beat Maryland 83-79 to complete its first regular-season sweep as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
BIG EAST
Villanova victorious
MILWAUKEE - Ryan Arcidiacono had 20 points and 11 assists, and coolly guided No. 4 Villanova in overtime following a frenzied finish to regulation of a 94-85 victory over Marquette on Saturday.
Arcidiacono had six points and two assists in the extra period. He hustled for a loose ball with 37.7 seconds left that allowed Villanova Coach Jay Wright to call a timeout and avoid a turnover.
James Bell, who finished with 30 points, followed with two free throws to make it a three-possession game for the Wildcats (17-2, 6-1 Big East).
Todd Mayo had 18 points including the last 10 in regulation for Marquette (11-9, 3-4) to help force overtime at 77-77.
A layup by Villanova’s Tony Chennault with 1 second left in regulation was waved off by the officials after Steve Taylor Jr. drew a charging foul.
Wright pleaded with the officials while Marquette’s fans erupted in jubilation.
Darrun Hilliard had 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting for Villanova. Davante Gardner had 29 points and 13 rebounds for Marquette.
In other Big East games Saturday, Bryce Cotton finished with 25 points and LaDontae Henton had 23 points and 11 rebounds as Providence held off Xavier 81-72. … JaKarr Sampson scored 20 points and St. John’s defeated Butler 69-52 for its second consecutive Big East Conference victory. … Fuquan Edwin scored 22 of his game-high 30 points in the first half to power Seton Hall to its first Big East home victory of the season, 86-69, over DePaul. ... Doug McDermott and Will Artino scored 14 points each to lead five Creighton players with 10 or more points, and the Bluejays stayed alone in first place in the Big East with a 76-63 victory over visiting Georgetown.
Sports, Pages 25 on 01/26/2014