Buzzer-beater saves top-ranked Duke
Sean Dockery made a heave from about 40 feet with less than a second left, giving the top-ranked Blue Devils an improbable 77-75 victory over Virginia Tech on Sunday night in Durham, N.C., in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.
The frantic finish denied the Hokies (5-3) a stunning upset after they rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final 4 1/2 minutes. Coleman Collins capped the comeback by tipping in a miss by Zabian Dowdell, and after conferring with TV replays, the referees put 1.6 seconds back on the clock for the Blue Devils (7-0).
Coach Mike Krzyzewski drew up a play with freshman Josh McRoberts throwing the inbounds pass, and he lofted a perfect one to Dockery just over halfcourt. He took one quick dribble and launched his shot from the “Coach K Court” decal near the sideline.
It rattled in, sending the Cameron Crazies into a frenzy and giving Virginia Tech its second stunning loss in two days. On Saturday, the Hokies’ football team lost the ACC’s first championship game to Florida State.
Shelden Williams dominated throughout and finished with 21 points and 19 rebounds, while J.J. Redick bounced back from first half foul trouble to add 18 points. Yet with the game on the line, Dockery was the one who came through.
He finished with a season-high 19 points – the first time he’s been in double figures all season.
Collins led the Hokies with 25 points on 12-of-17 shooting.
(7) Louisville 67, Arkansas State 55: In Louisville, Ky., Taquan Dean made six 3-pointers and scored 24 points as the Cardinals (3-0) pulled away from the Indians (2-4).
Women’s Top 25
Monique Currie scored 23 points and No. 1 Duke (6-0) beat No. 16 Texas 84-70 in Austin, Texas. Freshman Erika Arriaran’s 16 points led Texas (3-3).
(2) Tennessee 74, (12) Stanford 67: Candace Parker had 21 points, 12 rebounds, three steals, two assists and a blocked shot, and the Lady Volunteers (7-0) ended the Cardinal’s (4-2) 23-game home winning streak. … (6) Rutgers 57, Iowa 51: In Iowa City, Iowa, Cappie Pondexter scored 22 points and the Scarlet Knights held off the Hawkeyes. … (9) Maryland 102, Mount St. Mary’s, Md. 53: In College Park, Md., Crystal Langhorne scored a season-high 30 points, and the Terrapins (6-1) beat the Mountaineers (2-3). … (11) Notre Dame 77, Wisconsin 72: In Madison, Wis., Megan Duffy scored 20 points to lead the Irish (6-0) to a victory over the Badgers (4-3). … (13) Michigan State 82, Pepperdine 64: In East Lansing, Mich., Liz Shimek had 28 points and the Spartans (4-2) won a school-record 16th straight home game, beating the Waves (1-5). … (17) Georgia 72, Georgia Tech 66: In Athens, Ga., Megan Darrah and Sherill Baker each scored 16 points to lead the Lady Dogs (5-2) to a win over the Yellow Jackets (5-1). … (19) Vanderbilt 82, Old Dominion 77: In Norfolk, Va., Caroline Williams scored 20 points as the Commodores (6-2) came back in the second half to beat the Monarchs (1-3). … Penn State 78, (24) Texas Tech 72 (2OT): In State College, Pa., Courtney Molinaro scored on a breakaway layup and hit three key foul shots, and Kamela Gissendanner finished with 34 points, helping the Lady Lions (3-3) beat the Lady Raiders (2-5).
Pac-10 Men
Arron Afflalo scored 20 points and keyed a second-half rally with Cedric Bozeman that helped No. 16 UCLA (6-1) defeat Coppin State 69-57 in Los Angeles. Tywain McKee led Coppin State (0-6) with 21 points.
UC Davis 64, Stanford 58: In Davis, Calif., Kyle Brucculeri’s 3-pointer capped a late 9-2 run and the Aggies (1-4) stunned the Cardinal (2-3).