Penn State upsets No. 18 Illinios in lowest scoring D-I game since 2005

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — As the Assembly Hall emptied out, one hoarse fan shouted he wanted his money back.

Penn State coach Ed DeChellis seemed to understand, saying the game between his Nittany Lions and 18th-ranked Illinois might have set basketball back a few years to the days of founder James Naismith.

Come to think of it, “Naismith probably rolled over several times,” DeChellis said after Penn State’s 38-33 victory over No. 18 Illinois on Wednesday night.

Naismith might liked the score, which looked like something from a long-gone, pre-shot clock era.

But the game?

Probably not.

The teams’ combined 71 points was the lowest total in Division I men’s basketball since Monmouth beat Princeton 41-21 in 2005.

The Nittany Lions (19-8, 8-6 Big Ten) made just 28 percent of their shots, 13-46. During one 20-minute stretch, Penn State was just 3-for-26.

The Illini (21-6, 9-5) were no better, shooting 30 percent (15-for-50) and committing 15 turnovers.

“We couldn’t finish anything. It was just a long night, from beginning to end,” Illinois guard Trent Meacham said.

No. 3 North Carolina 89, North Carolina St. 80

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Tyler Hansbrough scored 27 points to help the Tar Heels beat North Carolina State.

Danny Green added 19 points for the Heels (24-2, 10-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who pulled away in the second half to win their 10th straight game.

No. 5 Memphis 90, SMU 47

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shawn Taggart scored 19 points and Doneal Mack added 15 points as the Tigers cruised to their 17th straight win.

Robert Dozier had 14 points for the Tigers (23-3, 11-0 Conference USA), who extended their winning streak in the conference to 53 games.

No. 7 Louisville 94, Providence 76

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Terrence Williams had 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds as the Cardinals overcame a shaky first half.

Edgar Sosa led the Cardinals (20-5, 11-2 Big East) with 18 points and Samardo Samuels added 17 as Louisville moved into a three-way tie for second place in the conference with No. 4 Pittsburgh and No. 10 Marquette behind No. 1 Connecticut.

No. 8 Wake Forest 87, Ga. Tech 69

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — James Johnson had 24 points and 11 rebounds and the Deamon Deacons avenged their worst loss of the season.

Less than three weeks after the Yellow Jackets stunned Wake Forest for their only Atlantic Coast Conference win of the season, Wake Forest saw a 23-point lead cut to five before pulling away behind Johnson’s dominance inside.

No. 15 Kansas 72, Iowa St. 55

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Cole Aldrich had 22 points and 11 rebounds, helping the Jayhawks extend the nation’s longest home-winning streak to 38 games.

Sherron Collins added 22 points and six assists for the Jayhawks (21-5, 10-1 Big 12), who overcame 18 mostly-sloppy turnovers to reach 10 conference wins for the 15th straight season.

Wis.-Milwaukee 63, No. 21 Butler 60

MILWAUKEE — Avery Smith had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Wisconsin-Milwaukee appeared to benefit from a clock malfunction in the closing seconds.

With 5.9 seconds left, Butler’s Gordon Hayward passed the ball to Willie Veasley behind the baseline and the clock appeared to start prematurely. Veasley passed the ball to Zach Hahn who never got a shot off before time expired. Officials looked at a replay, but said they couldn’t determine if the clock started early and ruled the game.

No. 23 LSU 72, Arkansas 69

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Marcus Thornton scored 28 points and made a key defensive play in the final minute to help No. 23 LSU rally past Arkansas.

Of note

Indiana’s Dumes to play

Indiana coach Tom Crean says junior Devan Dumes will play at home against Wisconsin today.

The Hoosiers’ leading scorer with a 13.8 average, Dumes was suspended Feb. 8 after throwing flagrant elbows in a game at then-No. 9 Michigan State.

Locals

Whatcom CC 57, EvCC 46

At Everett, Lake Stevens grad Ashley Housden scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, but the Everett CC women’s basketball team dropped the Northwest Athletic Association of Community College game on Wednesday. The Trojans fell to 8-16 overall and 7-7 in conference.

Whatcom CC 85, EvCC 77

At Everett, Kamiak alum Chris Grounds scored 24 points for the Everett CC men who fell to Whatcom CC in the NWAACC game. The loss moves the Trojans’ record to 7-16 overall and 5-9 in the conference.