LAHAINA, Hawaii – Kalin Lucas scored 29 points and keyed a second-half rally, helping second-ranked Michigan State salvage a 76-71 win over No. 13 Washington in the third-place game of the Maui Invitational on Wednesday. The Spartans lost to unranked UConn on Tuesday.

“It was good to come out and get a win like that, especially after the loss we took (Tuesday) night,” said Michigan State forward Draymond Green, who had 12 points and six rebounds.

Michigan State (4-1) trailed by 10 after a turnover-filled first half, but charged back behind Lucas. The senior guard scored seven points during an opening 18-5 run that put the Spartans up 52-49 and hit two game-sealing free throws in the closing seconds after injuring his knee a few minutes earlier.

Lucas lingered on the floor after Washington’s Justin Holiday fell on his left knee late in the game, but returned to the game quickly and finished with a flourish, shooting 9 of 13 from the field with four 3-pointers.

(15) MINNESOTA 84, NORTH DAKOTA STATE 65: Blake Hoffarber scored 24 points, including four 3-pointers, and Minnesota cruised at home. Trevor Mbakwe had 12 points and seven rebounds and Ralph Sampson III finished with nine points and three blocks as Minnesota (6-0) tipped the Bison (3-2).

(24) TENNESSEE 77, VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH 72: Scotty Hopson had 18 points when nobody else seemed able to score, and Tennessee rallied behind embattled coach Bruce Pearl to beat Virginia Commonwealth (3-1) in the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off.

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Tobias Harris added 15 points and Cameron Tatum had 11 for Tennessee (4-0), which was playing its first game since Pearl was punished by SEC Commissioner Mike Slive last week for violating NCAA rules and misleading investigators.

WOMEN

(6) DUKE 93, PITTSBURGH 55: Jasmine Thomas had 16 points and Duke got 44 points from its bench in Pittsburgh.

Shay Selby had a career-high 15 points for Duke (5-0) as Pittsburgh dropped to 2-2.

(16) TEXAS 82, IDAHO STATE 68: Ashleigh Fontenette and Chassidy Fussell each scored 20 points to lead host Texas to a win. Two other players scored in double figures for the Longhorns (4-0) against the Bengals (3-3).

NOTES

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PURDUE HEALTH SCARE: Hours after the Purdue women’s basketball team canceled a trip to Mexico because of a sick teammate, a team doctor said junior forward Drey Mingo is progressing in her recovery.

Mingo was hospitalized Tuesday night with bacterial meningitis, an inflammation of the coverings around the brain and spine that can be fatal. The Boilermakers’ second-leading scorer is listed in stable but critical condition at an undisclosed hospital in West Lafayette, Ind., and has a long way to go to recover.

Coach Sharon Versyp — the former University of Maine coach — described the junior from Atlanta as being “kind of sedated,” though Versyp said she can recognize people and will speak.

 


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