Villanova struggled down the stretch and allowed Pitt to score the final 15 points in a 58-43 loss to the Panthers on Wednesday night (see story).
Also, La Salle captured a 72-70 victory over Dayton and now heads into a stretch against some of the A-10's toughest competition (see story).
Here's a quick recap of some other local college basketball games:
Temple 55, George Washington 53
BOX SCORE
WASHINGTON -- Khalif Wyatt hit a go-ahead free throw with 2:03 remaining and Temple closed on an 8-0 run that spanned the final 6:42 in a 55-53 win over George Washington Wednesday night.
Wyatt hit two free throws with 2:03 left for a 54-53 lead. The senior scored 18 points as the Owls (12-4, 2-1 Atlantic 10 Conference) beat the Colonials for the sixth straight time.
George Washington (7-9, 1-2) missed 11 field-goal attempts and three free throws after Isaiah Armwood's layup put the Colonials ahead 53-45 with 7:53 left.
Temple's Jake O'Brien, who scored 10 points, started the 8-0 run with a jumper and a 3-pointer.
Armwood led George Washington with 13 points and nine rebounds. The loss snapped a four-game home winning streak for the Colonials.
The loss marked George Washington's second consecutive second-half collapse against Temple. It blew a 49-34 second-half lead in a 79-72 loss Feb. 8, 2012.
-- The Associated Press
Michigan State 81, Penn State 72
BOX SCORE
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Adreian Payne scored 20 points after spending the first half on the bench following a morning scuffle with teammate Brandon Dawson, and No. 18 Michigan State held on for a 81-72 victory against Penn State on Wednesday night.
Payne, a sturdy 6-foot-10 forward, made up for lost time by dominating the post in the second half. He had 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting in a stretch of six-plus minutes after entering the game with about 16:30 left.
Payne added a 3-pointer -- only his second made 3 of the year -- in the middle of a 20-8 run to help the Spartans (15-3, 4-1 Big Ten) pull ahead midway through the second half.
Penn State (8-9, 0-5) stayed closed much of the night in large part because of Jermaine Marshall, who scored 22 of his career-high 29 points after halftime.
-- The Associated Press
Towson 69, Delaware 66
BOX SCORE
NEWARK, Del. -- Jerrelle Benimon had 19 points and 13 rebounds to help Towson defeat Delaware 69-66 on Wednesday night.
The Tigers (9-9, 4-1 Colonial Athletic Association) ended a five-game winning streak by the Blue Hens (8-9, 3-1), who also had won 10 consecutive regular-season conference games and had beaten Towson five straight times.
Delaware lost a 33-26 lead early in the second half but came back to lead 61-55 with 3:40 left. Marcus Damas' layup put Towson ahead to stay, 63-62, with 1:37 remaining, and his two free throws with 4 seconds to play provided the final margin.
Benimon's double-double was his 12th this season. Rafael Guthrie added 15 points and Damas 13 for Towson.
Jamelle Hagins and Devon Saddler had 16 points each for Delaware. Hagins' eight rebounds made him the Blue Hens' career leader with 924, breaking a tie with Spencer Dunkley (1989-93). Hagins also now has 1,011 career points.
-- The Associated Press
2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.


























