Assocoated Press
Assocoated Press
Trey Burke rushed into the frontcourt, trying to take advantage of a 2-on-1 break. At the last moment, he softly lobbed the ball toward the rim, where Glenn Robinson III slammed it through the hoop.
That was the beginning of Michigan’s latest offensive clinic, a highlight reel of dunks, 3-pointers, smooth ball handling and smart passing that overwhelmed Iowa in a 95-67 rout Sunday. Burke had 19 points and a career-high 12 assists for the second-ranked Wolverines. Robinson had 20 points and 10 rebounds.
With 7:00 remaining in the first half, Michigan had only 17 points, making the eventual final score that much more startling.
“We’ve been in a lot of games where 15 minutes into the first half, we might have had a double-digit lead,” coach John Beilein said. “We didn’t have that today. We closed well, and then we came out in the second half and really played good from the get-go.”
Michigan (15-0, 2-0 Big Ten) is a win away from matching the program’s best start to a season. The 1985-86 team began 16-0.
Devyn Marble scored 14 points for the Hawkeyes, who were holding opponents to 37 percent shooting before facing Michigan. The Wolverines shot 58 percent from the field and 10 of 22 from 3-point range.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 19 points for Michigan.
The Wolverines aren’t a team that tries to force the tempo, but they routed Northwestern 94-66 on Thursday and beat Iowa by the same margin. It was the fourth straight game in which Michigan made at least 10 shots from 3-point range.
It was the third time in four games the Wolverines scored at least 90 points. They’ve never previously averaged more than 67 under Beilein.
“We always thought, as we were trying to develop a coaching philosophy with my staff — and I have a great staff — that we wouldn’t change if we got more athletic,” Beilein said. “Some of these principles will still work, even if you did have better speed. … We’ve always run wherever I’ve been, but we run a little faster now, jump a little higher.”
And score a little quicker.
Iowa (11-4, 0-2) raced out to a 7-0 lead, and the Hawkeyes led 21-17 when Burke found Robinson for that alley-oop on the break. A 3-pointer by Hardaway gave Michigan a 26-23 lead, but Marble answered with a rare four-point play at the other end.
That stemmed the tide only momentarily. Freshman Mitch McGary blocked a shot for Michigan, leading to a transition layup by Burke and a 33-29 lead. Moments later, Hardaway threw down a one-handed dunk off a bounce pass from Burke to make it 42-35.
Robinson finished the half by barely beating the buzzer for a layup that gave the Wolverines a 46-35 advantage.
Hardaway opened the second half with a 3-pointer. Freshman Nik Stauskas drove for a dunk and scored on a spin move. Hardaway made another 3-pointer and Iowa coach Fran McCaffery subbed a whole new team of five players into the game.
It was 58-40 after Burke’s acrobatic bank shot, and at that point, Michigan had scored 41 points in under 11 minutes.
“They have so many weapons. They’re hard to keep under control for long periods of time,” McCaffery said. “They’ve got you stretched out, both with John’s offense and with the fact that they have multiple 3-point shooters.”
There was more to come — another alley-oop dunk by Robinson from Burke and a perimeter shot by Burke after a slick crossover dribble. Once the Wolverines started rolling, there wasn’t much Iowa could do.
“We came in here with a game plan designed to stop their transition game, and then we didn’t do it,” Iowa guard Anthony Clemmons said. “We just let them run, and there’s no way you are going to beat Michigan if you let them get out on the break. They’ve just got too much talent.”
Burke found Robinson inside for yet another dunk to make it 77-50, and Michigan led by as many as 35.
Michigan turned the ball over only six times. Burke shot 7 of 10 from the field with just one turnover.
“That’s something that I admire because I know the more possessions we get, the better,” Burke said. “Me being a point guard out there for this team, I know it’s real important to make sure Nik gets the ball when he’s open, make sure Tim gets the ball when he’s driving. I try to value the ball as much as possible.”
NO. 6 KANSAS 69, TEMPLE 62
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kevin Young had 16 points, hitting four critical free throws down the stretch, and the sixth-ranked Jayhawks earned their 11th straight win.
Travis Releford added 14 points on 5 for 5 shooting, none of his baskets bigger than a 3-pointer from the wing with 34.9 seconds left. With the shot-clock winding down, Releford’s shot gave Kansas a 65-58 lead, essentially turning away its Atlantic 10 foe.
Ben McLemore added 13 points and Jeff Withey had eight points, 11 rebounds and nine blocked shots for the Jayhawks (12-1), who enter Big 12 play having won 30 consecutive games at Allen Fieldhouse and 63 in a row against non-conference opponents.
Khalif Wyatt finished with 26 points for the Owls (10-3), who nearly had their second win over a top-10 team this season. Wyatt scored 33 in an upset of then-No. 3 Syracuse on Dec. 22.
NO. 7 SYRACUSE 55, SOUTH FLORIDA 44
TAMPA, Fla. — Brandon Triche had 20 points and James Southerland scored 12 of his 17 in the second half to help the Orange overcome a slow start and win their Big East road opener.
C.J. Fair had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Orange (14-1, 2-0), who won for the fourth straight time following a four-point loss to Temple.
South Florida (9-4, 0-1) trimmed what had been an 11-point deficit to 47-42 with six minutes remaining, however the Bulls were held to one basket the rest of the way.
Southerland’s long 3-pointer put Syracuse up 50-42 and Triche followed with a driving layup and a pair of free throws to push the lead back to double-digits.
Victor Rudd led USF with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Jawanza Poland finished with 12 points for the Bulls.
NO. 9 MINNESOTA 69, NORTHWESTERN 51
MINNEAPOLIS — Austin Hollins hit five 3-pointers during an impressive three-minute stretch in the second half, finishing with 19 points and sparking the Gophers over the Wildcats.
Hollins missed his career scoring high by one, collecting 17 points during a 26-7 run that gave the Gophers a 45-25 lead. Minnesota (14-1, 2-0 Big Ten) has won 10 in a row for its longest winning streak since it opened the 2008-09 season with 12 straight victories.
Dave Sobolewski had 10 points, five assists and four steals for the Wildcats (9-6, 0-2), who were outrebounded 47-20.
NO. 13 FLORIDA 79, YALE 58
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Kenny Boynton matched his career high with 28 points on 8-for-10 shooting from 3-point range and the Gators used a 26-3 run spanning the halves to beat the Bulldogs.
Will Yeguette had 14 points and Mike Rosario added 13 for the Gators (10-2), whose losses were to No. 3 Arizona and No. 25 Kansas State. The Gators shot 60 percent from the field for the game (30 for 50), including 9 of 17 from 3-point range.
Justin Sears had 15 points and Javier Duren added 14 for the Bulldogs (5-11), who have lost four of five.
No. 2 Baylor women cruise
WACO, Texas — Brooklyn Pope scored 18 points and Brittney Griner added 14 points and 10 rebounds to help second-ranked Baylor beat No.13 Oklahoma State, 83-49.
Odyssey Sims had 13 points and Destiny Williams 11 points for the Lady Bears (12-1, 2-0 Big 12), who extended the longest active home-winning streak in the country to 47 games.
Liz Donohoe scored 13 points and Toni Young had 12 points and 11 rebounds for Oklahoma State (11-2, 0-2), which has dropped two straight games after winning their first 11.
Baylor could move back into the No. 1 spot in the poll on Monday after No. 5 Notre Dame beat top-ranked UConn 73-72 on Saturday.
The Lady Bears opened the second half with a 20-3 run to take a 62-29 lead with just over 12 minutes left.
No. 3 DUKE 90, BOSTON COLLEGE 53
BOSTON — Chelsea Gray had her second career triple-double, most of it in the first half as Duke opened a 35-point lead and coasted to a victory over Boston College.
Gray had 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the Blue Devils (13-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who remain the only unbeaten team in Division I. Top-ranked Connecticut lost to No. 5 Notre Dame on Saturday; No. 2 Baylor entered Sunday’s game against Oklahoma State with an 11-1 record.
Tricia Liston had 17 points for Duke and Richa Jackson scored 16.
Liston had 12 points during a 20-0 run that put the game away.
Kristen Doherty scored 17 points and added six rebounds for BC (6-7, 0-2).
No. 4 STANFORD 70, UTAH 56
SALT LAKE CITY — Chiney Ogwumike scored 20 points, Sara James added a career-high 18 and Stanford defeated Utah.
The Cardinal (13-1, 2-0 Pac-12) extended their conference winning streak to 80 games and improved to 15-0 against the Utes.
Ogwumike entered the game having posted 10 straight double-doubles, but she managed just six rebounds against the Utes.
Iwalani Rodrigues led Utah (9-4, 0-2) with 21 points. Freshman Paige Crozon added 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
The Utes were within 37-35 with 14:32 left following a layup by Taryn Wicijowski on a nice feed by Danielle Rodriguez. But Ogwumike sparked a 10-2 Stanford run with a contested jumper. Joslyn Tinkle capped the run with a steal and layup and 47-37 Cardinal lead.
No. 6 KENTUCKY 87, ALABAMA 70
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — DeNesha Stallworth had 19 points and 10 rebounds to help Kentucky beat Alabama.
Samarie Walker added 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Wildcats (14-1, 2-0 SEC).
The Wildcats led early on and the Crimson Tide (10-5, 0-2) were no match. Kentucky used a 16-4 run midway through the first half to go up 25-13. Alabama closed to four, but the Wildcats scored the final three points of the half to lead 35-28 at the break.
Alabama cut its deficit to 47-43 early in the second half, but Kentucky put the game away with an 11-3 run.
Meghan Perkins scored 18 points and Shafontaye Myers added 17 for Alabama.
No. 7 CALIFORNIA 53, No. 20 COLORADO 49
BOULDER, Colo. — Brittany Boyd scored 15 points and California got some timely rebounding to withstand a late surge by Colorado.
Afure Jemerigbe and Reshanda Gray added 10 points apiece for Cal (12-1, 2-0 Pac-12 Conference), which won its sixth straight.
Chucky Jeffery score 10 of her 13 points in the second half, leading a rally by Colorado (11-2, 0-2 Pac-12). But she also committed a key turnover in the final moments that denied the Buffaloes a chance to get off a final shot. It was the second consecutive loss in the league for Colorado after an 11-0 start in non-conference play.
Arielle Roberson added 11 points for Colorado, which also lost to No. 4 Stanford in the Pac-12 opener Friday.
No. 8 MARYLAND 71, No. 19 FLORIDA STATE 64
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Alyssa Thomas had 20 points and 15 rebounds to help Maryland beat Florida State, ending the Seminoles’ five-game winning streak.
Tianna Hawkins added 17 points while Tierney Pfirman had 12 points for the Terrapins (11-3, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). Maryland, which dropped a 60-57 decision at No. 15 North Carolina on Thursday, has not lost two straight this season.
Chelsea Davis scored 18 points for the Seminoles, Alexia Delusio added 15 and Natasha Howard 11 for Florida State (12-2, 2-1). The Seminoles hadn’t lost since a 78-77 defeat at Nebraska on Dec. 8. Florida State never led and trailed by 16 at the half.
No. 9 PENN STATE 76, MICHIGAN STATE 55
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Nikki Greene scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Penn State to a win over Michigan State.
The backcourt of Dara Taylor, Alex Bentley and Maggie Lucas also produced 43 points for the No. 9 Nittany Lions (12-2, 2-0 Big Ten) against the nation’s second-ranked scoring defense.
Greene was 6-for-9 from the field, while Taylor was 7-for-10 in scoring 18 points.
Becca Mills had 17 points, including three 3-pointers, for the Spartans (13-2, 1-1), who hadn’t allowed more than 60 all season.
No. 12 TENNESSEE 79, No. 10 GEORGIA 66
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Bashaara Graves scored a career-high 23 points and Tennessee rallied in the second half to beat Georgia, giving the Lady Vols their fifth consecutive victory in this series.
After trailing 42-40 at halftime, Tennessee (11-3, 2-0 SEC) scored the first nine points of the second half and stayed in front the rest of the way.
Meighan Simmons added 16 points for Tennessee, while Jasmine Jones scored a career-high 12 points to go along with seven rebounds. Taber Spani had 11 points and seven rebounds.
Jasmine James scored 18 points and Khaalidah Miller had 14 for Georgia (13-2, 1-1 SEC).
No. 15 NORTH CAROLINA 48, VIRGINIA TECH 45
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Xylina McDaniel and Tierra Ruffin-Pratt scored 14 points each as North Carolina beat Virginia Tech to remain undefeated in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
The 48 points marked a season low for the Tar Heels (15-1, 3-0), while their 22 first-half points were one more than their season low for points in a half (21 vs. North Carolina Central on Dec. 12).
The teams were tied 22-all at halftime. North Carolina took its final lead, 28-26, on McDaniel’s jumper with 17:06 left. The basket sparked an 8-2 run, and the Hokies never pulled closer than two points after that.
Uju Ugoka led Virginia Tech (7-7, 1-2) with 15 points.
No. 16 UCLA 68, OREGON STATE 64
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Alyssia Brewer scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead UCLA over Oregon State.
Brewer was 7 of 13 from the field for the Bruins (11-2, 2-0 Pac-12).
Atonye Nyingifa scored 14 points and Markel Walker had 13.
Oregon State led 34-29 at halftime. Oregon State shot 40.6 percent from the field for the game, while UCLA shot 37 percent. But the Beavers had 24 turnovers.
Ali Gibson led Oregon State with 15 points, and Jamie Weisner had 13 points. Alyssa Martin had 11. Deven Hunter had nine points and a team-high nine rebounds for the Beavers (6-8, 0-2).
UCLA has won the last eight meetings against Oregon State.
No. 18 SOUTH CAROLINA 60, MISSISSIPPI STATE 46
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Aleighsa Welch led South Carolina with 16 points and seven rebounds as the Gamecocks rolled over Mississippi State.
Welch was 5-of-9 shooting and made 6 of 8 from the foul line. Sancheon White added 11 points as nine different players scored for South Carolina (13-2, 1-1), which dropped its SEC opener to No. 12 Tennessee Jan. 3.
The Gamecocks shot 35.9 percent (14 of 39) from the floor and missed each of their two 3-point attempts, but won the rebound battle 40-30 and drained 32 of 50 free-throw attempts.
South Carolina has now held 11 opponents to fewer than 50 points this year. The Gamecocks entered with a 34.2-percent defensive field goal rate, and held the Bulldogs to 32 percent (16 of 50).
Kendra Grant led Mississippi State (8-7, 0-2) with 15 points. Jerica James added 14.
No. 24 TEXAS A&M 63, No. 23 ARKANSAS 51
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Courtney Williams scored 16 points to lead four Texas A&M players in double figures, and the Aggies defeated Arkansas.
Adrienne Pratcher had 13 points for Texas A&M (12-4, 2-0 Southeastern Conference). Kelsey Bone had 11 points and 14 rebounds and Courtney Walker also scored 11 points for the Aggies, who never trailed in the game.
Sarah Watkins had 19 points and eight rebounds to lead the Razorbacks. Watkins also had three blocks and three steals. Keira Peak scored 11 points.
Arkansas (12-3, 0-2) has lost its first two SEC games after winning nine straight in nonconference play.