ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- As the final seconds ticked away in a tie game, Ayo Dosunmu was being guarded by Zavier Simpson, one of the top defenders in the Big Ten.
"The one thing Ayo has is 6-(foot)-5," Illinois Coach Brad Underwood said.
Dosunmu took advantage of his 5-inch height edge on Simpson, sinking a contested jumper from the free-throw line with 0.5 seconds remaining to give No. 21 Illinois a 64-62 victory over Michigan on Saturday. The Illini extended their winning streak to six and moved into sole possession of first place in the Big Ten for the moment.
"Simpson, he played great defense. He couldn't have guarded that any better," Dosunmu said. "But I just got into my pull-up, got into my moves, and then just knocked the shot down."
Illinois (15-5, 7-2) won despite a quiet game from freshman big man Kofi Cockburn, who fouled out after scoring five points with three rebounds. Michigan (11-8, 2-6) has dropped four in a row and may again be without forward Isaiah Livers because of an injury.
The Wolverines let the game slip away at the foul line, where they went 0 for 5 in the final four minutes. Illinois tied it at 62 on a pair of free throws by Trent Frazier with 52.3 seconds left. Then Jon Teske missed inside for Michigan, and the Illini had the ball back.
"Coach just said, 'No ball screen,' " Dosunmu said. "He told me, just make sure I got the last shot. He believed I was going to make the right play."
Illinois was able to run the clock down and isolate Dosunmu -- who said his nickname was "Iso" in high school -- against Simpson. Dosunmu couldn't shake Simpson with a quick fake, but he was able to elevate and shoot over the Michigan guard.
Michigan had one last possession with under a second left, but the Wolverines didn't get a shot off.
Dosunmu finished with 27 points.
Livers returned for Michigan after missing six games with a groin injury, but he left in the second half after hurting himself again. Livers was fouled during a dunk attempt -- the same way he got hurt the first time -- and came up holding his groin area. He did go back in at the very end to throw the long inbound pass for the Wolverines after Dosunmu's shot.
Simpson led Michigan with 17 points.
NO. 2 GONZAGA 92,
PACIFIC 59
SPOKANE, Wash. -- Killian Tillie scored 22 points and blocked four shots to help No. 2 Gonzaga beat Pacific for its 13th consecutive victory.
Corey Kispert added 16 points and Filip Petrusev had 15 for Gonzaga (21-1, 7-0 West Coast). The Bulldogs also won their 35th consecutive home game, the longest streak in the nation.
Jahlil Tripp scored 21 points and Pierre Crockrell II added 10 for Pacific (15-8, 3-4).
NO. 5 FLORIDA STATE 85,
NOTRE DAME 84
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Wyatt Wilkes scored 19 points and Florida State held off Notre Dame for its 10th consecutive victory.
Wilkes drilled 5 of 6 from three-point range and the Seminoles (17-2, 7-1 ACC) made 12 of 18 from beyond the arc.
Florida State missed its last nine shots from the floor and Notre Dame (11-8, 2-6) nearly took advantage. The Fighting Irish had a few chances in the final moments, including Rex Pflueger's desperation three-pointer that fell short at the buzzer.
NO. 6 LOUISVILLE 80,
CLEMSON 62
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Darius Perry set career highs with 19 points and five three-pointers, and Louisville beat Clemson for its sixth consecutive win.
The Cardinals (17-3, 8-1 ACC) pulled away with a 20-0 first-half run and shot 66% before halftime.
Perry finished 7 of 12 from the field and 5 of 6 from deep to eclipse his previous high of 17 points last reached against Vermont on Nov. 16, 2018. The junior point guard also had five rebounds.
Freshman Samuell Williamson scored 14 points off the bench, Steven Enoch had 11 points and seven rebounds, and Jordan Nwora scored 10 points for Louisville.
Clemson (10-9, 4-5) had won four of five, including victories at North Carolina and over then-No. 3 Duke. Clyde Trapp had 11 points for the Tigers.
NO. 7 DAYTON 87,
RICHMOND 79
RICHMOND, Va. -- Odi Toppin had 24 points and 12 rebounds and No. 7 Dayton pulled away after halftime and won its ninth consecutive game, beating Richmond.
Jalen Crutcher added 24 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists for the Flyers (18-2, 7-0 Atlantic 10). They led 40-32 at halftime and took control with a 12-0 run after Grant Golden opened the second-half scoring for Richmond.
Jacob Gilyard scored 27 points and Nick Sherod had 23 points and nine rebounds for the Spiders (15-5, 5-2).
Watson added 14 points for the Flyers, who shot 53.7% (29-54).
NO. 9 VILLANOVA 64,
PROVIDENCE 60
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Collin Gillespie grabbed a rebound and found Jeremiah Robinson-Earl on the fast break for a dunk as Villanova turned back a Providence rally with 55 seconds left for its sixth consecutive victory.
Gillespie, who also hit a pair of free throws with 28 seconds to play, scored 18 and had eight rebounds for the Wildcats (16-3, 6-1 Big East). Robinson-Earl finished with 17 points, making one of two foul shots with 13 seconds left to keep it a two-possession game.
Nate Watson had 18 points and nine rebounds and David Duke had 11 and 10 for Providence (11-10, 4-4). The Friars have lost four of five -- with all of the losses coming against ranked teams.
SMU 74, NO. 20 MEMPHIS 70
MEMPHIS -- Kendric Davis had 20 points and five assists, Emmanuel Bandoumel added 14 and SMU used a late run to knock off Memphis.
Isiaha Mike scored 13 points, all in the second half, and Tyson Jolly finished with 10 as the Mustangs (15-4, 5-2 American) won their third in a row.
D.J. Jeffries led Memphis (14-5, 3-3) with 18 points, while Precious Achiuwa had 15 points and nine rebounds. The loss was the Tigers' second in a row and fourth in the past six.
ARIZONA STATE 66,
NO. 22 ARIZONA 65
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Alonzo Verge Jr. scored on a layup with 10.9 seconds left and Remy Martin led Arizona State's comeback from a 22-point deficit in a victory over Arizona.
The Wildcats (13-6, 3-3 Pac-12) shook off a shaky start with a massive run, building the 22-point lead midway through the first half.
The Sun Devils (12-7, 2-3) stormed back with a 16-0 run spanning halftime, putting a charge into an already-lit-up home crowd.
NO. 23 COLORADO 76,
WASHINGTON 62
BOULDER, Colo. -- Tyler Bey scored 16 points, McKinley Wright IV had 15 and Colorado beat Washington, snapping a five-game losing streak to the Huskies.
Lucas Siewert added 12 points for Colorado (16-4, 5-2 Pac-12), which has won nine of its last 11 games.
Freshman Isaiah Stewart had 23 points and four blocks, including two on Bey on consecutive possessions, for the Huskies (12-9, 2-6).
NO. 24 RUTGERS 75,
NEBRASKA 72
PISCATAWAY, NJ -- Geo Baker hit a three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left as Rutgers extended its home winning streak to 14 games with a victory over Nebraska.
Akwaski Yeboah led Rutgers with 20 points. Caleb McConnell and Jacob Young each had 12 and Montez Mathis 10.
Rutgers (15-5, 6-3 Big Ten) was up by 14 early in the second half before Nebraska (7-13, 2-7 Big Ten) went on a 22-7 run for a short-lived lead.
Sports on 01/26/2020