Wake Forest Still Atop ACC, 75-67

Josh Howard scored 24 points and Justin Gray tied his season high with 20 Thursday night at Atlanta as No. 10 Wake Forest defeated Georgia Tech, 75-67, ending the Yellowjackets’ home winning streak at 13.

“The last time we beat Tech here, I was a freshman,” Howard said. “I’m a senior and I wanted to do it again.”

Howard, the leading scorer in the Atlantic Coast Conference at 19 points a game, made his first seven shots. His effort helped Wake Forest (18-4, 8-3) stay a half-game ahead of Duke and Maryland for the top spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“We needed this game,” he said. “A lot of people thought we’d finish seventh in the conference.”

Georgia Tech (12-11, 5-7 ACC) got within six points in the final minute.

No. 11 Marquette 75, Charlotte 67 -- Dwyane Wade scored 21 points, including 10 in a row, as the Golden Eagles (19-4, 10-2 Conference USA) rebounded from their loss last Saturday to Louisville.

Marquette used a 12-5 run to open the second half, with Wade scoring seven of those points, then extended the lead to 55-39 with 13 minutes to play.

Charlotte (10-13, 5-6) was led by Demon Brown, who had 22 points.

OTHER GAMES

Shane Schilling scored 20 points Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (12-11, 8-6 Big West Conference) ended a losing streak at 10 to UC Santa Barbara with a 66-63 win at San Luis Obispo. The Gauchos (13-11, 10-4) had an opportunity to force overtime, but Mark Hull’s three-point shot before the buzzer was long.... Brandon Miller scored 22 points -- six of seven from the field and six of six from the free throw line -- at Indianapolis as Butler (20-4, 10-2 Horizon League) defeated Wright State, 79-64 (9-15, 3-11).

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The father of a Texas Tech player suspended by Coach Bob Knight has apologized, saying he overreacted when he said his son and another player were “set up.” Nick Valdez and Andre Emmett were suspended for Monday night’s game against No. 3 Texas, which Tech lost, 77-65, after missing breakfast and a walk-through meeting that morning. After the suspensions, Valdez’s father, Joe Valdez, said that the players didn’t receive a customary wake-up call and believe they were “set up” as punishment for their part in the team’s losses.... Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun returned to lead the Huskies’ practice, two weeks after undergoing prostate cancer surgery. He may be on the bench for Saturday’s game against St. John’s.