College basketball
Eighth-ranked Boston College edges Providence to stay undefeated PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – Jared Dudley scored 21 points and hit a 3-pointer with 1:20 left to give Boston College the lead, and the No. 8 Eagles remained undefeated with a 78-75 victory over Providence on Wednesday night.
Craig Smith also scored 21 points, and Dudley added 12 rebounds and six assists for Boston College (17-0, 6-0 Big East). The Eagles are off to the best start in school history in the regular season and in conference play.
Donnie McGrath led Providence (9-9, 0-5) with 17 points, matching his season high, and made 5 3-pointers. Leading scorer Ryan Gomes was held to 13 points on 5-for-14 shooting. Providence has lost five straight.
No. 12 Louisville 99, Marquette 52
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville’s Larry O’Bannon made six 3-pointers and scored 30 points, both career highs, in the most-lopsided loss in Marquette history.
O’Bannon also had five rebounds and seven assists, and Francisco Garcia added 14 points for the Cardinals (17-3, 5-1 Conference USA).
Todd Townsend had 17 points, and Marcus Jackson grabbed 12 rebounds for the Golden Eagles (14-5, 2-4), whose previous worst defeat was a 57-12 loss to Creighton in 1940. Marquette played without senior point guard Travis Diener, who aggravated a sprained ankle in the Eagles’ 76-66 loss to Charlotte on Saturday.
Ohio St. 68, Penn St. 62
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Brandon Fuss-Cheatham more than doubled his average with 15 points to help Ohio State to a 68-62 win over Penn State on Wednesday night, handing the Nittany Lions their 27th consecutive Big Ten road loss.
Tony Stockman, scoreless in his last home game, led the Buckeyes (13-7, 2-4 Big Ten) with 17 points. Je’Kel Foster added 14 points, hitting 4-of-5 3-pointers. J.J. Sullinger chipped in with 10 points for Ohio State, which ended a four-game losing skid.
Geary Claxton scored 18 points and Mike Walker had 12 for the Nittany Lions (7-12, 1-5) , who have lost six of seven.
Aaron Johnson, leading the Big Ten in rebounding, had 13 rebounds but hit just one of his nine shots from the field and scored three points.
Villanova 65, Notre Dame 60
PHILADELPHIA – Allan Ray scored 23 points and Randy Foye added 20 to lead Villanova to a come-from-behind 65-60 victory over Notre Dame on Wednesday night at the Wachovia Center.
Ray connected on two clutch free throws with 43.7 seconds remaining to give Villanova a 62-57 lead. Curtis Sumpter contributed 11 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats (11-4, 3-3 Big East). Will Sheridan added a season-high 12 rebounds.
Maryland 75, No. 2 Duke 66
DURHAM, N.C. – Nik Caner-Medley had 25 points before leaving with an ankle injury, and Maryland finished off previously undefeated Duke at the free-throw line.
The Terrapins (12-5, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) lost three of their previous five games, all by at least 15 points. But they hung with Duke (15-1, 5-1) throughout and completed the victory by allowing only two points in the final 31/2 minutes.
Ekene Ibekwe gave Maryland the lead for good with a tough layup in traffic off an inbounds play, set up during a timeout by coach Gary Williams. That made it 66-64 with 1:23 left, and the Blue Devils had no answer.
No. 14 Alabama 60, Auburn 55
AUBURN, Ala. – Earnest Shelton scored 22 points and made five late 3-pointers to lead Alabama to its fourth straight victory over Auburn.
The Crimson Tide (16-3, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) held off Auburn (9-9, 0-5) after the Tigers cut a 15-point deficit to one in the second half.
Nathan Watson led Auburn with 13 points.
Northwestern 75, No. 23 Iowa 74
EVANSTON, Ill. – Michael Jenkins’ 3-pointer at the overtime buzzer hit the rim, bounced high and fell through and gave Northwestern a stunning victory.
Northwestern’s players and fans raced to the floor to mob Jenkins, a senior walk-on, following the dramatic victory that saw the Wildcats rally from 11 down with 6 minutes to go in regulation.
Vedran Vukusic, who was doubtful to start because of a sore shoulder, scored a career-high 32 points for Northwestern.