R.J. Barrett scored 20 points to lead five Blue Devils in double figures as No. 1 Duke opened play in the Maui Invitational by drubbing San Diego State 90-64 on Monday in Lahaina, Hawaii.
Nov 19, 2018; Lahaina, HI, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard RJ Barrett takes a shot against the San Diego State Aztecs during the second half during round 1 of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Duke’s top four scorers were freshmen, with Cam Reddish scoring 16 points, Tre Jones adding 14 points and Zion Williamson chipping in with 13 points. Each of them made at least one 3-point basket.
Reddish, who sat out the second half of a game last week because of general soreness, was clicking pretty much from the get-go. Jack White added 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds for the Blue Devils, who have won all four games this season by double-digit margins.
Duke (4-0) faces No. 8 Auburn in Tuesday’s semifinal round. San Diego State (2-1) takes on the Musketeers in the consolation bracket.
No. 3 Gonzaga 84, Illinois 78
The Bulldogs survived a ragged performance and a 27-point second half by the Illini’s Trent Frazier to eke out a win in the final first-round game of the Maui Invitational at Lahaina, Hawaii.
Five players scored in double figures for the Bulldogs (4-0), led by Rui Hachimura with 23 points. Zach Norvell Jr. added 15, while Jeremy Jones chipped in 14 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. Gonzaga will oppose Arizona in a semifinal game Tuesday while Illinois will oppose Iowa State in the consolation bracket.
Frazier led all scorers with 29 points, connecting on six 3-pointers in the second half, including a four-point play with 1:01 left to pull the Fighting Illini (1-2) within 80-78. However, Frazier airballed an open 3-point attempt with17 seconds remaining, and Gonzaga put the game away.
No. 6 Nevada 90, Cal Baptist 55
Jordan Brown scored 16 points to lead a balanced attack as the Wolf Pack cruised to a nonconference victory over the Lancers in Reno, Nev.
Caleb Martin finished with 14 points and five steals and Trey Porter added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Wolf Pack (4-0).
Milan Acquaah and Jordan Heading scored 12 points apiece for Cal Baptist (2-2).
No. 7 North Carolina 101, St. Francis (Pa.) 76
Cameron Johnson scored 20 points and reserve Nassir Little notched 19 as the Tar Heels put away the stubborn Red Flash in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Coby White’s 16 points and Brandon Robinson’s 11 points added to another big offensive outing for the Tar Heels, who have won three home games in a row.
Little had three-point plays on consecutive possessions as part of a personal stretch of eight straight North Carolina points as the Tar Heels pulled away.
No. 8 Auburn 88, Xavier 79 (OT)
Bryce Brown and Jared Harper scored five points each in overtime as the Tigers fought off an upset bid from the Musketeers to prevail in the opening game of the Maui Invitational.
The Tigers (4-0) will next face No. 1 Duke, and the Musketeers (2-2) will face San Diego State. Both games will be played Tuesday.
Brown scored a game-high 26 points, Harper had 25 and the Tigers outscored the Musketeers 11-2 in overtime. Chuma Okeke added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Austin Wiley came off the bench to score 11.
No. 12 Kansas State 82, Missouri 67
The Wildcats used a 15-0 run wrapped around halftime to defeat the Tigers in the championship game of the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. It was the first regular-season tournament title for the Wildcats since 2011.
The Wildcats (5-0), who had made 13 3-pointers in four previous games, made 12 against the Tigers. The Wildcats shot 54.5 percent from the field, including 50 percent from 3-point range.
Kansas State had four players in double figures, led by Dean Wade with 21 points. Barry Brown Jr. had 19 points, Xavier Sneed had 13 and Kamau Stokes had 10. Jordan Geist led Missouri (3-2) with 24 points.
No. 14 Florida State 93, Canisius 61
The Seminoles improved to 3-0 with a win against the Golden Griffins in the opening game of the AdvoCare Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla.
Mfiondu Kabengele led the Seminoles with a career-high 18 points and six rebounds. Terance Mann and M.J. Walker added 12 points each for Florida State.
Canisius (1-2), down 15 points at halftime, stormed out of the locker room and opened the second half on a 14-5 run to cut the Seminoles’ lead to 47-41 with just over 13 minutes left to play. However, Florida State responded with a run of its own, outscoring the Golden Griffins 14-3 over the next three minutes to pull comfortably back ahead 61-44 with 10 minutes left in the game.
Arizona State 72, No. 15 Mississippi State 67
Kimani Lawrence scored a career-high 22 points, including a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 37 seconds remaining, as the Sun Devils knocked off the Bulldogs in the semifinals of the MGM Resorts Main Event in Las Vegas.
The Sun Devils will play Utah State in the tournament final Wednesday. Mississippi State will oppose Saint Mary’s in a consolation game.
Luguentz Dort had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Sun Devils (4-0), who lost all of an 18-point, first-half lead before recovering in the final minute. Aric Holman compiled 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs (3-1), who had risen two spots in the latest AP Top 25 released Monday.
No. 16 Clemson 72, Akron 69
The Tigers shook off the Zips in the final minutes and opened the 2018 Cayman Islands Classic with a victory in a mid-morning tipoff at George Town.
Clemson (4-0) had four players score in double figures, led by Shelton Mitchell with 22 points. The Tigers will meet Georgia on Tuesday, and the Zips will oppose Illinois State.
Loren Cristian Jackson hit a 3-pointer to pull Akron within 63-59 with 2:58 left in the game before the Zips (3-1) hit the snooze button on the offensive end. Clemson kept Akron scoreless for the next 2:31.
No. 17 UCLA 80, Presbyterian 65
Jaylen Hill collected 20 rebounds and Jaylen Hands scored 19 points as the host Bruins fought off the Blue Hose.
Hill is the first UCLA player to record 20 or more rebounds in a game since Kevin Love grabbed 21 against Oregon State on Jan. 26, 2008. Hill’s efforts helped the Bruins (4-0) hold a 54-32 edge on the boards.
Adam Flagler made seven 3-pointers on his way to 29 points for Presbyterian (3-3). Francois Lewis added 10 points for the Blue Hose, who trimmed a 24-point, second-half deficit to three before missing their next nine field-goal attempts.
—Field Level Media