Craft’s career effort gives Buckeyes win
Men’s College Basketball: Aaron Craft slashed through the lane for a career-high 21 points on Sunday – more than he had scored in the last three games combined – to lead No. 18 Ohio State (20-7, 10-5 Big Ten) to a 68-60 victory over fourth-ranked Michigan State (22-6, 11-4) in Columbus, Ohio.
Deshaun Thomas added 12 of his 14 points in the second half for the Buckeyes, who stand fifth in the conference. Evan Ravenel added 10 points and a crucial block in the final minute.
• Sulaimon leads No. 6 Duke: Freshman Rasheed Sulaimon scored a season-high 27 points and No. 6 Duke (24-3, 11-3 ACC) rolled to an 89-68 win over Boston College (12-15, 4-10) in Durham, N.C.
Mason Plumlee added 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Blue Devils.
• Burke carries Michigan to win: Trey Burke had 26 points and eight assists to help Michigan (23-4, 10-4 Big Ten) bounce back from a slow start to beat Illinois 71-58 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The Fighting Illini (20-9, 7-8) had won five straight.
• Pitt snaps losing streak: Tray Woodall scored a season-high 25 points, including two huge 3-pointers in the second half, and Pittsburgh (21-7, 9-6 Big East) snapped a two-game losing streak with a 63-47 win over St. John’s (16-11, 8-7) in New York.
Woodall, who came in averaging 10.9 points per game, and finished 8 of 14 from the field.
• Notre Dame tops Cincy: Jerian Grant scored 13 points to lead No. 25 Notre Dame (22-6, 10-5 Big East) to a 62-41 win over Cincinnati (19-9, 7-8) in South Bend, Ind.
Grant shot just 2-of-9 from the field but was perfect from the free-throw line, hitting a season-high nine.
Bryant outscores Dirk as Lakers top Mavs
NBA: Kobe Bryant had 38 points to win a scoring duel with Dirk Nowitzki, and the visiting Los Angeles Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks 103-99.
Bryant scored 14 in the fourth, including seven in the final 3 minutes to hold off a spirited Dallas effort.
Nowitzki finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds for the Mavericks.
• Randolph, Gasol lead Grizzlies over Nets: Zach Randolph had 16 points and 14 rebounds, Marc Gasol scored 14 points and the visiting Memphis Grizzlies won their seventh straight game, 76-72 over the Brooklyn Nets.
Tony Allen chipped in 12 points, including two free throws with 19.5 seconds left to give Memphis a 74-72 lead.
• Blazers beat Celtics: Wesley Matthews had 24 points, including a clutch 3-pointer with less than a minute to go, and the Portland Trail Blazers snapped their longest losing streak of the season at seven games with a 92-86 win over the visiting Boston Celtics.
Pierce had 23 points and eight assists for the Celtics.
• Bynum suspended: Detroit Pistons guard Will Bynum has been suspended one game without pay by the NBA for striking Indiana forward Tyler Hansbrough in the stomach during a game against the Pacers.
Brunner’s four points help rout Canucks
NHL: Damien Brunner had two goals and two assists, and Joakim Andersson scored twice in the Detroit Red Wings’ 8-3 win over the visiting Vancouver Canucks.
Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall had a goal and two assists each.
• Blackhawks’ streak to 18: Corey Crawford made 28 saves, and Andrew Shaw scored the only goal as the Chicago Blackhawks stretched their NHL-record, season-opening point streak to 18 games with a 1-0 victory over the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets.
Crawford earned his seventh shutout and second this season.
• Sanguinetti caps ’Canes comeback: Defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti’s first NHL goal snapped a tie midway through the third period, and the Carolina Hurricanes rallied to beat the New York Islanders 4-2 in Uniondale, N.Y.
Duke women clinch ACC season title
Women’s College Basketball: Elizabeth Williams scored 16 points and No. 5 Duke beat No. 8 Maryland 75-59 in College Park, Md., to clinch the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title.
Alexis Jones, Haley Peters and Tricia Liston each added 15 points for the Blue Devils.
• Kenney lifts LSU over No. 8 Kentucky: Jeanne Kenney hit all five 3-pointers she attempted on her way to a career-high 22 points, and LSU upset No. 8 Kentucky 77-72 in Baton Rouge, La.
Ferrer tops Wawrinka in Copa Claro final
Tennis: David Ferrer won his second tournament of the season by defeating Stanislas Wawrinka 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 to successfully defend his Copa Claro title in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires.
The top-seeded Ferrer broke his opponent six times to clinch the 20th title of his career.
• Nishikori wins in Memphis: Kei Nishikori of Japan won his third career title and second since October, beating Feliciano Lopez of Spain 6-2, 6-3 in the U.S. National Indoor Championships in Memphis, Tenn.
• Tsonga beats Berdych: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga saved a match point before overcoming top-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4 to win a tournament in Marseille, France.
Hammer of US wins sixth cycling title
Miscellany: Sarah Hammer of the U.S. earned her sixth career gold medal and second one this week by winning the women’s omnium event in Minsk, Belarus, while Stefan Botticher won the men’s sprint title and his second gold medal at the track cycling world championships.
• Schumacher wins NHRA: Tony Schumacher beat Morgan Lucas in the tire-smoking Top Fuel final at the NHRA Arizona Nationals in Chandler, Ariz., for his 70th career victory and fourth at Firebird International Raceway.
• Pistorius’ brother facing culpable homicide charge: The family lawyer of Oscar Pistorius says the brother of the Olympic paraplegic athlete is facing culpable homicide charge in a 2010 road death.
Lawyer Kenny Oldwage would not confirm details of the case Carl Pistorius is facing, but Sunday’s development is compounding the problems for the family after Oscar was charged with premeditated murder in the Feb. 14 shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
• Violence hurt, off Derby trail: Top 3-year-old Violence is off the Kentucky Derby trail after fracturing a bone in his right front leg.
The injury was detected after his second-place finish in Saturday’s Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park.