Times wires
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
COLUMBUS, Ohio — For a half, David Lighty was almost invisible. Then it was as if he were invincible, refusing to let No. 2 Ohio State falter again.
Lighty scored 17 of his 21 in the second half to lead the Buckeyes (26-2, 13-2 Big Ten) to a win after two recent losses, beating Illinois 89-70 on Tuesday night.
During one three-minute span, Lighty scored all 13 of Ohio State's points (to just two for the Illini) and had three steals.
"They should put a statue in front of the Schottenstein Center of David Lighty, just what he's meant to this program, not only on the court," coach Thad Matta said, referring to Ohio State's home arena. "His performance there in the second half was high level. I looked out there, (and) it was like he was everywhere."
The Illini scored 11 of the first 13 of the second half to pull within 49-43. Then Lighty scored Ohio State's next 13 to build the lead back to 62-45.
"I've been through the ups and downs of college basketball," said Lighty, a fifth-year senior who was 2-of-9 from the field in Sunday's loss at then-No. 11 Purdue. "People go through slumps. I just needed to work my way out of it. To keep shooting. My teammates have confidence in me, and they get mad at me when I don't shoot the ball when I'm open. They trust in me, and I trust in them."
No. 5 Texas 76, Iowa St. 53: Jordan Hamilton scored 20 for the host Longhorns (24-4, 12-1 Big 12).
No. 16 Louisville 55, Rutgers 37: Preston Knowles hit three 3-pointers in a game-opening 17-2 run and finished with 14 points for the visiting Cardinals (21-7, 10-5 Big East).
Tenn. 60, No. 18 Vandy 51: Scotty Hopson scored 19 as the Vols rallied from 11 down against the host Commodores (20-7, 8-5 SEC).
No. 25 Xavier 100, La Salle 62: Jeff Robinson, making his first start in 19 games, scored a career-high 22 to lead the host Musketeers (21-6, 12-1 Atlantic 10).
Women
No. 1 UConn 80, Seton Hall 59: Maya Moore scored 20 and Bria Hartley added 17 for the host Huskies (27-1, 14-0 Big East), who haven't lost to an unranked opponent in 153 straight games.
No. 5 Texas A&M 84, Texas Tech 60: Danielle Adams scored 20 of her 30 in the first half for the host Aggies (23-3, 11-2 Big 12).
No. 8 Notre Dame 72, No. 19 W.Va. 60: Natalie Novosel scored 22 to lead the Irish (23-5, 12-2 Big East), who beat the host Mountaineers (21-7, 7-7) for the 18th time in 20 all-time meetings.
No. 24 Marquette 62, Providence 50: Paige Fiedorowicz had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the visiting Golden Eagles (21-6, 9-5 Big East).
Football
Oklahoma troubles: The Sooners must give players a week off from training in the offseason after reporting secondary violations to the NCAA. Meanwhile, defensive tackle Stacy McGee was arrested on a marijuana possession citation and released over the weekend.