Duke Survives This Time

Top 25/Pac-10

This time, Duke didn’t fold down the stretch against a Top 10 team.

Unlike last Sunday’s home loss to Michigan, when they couldn’t keep a double-digit lead during the final 10 minutes, the 14th-ranked Blue Devils held off No. 4 Villanova 87-79 Saturday in the first college basketball game played in CoreStates Center in Philadelphia.

The Blue Devils (7-2) didn’t have a field goal the final 10 minutes in the 62-61 loss to then-No. 7 Michigan, but they were deadly early against the Wildcats (6-1) from 3-point range and then effective from the free-throw line in the final minutes.

(2) Wake Forest 71, UMass 47

Tim Duncan shook off Massachusetts’ smothering defense for 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Demon Deacons (7-0) to victory over the Minutemen (3-5) in Winston-Salem, N.C.

(3) Kentucky 80, Notre Dame 56

Ron Mercer scored eight points during a 27-3 run as the Wildcats (7-1) overcame a sluggish start to defeat the Fighting Irish (3-3) in Lexington, Ky.

(6) Iowa State 81, Iowa 74

Shawn Bankhead scored 23 points, Dedric Willoughby added 15 and Jacy Holloway added some unexpected offense as the Cyclones (6-0) beat the cross-state rival Hawkeyes (6-3) in Iowa City.

(8) Arizona 111, Jackson State 83

Donnell Harris, filling in for the injured A.J. Bramlett, had career highs of 21 points and 16 rebounds as the Wildcats (5-1) overcame a shortage of players to beat the Tigers (2-5) at Tucson, Ariz.

(9) Utah 83, Weber State 48

Keith Van Horn scored a career-high 41 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Utes (5-1) cruised to victory over the Wildcats (3-3).

(10) Clemson 80, Charleston Southern 57

Greg Buckner scored 18 of his 24 points in the second half, powering the Tigers (7-1) to victory over the visiting Buccaneers (3-4).

TCU 93, (18) Texas Tech 89

Damion Walker scored 22 points, including two clinching free throws with 6.6 seconds left, as the Horned Frogs (7-1) handed Red Raiders (5-1) their first defeat of the season in Fort Worth.

(12) Indiana 86, Santa Clara 74

Neil Reed, held to three points the previous night, scored 30 as the Hoosiers (9-1) beat the Broncos (4-4) for the Indiana Classic championship at Bloomington.

(13) Texas 98, (16) Fresno St. 86

Reggie Freeman slashed to the basket, hit off-balance jumpers inside and bombed from outside in scoring a career-high 43 points as the Longhorns (5-1) defeated the Bulldogs (6-2) in Austin, Texas.

(22) Louisville 88, Purdue 72

DeJuan Wheat had 25 points, three steals and eight assists to move up on Louisville’s career list in each category as the Cardinals (6-0) beat the short-handed Boilermakers (4-3) in Indianapolis.

(19) Xavier, Ohio 79, Hofstra 43

Gary Lumpkin and James Posey scored 13 points apiece as the Musketeers (7-0) used a balanced attack to overcome 23 turnovers and beat the Flying Dutchmen (3-4) in Cincinnati.

(21) Stanford 72, San Diego 70

Sophomore guard Kris Weems made five 3-point shots in scoring a career-high 18 points, and Stanford tied the school record with 12 3-pointers as the Cardinal (4-1) held off the Toreros (3-4).

(23) UCLA 72, Ohio U. 61

J.R. Henderson, saddled with two early fouls that kept him on the bench most of the first half, rallied UCLA with six points in the final 5:43 as the Bruins (2-2) defeated the Bearcats (2-3).

(24) Alabama 100, W. Carolina 48

Eric Washington and Demetrius Alexander each scored 20 points as the Crimson Tide (8-0) overwhelmed the Catamounts (3-2) in Tuscaloosa.

Pac-10

Oregon 88, Cleveland State 65

Kyle Milling and Jamal Lawrence scored 15 points apiece to lead the Ducks (5-0) to victory over the Vikings at Eugene, Ore.

Oregon State 79, Portland State 60

Freshman Corey Benjamin made his long-awaited college debut as the Beavers (4-2) beat the Vikings (0-6) in Corvallis, Ore. He had nine points, three assists, two blocked shots and one rebound.