Marcus Domask, No. 10 Illinois outlast Michigan State, send Spartans to Big Ten cellar
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Marcus Domask scored 15 points, including four free throws in the closing minutes that helped No. 10 Illinois hold off Michigan State 71-68 on Thursday night.
Coleman Hawkins and Ty Rodgers also scored 15 points apiece for the Illini (12-3, 3-1 Big Ten), who bounced back after a close loss at then-No. 1 Purdue last Friday.
Tyson Walker scored 17 points and A.J. Hoggard added 16 for the Spartans (9-7, 1-4), who fell into a last-place tie with Michigan in the conference standings.
Walker and Hoggard each missed tying 3-pointers in the final 15 seconds.
SANTA CLARA 77, NO. 23 GONZAGA 76
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Adama-Alpha Bal made a go-ahead layup with 4.6 seconds remaining and Santa Clara beat Gonzaga.
With former Santa Clara great and Basketball Hall of Famer Steve Nash in attendance, Bal finished with 17 points and six assists as the Broncos (12-6, 3-0 West Coast Conference) snapped a 26-game skid against the Bulldogs. Santa Clara hadn’t beaten Gonzaga since Jan. 20, 2011.
Brenton Knapper added 16 points for Santa Clara. Many Broncos fans stormed the court at the buzzer.
Anton Watson matched a career high with 32 points to lead Gonzaga (11-5, 2-1). He added nine rebounds and six steals. Ryan Nembhard scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half for the Bulldogs.
NO. 24 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 85, TULANE 84
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Alijah Martin hit two of three free throws after being fouled by Tulane’s Jaylen Forbes on a desperation 3-point attempt that was not close to going in with less than a second left, and Florida Atlantic escaped with the win.
Nick Boyd tied a career high with 21 points to lead FAU (12-4, 2-1 American Athletic Conference), which led 83-74 after Brandon Weatherspoon’s 3 with 3:03 left, but nearly collapsed.
Vladislav Goldin had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Owls.
Forbes scored 28 points and Kevin Cross added 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Green Wave (10-5, 1-2).
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball