FORT LAUDERDALE, Sporting Alert – Scores and results from College Basketball Top 25 games that took place on Sunday, February 29.
Denzel Valentine shook off a slow start to lead No. 6 Michigan State to an 88-57 victory over Penn State on Sunday.
Valentine finished the game with 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals with one turnover for the Spartans (24-5, 11-5 Big Ten) who won its fourth straight game.
“We played hard with energy and effort,” Valentine said.
Bryn Forbes went 4-of-6 from 3-point range to finish with 15 points, while Deyonta Davis added 15 points, five rebounds and three blocks and Matt Costello grabbed a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds for Michigan State, which had missed 10 straight shots to open the contest.
They finished the game shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from long-range, while outrebounding the visitors 51-33.
“Our defense and rebounding kept us in the game and that’s the way we have to win as we move forward,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said.
“It makes me feel like they’re listening.”
Shep Garner led Penn State with 22 points, Payton Banks finished with 12 points and Devin Foster ended with 11 for the Nittany Lions (15-14, 6-10), who had won the previous three games and four of five, including impressive wins against then-No. 4 Iowa and then-No. 22 Indiana.
Penn State head coach Patrick Chambers, following a heated confrontation with the referees, was ejected with 4:53 left in the first half after picking up two technical fouls during the rave, which started after an offensive foul was called against Brandon Taylor.
In fact, Chambers had to be held back by two of his assistant coaches at one point — and even after he was tossed from the game, he tried to get at the officials again, as he didn’t think the officials were treating his “best player.”
“I will fight for my best player. I will fight for this team,” said Chambers.
Garner added: “I love it when Coach [Chambers] comes out and battles for us. That’s what he does. He puts his neck on the line.”
Penn State’s Brandon Taylor, who went into the contest as the team’s leading scorer and rebounder went 1-of-6 from the field and was held for just two points and three rebounds before fouling out with 7:20 left in the game.
Also on Sunday, Desi Rodriguez finished with career-highs of 27 points and 12 rebounds and Seton Hall stunningly upset No. 5 Xavier 90-81 to edge ever so close of clinching its first NCAA Tournament berth in 10 years.
Isaiah Whitehead scored 22 points, dished out five assists and blocked four shots and Angel Delgado added 17 points and eight rebounds for the Pirates (21-7, 11-5 Big East).
James Farr and Trevon Bluiett each scored 17 points for Xavier while Myles Davis added 15 in the defeat for the Musketeers (25-4, 13-4), who defeated No. 1 Villanova four days ago.
In other college basketball top 25 results on Sunday, unranked Ohio State upset No. 8 Iowa, 68-64, unranked Pittsburgh also dismissed No. 15 Duke 76-62, while No. 13 Oregon scored an 86-73 victory over Washington.
Following these results and those from Saturday (27), we can expect to see another shake-up in the AP college basketball top 25 rankings on Monday.
Complete Scores and Results
No. 6 MICHIGAN ST. 88, PENN ST. 57
OHIO ST. 68, No. 8 IOWA 64
No. 13 OREGON 86, WASHINGTON 73
PITTSBURGH 76, No. 15 DUKE 62
No. 24 SMU 74, TULANE 53
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