NO. 4 MICHIGAN STATE 76,
RUTGERS 72, OT
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Miles Bridges ended his scoreless start with 7:43 left in regulation and finished with just 11 points to barely help No. 4 Michigan State bounce back from a loss with a 76-72 overtime victory over Rutgers on Wednesday night.
The Spartans (16-2, 4-1 Big Ten) were coming off a lopsided loss at Ohio State and the setback seemed to have lingering effects for the team and their sophomore star.
Bridges missed his first five shots and one of two free throws with 8 seconds left with a chance to give Michigan State the lead. The preseason All-America player opened overtime with a three-pointer and finished with as many turnovers (3) as made shots on 10 attempts.
The Scarlet Knights (11-7, 1-4) took a one-point lead on Corey Sanders' step-back jumper with 1 minute left and Bridges stepped out of bounds on the ensuing possession, giving them the ball back with 41.3 seconds left. Sanders missed a long jumper with 16 seconds left.
Bridges was fouled with 8 seconds left, but made only the second free throw to tie the game.
With a chance to win, Sanders missed a shot near the top of the key with a second left in regulation. Sanders made a game-tying floater with 1:21 left in overtime, falling to the floor with a cramp in his left calf. He returned to make a layup to pull Rutgers within two with 9 seconds left, but Cassius Winston sealed the victory with two free throws to put the Spartans ahead by six.
Sanders scored 22 points and Deshawn Freeman had 15 for the Scarlet Knights, who had four players foul out.
Michigan State's Nick Ward had 17 points and Jaren Jackson scored 16, while Winston and Joshua Langford scored 11 points apiece.
In other Top 25/SEC men’s games Wednesday, Phil Booth hit five threes and scored 21 points and Jalen Brunson had 17 to lead No. 1 Villanova to an 89-65 victory over Xavier. The Wildcats (15-1, 3-1 Big East) returned to the top spot of the poll and dominated like a team that won’t lose their grip on that rank anytime soon. Booth and Brunson opened the game with threes and the Wildcats played every bit as worthy as their ranking as they raced to a 22-9 lead. Booth hit 3 threes in the first half and Brunson was solid both from long range and in attacking the basket to make it 40-28 at the break. … Marvin Bagley III scored 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and No. 7 Duke had little trouble bouncing back from a loss to North Carolina State by drilling overmatched Pittsburgh 87-52. Bagley also blocked a shot while recording his 13th double-double of the season, one shy of the Duke freshman record shared by Jabari Parker and Gene Banks. The Blue Devils (14-2, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) never trailed and needed less than 17 minutes to build a 30-point lead.... Jericho Sims made a free throw with 5 seconds left, then Texas watched as TCU’s Jaylen Fisher missed a layup off the rim at the final buzzer to send the Longhorns to a 99-98 victory over the No. 16 Horned Frogs in double overtime. TCU had rallied from 13 down in the second half and led 94-90 in the second overtime. The game was tied at 98-98 when Desmond Bane of TCU missed a shot and Kenrich Williams fouled Sims on the rebound. Eric Davis scored 22 points to lead Texas (11-5, 2-2 Big 12). … Deng Adel scored 16 points and Louisville rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to defeat No. 23 Florida State 73-69 and snap the Seminoles’ 28-game home winning streak. Ray Spalding added 15 points for the Cardinals (12-4, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who made six three-pointers in the second half. Terance Mann tied a career high with 25 points and Braian Angola added 18 for Florida State (12-4, 1-3). … Egor Koulechov scored 23 points, including Florida’s first 13 of the game, and the Gators beat Mississippi State 71-54 for their sixth consecutive victory. Jalen Hudson added 12 points for Florida (12-4, 4-0 SEC), which extended its winning streak against the Bulldogs (13-3, 1-2) to eight. Chris Chiozza, who missed practice this week because of strep throat, finished with 10 points and seven assists off the bench. Keith Stone chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds. The Gators opened up a 10-point lead early in the second half when Chiozza hit a three-pointer and converted a four-point play on consecutive possessions. Koulechov piled on a few minutes later, hitting a three-pointer in transition and adding a dunk off Chiozza’s steal. In all, it was a 27-7 run that turned a close game into a lopsided affair.… Jontay Porter had 15 points and 10 rebounds in his first career start, and Missouri overcame a sluggish start to defeat Georgia 68-56. Georgia cut a second half, 10-point deficit to two on Rayshaun Hammonds’ three-pointer, but the Tigers went on a 7-0 run thanks to three-pointers from Kassius Robertson and Kevin Puryear with six minutes left, and Missouri (12-4, 2-1 SEC) widened its lead to 15 before sealing the victory. William Jackson III and Tyree Crump each had 10 points to lead Georgia (11-4, 2-2).
Sports on 01/11/2018