Top 25 roundup: Clemson ends No. 3 Duke's 9-game run

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[January 15, 2020]  Aamir Simms scored a career-high 25 points, and Clemson recovered in the final few minutes to knock off No. 3 Duke 79-72 as fans stormed the court in Littlejohn Coliseum on Tuesday night in Clemson, S.C.

Tevin Mack added 22 points and John Newman III had 14 points for the Tigers, who have won three consecutive games, including their first-ever win at North Carolina on Saturday.

Clemson (9-7, 3-3 ACC) halted Duke's nine-game winning streak. The Blue Devils (15-2, 5-1) were led by Vernon Carey Jr.'s 20 points, Tre Jones' 17 points and Cassius Stanley's 14 points.

Simms, one of the heroes in Saturday's win over the Tar Heels, shot 10-for-15 from the field. Mack, a transfer from Alabama, made 10 of 14 shots from the floor. Each pulled down nine rebounds while Simms contributed five assists.

No. 6 Kansas 66, Oklahoma 52

Isaiah Moss scored 20 points to lead the Jayhawks to a win over the Sooners in Norman, Okla.

The Jayhawks were able to pull off the victory without Devon Dotson (hip pointer), the Big 12's leading scorer at 18.0 points per game. Moss, making his first start of the season in Dotson's place, hit a career-high-tying six 3-pointers to help make up for the absence.



The game was tight most of the way before the Jayhawks (13-3, 3-1 Big 12) took control with a 15-2 run beginning with 7:37 left. Kansas' Marcus Garrett finished with 15 points, five rebounds and five assists. Oklahoma (11-5, 2-2) saw its top three scorers, Kristian Doolittle, Austin Reaves and Brady Manek, shoot a combined 10-for-43 from the field while contributing 27 total points.

No. 7 San Diego State 64, Fresno State 55

Malachi Flynn scored 22 points, and the Aztecs pulled within two wins of matching the best start in program history with a defeat of the host Bulldogs.

San Diego State (18-0, 7-0 Mountain West) remained one of only two undefeated teams in the nation, along with 2019 national semifinalist Auburn. The Aztecs are chasing the 2010-11 team, which began its season 20-0.

Orlando Robinson led Fresno State (5-12, 1-5) with 18 points. New Williams added 15 points, and Jordan Campbell followed with 11. For San Diego State, Yanni Wetzell followed Flynn with 17 points, and Matt Mitchell added 10 points.

No. 11 Louisville 73, Pittsburgh 68 (OT)

The Cardinals made seven of 10 free throws in overtime to escape with a win over the host Panthers. The Cardinals (14-3, 5-1 ACC) won despite trailing for nearly all of regulation and shooting just 38.3 percent from the field while being outrebounded for just the third time this season.

David Johnson finished with 11 points while Jordan Nwora had 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting after going scoreless the first 15:40 of the game. Dwyane Sutton added 13 points and nine rebounds for Louisville.

Pitt (11-6, 2-4), which shot 37.5 percent from the floor, got 24 points from Trey McGowens, but that came on 22 shot attempts. Xavier Johnson and Justin Champagnie each scored 11 points for the Panthers, and Champagnie had 11 rebounds.

No. 12 West Virginia 81, TCU 49

Derek Culver dominated the lane with 17 points and 11 rebounds to help the Mountaineers power past the Horned Frogs in Morgantown, W.Va.


The Mountaineers (14-2, 3-1 Big 12) constantly pushed the ball inside to Culver, who went 6-for-7 from the floor, and Oscar Tshiebwe (4 of 6 on field goals), and TCU had no answer. West Virginia outscored the Horned Frogs 36-10 in the paint, outrebounded TCU 38-24 and had 14 second-chance points to just three for the visitors.

RJ Nembhard led TCU with 14 points, with eight of those coming from the free-throw line. Desmond Bane added 13 points for the Horned Frogs (12-4, 3-1), who came into play with four straight wins and were off to their best start in conference play since going 14-0 when playing in the WAC during the 1997-98 season.

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Clemson Tigers forward Aamir Simms (25) reacts during the first half against the Duke Blue Devils at Littlejohn Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

No. 13 Dayton 79, VCU 65

Obi Toppin scored 24 points and the Flyers rode a 22-0 run in the second half to defeat the visiting Rams. Dayton (15-2, 4-0 Atlantic 10) won its sixth straight.

The big story for the Flyers was Toppin being healthy enough to play. The redshirt sophomore, who last week was named to the Wooden Award midseason watch list, injured his ankle in Saturday's game against Massachusetts, and his status was in doubt.

Jalen Crutcher finished with 20 points after carrying the Flyers offense in the first half before Toppin took over. De'Riante Jenkins and Nah'Shon Hyland each scored 16 points to lead the Rams (12-5, 2-2).

No. 14 Villanova 79, DePaul 75 (OT)

Collin Gillespie scored 21 points, Saddiq Bey added 18 and the Wildcats held off the visiting Demon Deacons in overtime. It was Villanova's 19th straight win over DePaul.

Jermaine Samuels contributed 15 points and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Wildcats (13-3, 4-1 Big East). Villanova posted its third win in a row.

Moore led DePaul (12-5, 0-4) with a season-high 29 points, while Paul Reed added 18 points and 15 rebounds for his 12th double-double. Jaylen Butz had 16 points.

Wisconsin 56, No. 17 Maryland 54

Brad Davison drained a game-winning 3-point bucket with 11 seconds left to give the Badgers an upset win against the Terrapins in Madison, Wis.

Davison stole the ball on a Maryland inbounds play with 12.4 seconds left, giving Wisconsin (11-6, 4-2 Big Ten) a chance for the victory. Anthony Cowan Jr. and Eric Ayala both missed a 3-point attempt in the closing seconds as Maryland fell to 0-3 in Big Ten road games.

Nate Reuvers scored a team-high 17 points for the Badgers, and Davison and Micah Potter added 14 points each. Jalen Smith scored a game-high 18 points for Maryland (13-4, 3-3). Cowan delivered 16 points, and Aaron Wiggins added 13.

No. 21 Ohio State 80, Nebraska 68

CJ Walker scored a game-high 18 points, Kaleb Wesson added 13 points and 14 rebounds, and D.J. Carlton finished with 13 points to lead a balanced effort as the Buckeyes earned a victory over the Cornhuskers in Columbus, Ohio.

The Buckeyes (12-5, 2-4 Big Ten) had six players finish in double figures to end a four-game overall losing streak and a three-game conference losing skid.

The Cornhuskers (7-10, 2-4) had a strong second half but could not recover from a slow first half in which they shot 31.4 percent from the field and committed nine turnovers.

No. 23 Texas Tech 77, Kansas State 63

Sophomore Kyler Edwards scored a career-high 24 points as the Red Raiders defeated the Wildcats in Manhattan, Kan. Texas Tech (11-5, 2-2 Big 12) held a 31-23 rebounding advantage, including 14-6 on the offensive boards, leading to a 16-6 advantage in second-chance points.

Kansas State (7-9, 0-4), which is last in scoring in the Big 12, was held below 64 points for the sixth time in seven games -- and all six were losses.

Edwards was joined in double figures by Davide Moretti (14 points), and Jahmi'us Ramsey and Kevin McCullar (10 points each) for Texas Tech. Kansas State was led by Cartier Diarra with 19 points. Xavier Sneed added 14, and Montavious Murphy had 11.

--Field Level Media

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