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No. 1 Duke Bounces Back

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The Associated Press

Published: February 2, 2009

DURHAM, N.C. - Gerald Henderson scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half to lead No. 1 Duke past Virginia 79-54 on Sunday.
Nolan Smith added 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting for the first-place Blue Devils (19-2, 6-1 ACC).

They wrapped up what surely will be a one-week run as the nation's top-ranked team with a dominating effort that helped them bounce back from a final-seconds loss to Wake Forest.
Jon Scheyer finished with 11 points for Duke - which never trailed, shot 46 percent and forced 23 turnovers - 17 in the first half.

Freshman Sylven Landesberg recovered from a rough start and scored 12 of his 20 points in the second half for Virginia (7-10, 1-5).

PENN STATE 72,

NO. 9 MICHIGAN STATE 68

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Talor Battle scored a career-high 29 points and Jamelle Cornley had 16 to lead Penn State (17-5, 6-3 Big Ten) to a victory against No. 9 Michigan State (17-4, 7-2).

Battle was 11-for-19 from the field and 6-for-12 from 3-point range, and Penn State shot 56.3 percent from the field.

Battle was just 1-for-5 at the foul line, however, as the Nittany Lions nearly gave the game back.

NO. 19 ILLINOIS 62, IOWA 54

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Mike Tisdale scored 18 points and No. 19 Illinois (18-4, 6-3 Big Ten) rebounded from its worst offensive showing in more than two decades by hanging on to beat Iowa (12-10, 2-7).

Held to their lowest point total in 24 years in a 59-36 loss at Minnesota on Thursday, the Fighting Illini barely beat the Big Ten's 10th-place team.

A 3-pointer by Jeff Peterson with 18 seconds left pulled Iowa within 58-54, but Tisdale and Mike Davis each hit two free throws as the Illini sent the Hawkeyes to their sixth loss in seven games. Illinois is trying to build some momentum for the postseason, and it simply couldn't afford to stumble again after that miserable showing against Minnesota.

NO. 21 VILLANOVA 71,

CINCINNATI 50

VILLANOVA, Pa. - Dante Cunningham scored 21 points, Scottie Reynolds added 11 and No. 21 Villanova (17-4, 5-3 Big East) rallied from an early deficit for a victory against Cincinnati (14-8, 4-5).

Corey Fisher also had 11 for the Wildcats, who won their third straight thanks to 51 percent shooting.

Villanova also extended its winning streak to 25 at The Pavilion, its 6,500-seat on-campus arena. The last loss for the Wildcats at the arena was Jan. 6, 2007, when they fell to DePaul, 73-65. The streak began with a 102-87 win against Notre Dame on Jan. 17, 2007.

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