Associated Press
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. ó Da’Sean Butler scored a career-high 43 points to lead West Virginia to a 93-72 victory over No. 13 Villanova on Friday night.
Butler scored 24 in the first half as the Mountaineers (17-8, 6-6 Big East) built a 20-point lead en route to their first win this season against a team in the top half of the conference standings.
Devin Ebanks added 16 for West Virginia, which led 52-34 at halftime.
Villanova (20-5, 8-4) trimmed the deficit 13 points in the second half, but Butler and the Mountaineers went on to snap the Wildcats’ six-game winning streak. Corey Fisher had 17 points to lead Villanova. Corey Stokes and Scottie Reynolds added 12 each.
Butler became the first West Virginia player to score 40 points in a game since Lowes Moore in a win over Notre Dame in 1978.
No. 15 Butler 80, Illinois-Chicago 61
INDIANAPOLIS ó Matt Howard had 19 points and eight rebounds, Gordon Hayward finished with 18 points and No. 15 Butler hit 13 3-pointers in an 80-61 victory over Illinois-Chicago.
Butler (22-2, 13-1 Horizon League) won its sixth straight in the series and its 16th in a row at home.
The Flames (11-14, 4-11) were led by Josh Mayo with 19 points, but lost for the sixth time in seven games. They fell into a 25-8 hole midway through the first half and never got closer than seven.
WOMEN
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. ó Freshman Cierra Bravard had 16 points and 10 rebounds Friday night, leading 14th-ranked Florida State to a 77-70 victory over No. 8 North Carolina 77-70 for coach Sue Semrau’s 200th victory.
Florida State (21-5, 9-1 ACC) built a 15-point lead in the first half and led by as many as 17 late in the game, defeating the Tar Heels for the first time in four years and just the second time in this decade.
The Seminoles have defeated five ranked teams, including three in the Top 10, since Jan. 3.
No. 4 Duke 77, Clemson 53
DURHAM ó Chante Black and Krystal Thomas scored 16 points apiece and fourth-ranked Duke beat Clemson 77-53 to secure its 12th consecutive 20-win season.
Carrem Gay added 10 points for the Blue Devils (20-3, 8-2 ACC), who bounced back from a loss at North Carolina.