State Basketball Roundup: Clippers pull away from Bucks in the fourth

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LOS ANGELES - The Milwaukee Bucks ended a four-game winning streak last night with a 117-101 loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles.

Blake Griffin earned his third career triple-double for the Clips with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in 33 minutes. The game was close until early in the fourth quarter, when LA went on a 15-3 run to go up by 17. Griffin highlighted the run with a windmill dunk that brought a sold-out crowd at the Staples Center to its feet. Jamal Crawford led LA with 25 points. The Clippers shot 54-percent on the night, in winning their 12th home game in their last 13. Monta Ellis scored 13 points in the first quarter, and he led the Bucks with 22 for the night. Brandon Jennings had 18 points and 12 assists – giving him 48 helpers in his last three outings. Bucks’ coach Jim Boylan said his team could not keep up with the Clippers’ constant inside attack at the end – and as a result, Milwaukee fell two-and-a-half games behind Boston for the Number-seven Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Bucks will stay out West to play Golden State on Saturday night.

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The University of Wisconsin will try to stay in the running for the Big Ten men’s basketball season title, when it plays at Michigan State tonight. Both teams are 11-5 in conference play, a half-game behind Ohio State and Michigan and a game-and-a-half behind first-place Indiana. Both Wisconsin and Michigan State have two regular season games left, and tonight’s loser will be eliminated from title contention. Center Jared Berggren expects a tough, physical game – and that’s how they practiced this week. The 22nd-ranked Badgers are 20-9 overall, after coming out flat last Sunday in a 13-point home loss to Purdue. Michigan State is ranked 10th with an overall mark of 22-7. The Spartans have lost three straight, and it’s been six years since they dropped four in a row. Tip-off is at 8 p.m.

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Marquette has moved into a three-way tie for first place in the Big East Conference men’s basketball race. The Golden Eagles were off last night, while league-leading Georgetown was upset by Villanova 67-57 in Philadelphia. All Marquette needs to do is beat Saint John’s in New York on Saturday to clinch a share of its first season championship since joining the Big East in 2005. The Eagles, Georgetown, and Louisville are all 13-4 – and all three will close out their regular seasons on Saturday. Georgetown hosts Syracuse. Louisville is at home against Notre Dame.

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