Jaden Akins had 19 points and eight rebounds and No. 8 Michigan State pulled away for a pivotal 71-62 Big Ten Conference victory over No. 11 Wisconsin on Sunday in East Lansing, Mich.
Jase Richardson supplied 11 points, six assists and five rebounds for the Spartans (24-5, 15-3 Big Ten), who clinched a double bye in the conference tournament. Michigan State, which is battling No. 15 Michigan for the Big Ten title, has two games remaining before the tournament, including a showdown against the visiting Wolverines next week.
Jaxon Kohler controlled the paint with 10 points and 16 rebounds, while Frankie Fidler added nine points and six rebounds for Michigan State, which extended its winning streak to five.
John Blackwell led the Badgers (22-7, 12-6) with 19 points and six rebounds, while John Tonje had 11 points and six rebounds. Steven Crowl added 10 points and Nolan Winter chipped in nine points and grabbed 17 rebounds.
Illinois 93, No. 15 Michigan 73
Tre White led four players in double figures with 19 points to lead the Fighting Illini over the Wolverines in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Kasparas Jakucionis and Kylan Boswell each scored 17 points, and Will Riley had 13 points for Illinois (19-11, 11-8 Big Ten). The Fighting Illini went 3 of 14 from 3-point range in the first half but caught fire from beyond the arc in the second half. They hit 8 of their first 17 shots from 3-point range to turn a one-point halftime edge into a 20-point advantage.
Vladislav Goldin had 22 points and seven rebounds for Michigan (22-7, 14-4), which fell a game behind Michigan State for first place in the Big Ten going into the final two games of the regular season.
No. 18 Memphis 88, UAB 81
PJ Haggerty scored a game-high 25 points while Dain Dainja put together a double-double as the Tigers took a big step toward an American Athletic Conference regular-season title, stopping the Blazers in Birmingham, Ala.
Dainja scored 16 points and grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds for the Tigers (24-5, 14-2 AAC) as they upped their league lead on North Texas to 1 1/2 games. Colby Rogers drilled five 3-pointers and added 21 points, while Tyrese Hunter chipped in 11.
Four players scored in double figures for the Blazers (19-10, 12-4), led by Ja’Borri McGhee’s 22 points. Christian Coleman added 14 and nine rebounds, while Bradley Ezewiro came off the bench to tally 12 points.
–Field Level Media
