Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ó Kalin Lucas scored a career-high 24 points, Chris Allen added 13 and Michigan State handed Minnesota its first loss of the season.
In the Big Ten opener for both teams, Michigan State (10-2) wore down Minnesota by repeatedly attacking the basket and clogging the lane defensively. The Spartans outrebounded the Gophers 49-27 and outscored them 28-18 in the paint. Meanwhile, Minnesota (12-1) shot a season-low 39.6-percent from the floor, often settling for long-range jumpers.
The game was tied at 30 early in the second half before the Spartans outscored the Gophers 18-6. Minnesota struggled to play catch-up the rest of the way.
Goran Suton had 11 points and 12 rebounds for Michigan State, while Raymar Morgan had 10 and 10.
No. 3 Pittsburgh 78, Rutgers 72PISCATAWAY, N.J. ó Sam Young had 18 points and Brad Wanamaker scored 13 of his career-high 15 in the second half to help No. 3 Pittsburgh beat Rutgers 78-72 on Wednesday in the Big East opener for both teams.
The Panthers (13-0, 1-0) kept up their best start since going 15-0 in the 2005-06 season.
Mike Rosario had 22 points for Rutgers (9-5, 0-1). Anthony Farmer had 20 and Corey Chandler 17.
No. 7 Notre Dame 92, DePaul 82ROSEMONT Ill. ó Luke Harangody scored 26 points and had 16 rebounds and Zach Hillesland scored a career-high 17 to lead Notre Dame to a win over DePaul in the Big East opener for both teams Wednesday night.
Leading 23-19 midway through the first half, Notre Dame (10-2) extended its advantage with a 7-0 run. All five starters finished in double figures in scoring for the Irish.
UNLV 56, No. 18 Louisville 55LOUISVILLE, Ky. ó Oscar Bellfield hit an acrobatic layup with 16.1 seconds remaining to lift UNLV to a stunning win over Louisville.
Rene Rougeau led UNLV (12-2) with 17 points.
Preston Knowles led the Cardinals (8-3) with 11 points.
No. 19 Baylor 113, Jackson State 78WACO, Texas ó Kevin Rogers scored 21 and Henry Dugat had 20 to help Baylor beat Jackson State.
LaceDarius Dunn added 16 points and 10 rebounds for Baylor (12-1).
No. 22 Xavier 78, Robert Morris 57CINCINNATI ó Jason Love scored a career-high 15 points to lead Xavier over Robert Morris.
Xavier (10-2) was coming off back-to-back losses that sapped the Musketeers’ confidence.
Wisconsin 73, No. 23 Michigan 61ANN ARBOR, Mich. ó Marcus Landry and Trevon Hughes each scored 16 points and Wisconsin beat Michigan.
Jon Leuer added 12 points for the Badgers (10-3), coming off a five-point loss to then-No. 9 Texas last week. Wisconsin has not lost consecutive games since falling to Ohio State and Michigan State in February 2007.
Freshman Zack Novak scored a season-high 20 points and DeShawn Sims had 14 for the Wolverines (10-3).
Manny Harris, who came into the game as the Wolverines’ leading scorer at nearly 20 points per game, was held to nine points.
No. 24 Ohio State 68, Iowa 65COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ó Jon Diebler scored a career-high 27 points and Evan Turner hit three late free throws to lead Ohio State past Iowa.
In a physical game between two of the nation’s top defensive teams, the Buckeyes (10-1) built an early lead, lost it, regained it, and then barely had enough to hang on at the finish.
Matt Gatens, who led the Hawkeyes (10-4) with 22 points, missed a tying 3-pointer with 9 seconds remaining. After a wild scramble for the loose ball, the Buckeyes grabbed it and made a long pass to melt away the final few seconds.
CHARLOTTE WINS
CHARLOTTE ó An injury to one of Charlotte’s key players gave guard Charles Dewhurst his first start of the season.
Dewhurst made it pay off for the 49ers (5-6), scoring a career-high 13 points in the second half as Charlotte overcame a sluggish start to beat Long Island 79-68.
Dewhurst, a sophomore, got the start in place of An’Juan Wilderness, who is expected to miss at least two weeks after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left foot.
However, Dewhurst struggled in the first half, attempting no shots and pulling down just one rebound. The 49ers shot just 30.6 percent from the field (11 of 36), and were outrebounded 28-21 in the half.
The 49ers led by as many as 17 points in the second half in winning their fourth straight.
Lamont Mack added 15 points for Charlotte, while Charlie Coley had 14, DiJuan Harris had 13 points and 10 assists and RaShad Coleman had 11 points.
Kyle Johnson scored 26 points and Jaytornah Wisseh added 21 for the Blackbirds (4-7), who shot just 35.6 percent (21 of 59) in losing their second consecutive game.
“We were a little sluggish coming off our break,” said 49ers coach Bobby Lutz, who gave his players five days off for the Christmas holiday. “Even though we worked really hard in practice, I could tell we weren’t quite as sharp. But in the second half, we were terrific offensively.”
With the score tied at 31 two minutes into the second half, Dewhurst drove the lane for a layup with 17:35 left to put the 49ers ahead. That kicked off a 22-5 run that saw Charlotte hit eight of its first nine shots.
Dewhurst then capped the run by hitting 5-of-6 from the free throw line, the last coming with 11:33 remaining, to put Charlotte ahead 53-36, its biggest lead of the game.
“We played really sluggish in the first half and got outrebounded a bunch,” Dewhurst said. “But when we started crashing the boards, that made our offense go.”
In the second half, the 49ers shot 61.5 percent (16 of 26), and outrebounded Long Island 15-13. While the Blackbirds outrebounded Charlotte 41-36 for the game, they also committed 17 turnovers.
“Their size and defensive intensity really got to us, and we got a little sloppy in the second half,” Long Island coach Jim Ferry said.