No. 1 Duke beats Georgetown in 2K Empire Classic title game
NEW YORK (AP) — Mike Krzyzewski set the record for wins coaching a No. 1 team as top-ranked Duke got 20 points and 10 rebounds from Vernon Carey Jr. to beat Georgetown 81-73 on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Blue Devils (6-0) beat Cal and the Hoyas on consecutive nights to win the 2K Empire Classic and give Krzyzewski another slice of history. Krzyzewski is 218-34 when the Blue Devils hold the top spot, a mark they hit this week in The Associated Press poll. Hall of Famer John Wooden went 217-11 while UCLA was ranked No. 1,
Carey, a five-star recruit who inherited Zion Williamson's No. 1 jersey, has become the focal point of Duke's offense, and he had a breakthrough two games in New York. Carey dunked, screamed, chest-bumped and controlled the game for the Blue Devils to help keep them undefeated.
Cassius Stanley, who led the Blue Devils with 21 points, made a pair of 3s to stretch the game open and shake off Georgetown (4-2), which was looking to knock off two straight Top 25 teams.
The Hoyas, picked to finish sixth in the Big East preseason poll, knocked off No. 22 Texas a night earlier and went basket-for-basket with Duke in the first half. Omer Yurtseven led the Hoyas with 21 points in a mixed homecoming for Knicks great and Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing.
No. 15 UTAH STATE 80, LSU 78
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (AP) — Sam Merrill made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 57 seconds left and Utah State overcame a 19-point deficit in the second half to beat LSU in the Jamaica Classic.
Down 54-35 with 16:32 remaining, Utah State (6-0) chipped away by making its first five 3-pointers of the second half. Alphonso Anderson’s 3 cut it to 71-67.
Anderson missed a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left, and LSU grabbed the defensive rebound, but Skylar Mays had it poked away and the Aggies passed it around to run out the clock.
Merrill and Anderson each scored 24 points. Merrill, the Mountain West player of the year last season, was 5 of 9 from 3-point range, made 9 of 10 free throws and had eight assists. Justin Bean had 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Diogo Brito scored 12 points.
Mays scored a career-high 30 points for LSU (3-2).
No. 6 MARYLAND 86, GEORGE MASON 63
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Anthony Cowan Jr. scored 16 points, Jalen Smith had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Maryland overwhelmed previously unbeaten George Mason.
The Terrapins (5-0) closed the first half with a 19-2 run to go up by 12 and coasted to the finish against the Patriots, who went 8 for 30 (27 percent) from the floor after halftime.
AJ Wilson scored 19 points for the Patriots (5-1).
No. 9 KENTUCKY 82, MOUNT ST. MARY’S 62
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Immanuel Quickley had eight of his 13 second-half points during an 18-3 run that helped Kentucky pull away.
Ashton Hagans had 16 points, including a three-point play during the surge the Wildcats (4-1) needed after struggling with lesser opponents the previous past two games, including last week’s stunning upset loss to Evansville. They led 39-34 at the half.
Nick Richards had 11 of his 19 points in the first half, and Tyrese Maxey added for Kentucky, which shot 55% from the field. Quickley scored all 13 of his points in the second half.
Damian Chong Qui had 11 points for the Mountaineers (1-5).
No. 10 OHIO STATE 85, PURDUE FORT WAYNE 46
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kaleb Wesson had 15 points and seven rebounds for Ohio State.
Freshman D.J. Carton scored nine of his 13 points in the second half for the Buckeyes (5-0). CJ Walker chipped in 11 points.
The Buckeyes raced to a 16-0 run, including 3s by Walker and Duane Washington Jr., and four points from freshman E.J. Liddell.
Marcus DeBerry led Purdue Fort Wayne (2-5) with 16 points.
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Anthony Mathis kept up his accurate shooting with 18 points in Oregon’s victory over Houston.
Mathis, a graduate transfer from New Mexico who entered making 68.2% of his 3-pointers, nailed 5 of 9 attempts from long range as the Ducks shot 10 for 20 on 3s and 54% overall.
Payton Pritchard added 16 points and five assists for Oregon (5-0).
Caleb Milles led the Cougars (2-2) with 21 points.
No. 17 VILLANOVA 83, MISSISSIPPI STATE 76
CONWAY, S.C. (AP) — Jeremiah Robinson-Earl scored 22 points and Villanova beat Mississippi State to advance to the Myrtle Beach Invitational final.
Villanova (4-1) will play No. 24 Baylor in the championship game Sunday.
Collin Gillespie added 18 points, Saddiq Bey finished with 17 and Jermaine Samuels had 14 and converted a key three-point play in the closing seconds for the Wildcats. They shot 59%, made at least 10 3-pointers for the second straight day and never trailed in the second half, advancing to the championship round of their in-season holiday tournament for the seventh straight year.
Tyson Carter had 22 points for Mississippi State (5-1).
No. 18 XAVIER 75, CONNECTICUT 74, 2OT
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Jason Carter’s two foul shots with 10.1 seconds left in the second overtime lifted Xavier past UConn and into the Charleston Classic championship game.
UConn had a final chance after Carter’s free throws, but Alterique Gilbert slipped driving to the bucket and Christian Vital’s desperation shot fell short of the basket as the horn sounded on a raucous, dramatic contest between future Big East Conference rivals.
Naji Marshall led the Musketeers (6-0) with 21 points and Paul Scruggs had 19. But neither of them were around at the end after fouling out in what became a game of attrition.
Tyrique Jones had 17 points and 11 rebounds for Xavier, which will face Florida for the tournament title Sunday night.
UConn (3-2) will play another program with past Big East ties — the Huskies are set to re-enter the league next year — in Miami for third place Sunday.
No. 24 BAYLOR 77, COASTAL CAROLINA 65
CONWAY, S.C. (AP) — MaCio Teague scored 21 points and Baylor pulled away to beat Coastal Carolina in the Myrtle Beach Invitational semifinals.
Davion Mitchell added 15 points and Jared Butler had 12 for the Bears (4-1). They trailed for the first 9 minutes of the second half before taking control with a 30-8 run and holding the Chanticleers (3-3) without a field goal for the final 8 minutes.
Keishawn Brewton had 17 points for Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers lost scoring leader Ebrina Dibba to an apparent knee injury early in the second half.
No. 22 TEXAS 62, CALIFORNIA 45
NEW YORK (AP) — Matt Coleman III scored 14 points, Jericho Sims had 12 points and nine rebounds and Texas rebounded from its first loss of the season to beat California in the 2K Empire Classic consolation game.
A night after falling to Georgetown, Texas (5-1) played in front of a sparse crowd against Cal (4-2), with Madison Square Garden only beginning to fill up late for the Duke-Georgetown nightcap.
Bradley led Cal with 22 points.
No. 25 WASHINGTON 73, MONTANA 56
SEATTLE (AP) — Isaiah Stewart scored 18 points in just 15 minutes, Jayden McDaniels added 14 points and Washington beat Montana.
The Huskies (4-1) relentlessly went to the paint — whether their big center was on the floor or not — and used their length to stymie the Grizzlies and force 20 turnovers. Washington outscored Montana 38-10 under the basket and drew 34 fouls, hitting 22 of 28 free throws to power to the win.
It was the second straight win for Washington, which is on a seven-game nonconference homestand.
Kendall Manuel scored 15 points and Sayeed Pridgett had 13 for Montana (1-4), which has lost three straight.