Duke falls
Rui Hachimura scored 20 points and No. 3 Gonzaga blocked four shots in the final 46 seconds to hold off top-ranked Duke 89-87 on Wednesday in the Maui Invitational title game. Duke trailed by 16 in the second half before mounting a comeback.
NO. 3 GONZAGA 89, NO. 1 DUKE 87
LAHAINA, Hawaii — Gonzaga has been billed as a Final Four contender when Killian Tillie returns from an ankle injury.
These Zags look like one already, even with one of their best players in a walking boot.
Playing with poise and grit down the stretch, No. 3 Gonzaga turned back No. 1 Duke’s late-game charge in an 89-87 victory Wednesday in the Maui Invitational title game.
Gonzaga (6-0) put on an offensive show in the first half and battened down on defense after Duke made a second-half charge, blocking four shots in the final 46 seconds to win its second Maui title.
Rui Hachimura scored 20 points, Zach Norvell Jr. added 18 and the Zags beat a No. 1 team for the first time while ending the Blue Devils’ unbeaten streak on the Valley Isle (17-1).
Five-time Maui champion Duke (5-1) made it look easy the season’s first five games, its fantastic freshmen soaring through the spotlight, not cowering away from it while looking all but unbeatable.
The experienced Zags gave them a lesson in ball movement, orchestrating a master class in free-flowing, position-less basketball while building a 14-point first-half lead.
The Blue Devils fell behind by 16 in the second half before firing up the Blue Devil express with a series of above-the-rim dunks and drives that left the Zags looking helpless.
Hachimura put Gonzaga up 89-87 with a strong move at the basket with 75 seconds left, but the Zags kept giving Duke chances by missing four free throws. Clarke clanked two with 30 seconds left and Hachimura came up empty on two more with 10 seconds left.
NO. 5 TENNESSEE 92, LOUISVILLE 81
NEW YORK — Grant Williams scored 24 points and No. 5 Tennessee had five players in double figures to beat Louisville in the first semifinal of the NIT Season Tip-Off.
Admiral Schofield added 20 points for the Vols (4-0), who shot 54 percent from the field. The win was the 664th of Tennessee Coach Rick Barnes’ career. It moved him past John Wooden on the all-time Division I wins list.
Jordan Nwora had 23 points and 10 assists to lead Louisville (3-1).
NO. 10 KENTUCKY 87, WINTHROP 74
LEXINGTON, Ky. — PJ Washington had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Tyler Herro added 15 points and No. 10 Kentucky shot 56 percent to run away from Winthrop 87-74 on Wednesday.
Coming off Sunday’s tense victory over hot-shooting VMI, the Wildcats (4-1) had a far easier time against the Eagles during the afternoon contest as they used their size to control the boards 37-20 and scoring in the paint (42-24).
Washington was the catalyst, making 7 of 11 from the field on the way to his second consecutive double-double.
NO. 25 WISCONSIN 62, STANFORD 46
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas — Wisconsin’s Nate Reuvers provided a strong example of what Coach Greg Gard wants to see from his No. 25 Badgers on the defensive end.
The 6-foot-10 sophomore blocked nine shots in his team’s victory against Stanford in the Battle 4 Atlantis. That set a tournament record and tied a program record for Wisconsin.
The previous Atlantis record was seven blocks, first set by Connecticut’s Andre Drummond against Florida State in November 2011 and matched by Kansas’ Joel Embiid against Texas-El Paso two years later.
He also matched the Wisconsin single-game record set by Brad Sellers against Toledo in November 1982.