EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Cody Zeller had 21 points and 13 rebounds to help No. 2 Indiana beat Northwestern 67-59 Sunday.
Jordan Hulls added 15 points. Christian Watford scored 14, and the Hoosiers (16-2, 4-1 Big Ten) hung on after things got tense down the stretch.
They led by 17 in the first half and were up 31-17 at intermission, but Northwestern (11-8, 2-4) rattled them with its trap in the second. The Wildcats got within five three times, but the Hoosiers prevailed after seeing a six-game win streak end with a loss to Wisconsin last week.
Zeller, the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, hit 9 of 10 free throws and dominated inside as Indiana pounded the Wildcats 36-24 on the glass.
Reggie Hearn scored 22 for Northwestern, which refused to go away quietly in this one after beating No. 23 Illinois on Thursday.
NO. 14 NC STATE 66, CLEMSON 62
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Freshman T.J. Warren scored 21 points while Richard Howell scored the go-ahead basket with 1:56 left to lead North Carolina State.
Howell finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Wolfpack (15-3, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who never trailed yet still found itself in a tight game against a league opponent that wouldn’t go away. N.C. State scored the game’s first 10 points and led by nine early in the second half.
Ultimately, the Wolfpack held on, with Howell’s three-point play breaking a tie and Scott Wood’s 5-for-6 performance at the line in the final 28 seconds helping N.C. State keep its grip on the lead.
Devin Booker scored a career-high 27 points for the Tigers (10-7, 2-3), though he didn’t score in the final 8½ minutes or even get a shot in the final 6½ minutes.
