No. 5 Duke tops Wake Forest
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Seth Curry wasn't going to miss every 3-pointer he tossed up. Mason Plumlee wasn't going to miss often at all.
Thanks to those two seniors, No. 5 Duke finally has its first road victory.
Plumlee scored a career-high 32 points, and Curry added 21, including a tiebreaking 3 in the final minutes that helped the Blue Devils hold off Wake Forest 75-70 on Wednesday night.
Despite hitting a season-low two 3-pointers, the Blue Devils (18-2, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) shot 52 percent - much of that because of their efficient senior big man - to improve to 1-2 in true road games.
"I don't know if he's the best player in the league, but there's no player who's more important to his team" than Plumlee, coach Mike Krzyzewski said. Freshman big man Devin Thomas had 15 points for the Demon Deacons (10-10, 3-5), who shot 48 percent but were denied their second upset of a nationally ranked state rival in eight nights.
At times, this game turned into a Thomas-vs.-Plumlee showdown, with the two big men trading baskets over - if not through - each other. Plumlee made more, finishing 12 of 15 from the field and 8 of 10 from the free-throw line.
Around the Nation
• WOLVERINES ROLL - At Ann Arbor, Mich., Trey Burke had 18 points and eight assists, and Michigan (20-1, 7-1 Big Ten) - playing its first game at No. 1 in 20 years - notched a 68-46 victory over Northwestern (12-10, 3-6).
• DUCKS SINK - At Stanford, Calif., Chasson Randle scored 17 points, Josh Huestis had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Stanford (13-8, 4-4 Pac-12) stunned Oregon (18-3, 7-2) by routing the 10th-ranked Ducks, 76-52.
• MIZZOU FALLS - At Baton Rouge, La., Anthony Hickey scored 20 points, and Andre Stringer added 18 to lead Louisiana State (11-7, 2-5 Southeastern Conference) to a 73-70 win over No. 17 Missouri (15-5, 4-3).
• K-STATE CRUISES - At Manhattan, Kan., Thomas Gipson had 17 points off the bench, and No. 18 Kansas State (16-4, 5-2 Big 12) ended a two-game skid with an 83-57 rout of Texas (9-11, 1-6).
• SHABAZZ, UCLA FALL TO USC - At Los Angeles, Southern California beat UCLA 75-71 in overtime as the Trojans (9-13, 4-5 Pac-12) ended a four-game skid against their crosstown rival. Bishop Gorman product Shabazz Muhammad had 22 points for the Bruins (16-6, 6-3).
MOUNTAIN WEST
• LOBOS TOP COWBOYS - At Laramie, Wyo., Cameron Bairstow scored 17 points to lead No. 20 New Mexico (18-3, 5-1) to a 63-59 victory over Wyoming, handing the Cowboys (15-5, 2-5) their third straight loss.
• RAMS COAST - At Fort Collins, Colo., Pierce Hornung had 23 points and 13 rebounds as Colorado State extended its home winning streak to 25 with a 77-57 rout of Boise State (14-6, 2-4). Dorian Green added 12 points for the Rams (17-4, 4-2), who have the nation's fourth-longest home winning streak.
• FALCONS FLY - At Air Force Academy, Colo., Todd Fletcher scored 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting to lead Air Force (13-6, 4-2) in a 62-50 victory over Fresno State (7-13, 1-6).
