Zion’s perfect in return as Duke beats ’Cuse
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Zion Williamson made all 13 of his shots, five on high-flying dunks, and scored 29 points in his return to lead No. 5 Duke to an 84-72 victory over Syracuse on Thursday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference quarterfinals.
RJ Barrett added 23 points and six rebounds to help Duke (27-5) set up a semifinal showdown with No. 3 North Carolina. The Tar Heels swept both games from the Blue Devils in the regular season, with Williamson injured in the first minute of the first meeting.
Williamson got off to a rousing start two minutes into the game when he stole a pass and drove the length of the floor before cocking his right hand back and throwing down a highlight-reel dunk that brought the crowd to its feet. He added three more soaring dunks in the first half and finished the first half with 21 points on 9-of-9 shooting and nine rebounds as Duke built a 34-28 lead.
It was Williamson's first game since his left Nike Paul George shoe broke during a Feb. 20 game against the Tar Heels, causing him to miss nearly six full games with a sprained right knee. Williamson wore modified Nike Kyrie 4's this time specifically designed to lend extra support to his 6-foot-7, 285pound frame.
He showed no signs of any lingering knee issue and cracked a smile several times throughout the game.
NO. 2 VIRGINIA 76, NORTH CAROLINA ST. 56
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kyle
Guy scored 29 points, including seven 3-pointers, and No. 2 Virginia rallied to beat North Carolina State 76-56 on Thursday in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
Big man Jack Salt provided an unexpected offensive boost with a career-high 18 points for the top-seeded Cavaliers (29-2). Down 29-27 at halftime, Virginia shot 63 percent after the break and scored 49 points.
Virginia will play Florida State in the semifinals.
NO. 3 NORTH CAROLINA 83, LOUISVILLE 70
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Luke Maye had 19 points and nine rebounds, Coby White added 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists and North Carolina beat Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference quarterfinals.
Cameron Johnson scored all of his 14 points in the first half to help the Tar Heels (27-5) extend their winning streak to eight games.
NO. 12 FLORIDA STATE 65, NO. 16 VIRGINIA TECH 63, OT
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Terance Mann hit a wild off-balance runner with 1.8 seconds left in overtime to help Florida State beat Virginia Tech in the ACC quarterfinals.
Mann's shot from the right side rattled around the rim before dropping through the net to break a tie for the fourthseeded Seminoles (26-6). The fifth-seeded Hokies (24-8) had a final chance, but Nickeil Alexander-Walker missed a long desperation 3-pointer at the horn.
NO. 18 BUFFALO 82, AKRON 46
CLEVELAND — Jeremy Harris scored 23 points, Dontay Caruthers and Buffalo routed Akron in the Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
The top-seeded Bulls (29-3) built a 20-point lead in the first half and pushed it to 30 points midway through the second half. Seeking its fourth MAC title in five years, Buffalo will play Central Michigan in the semifinals.
Buffalo got just 10 points from C.J. Massinburg, the MAC's Player of the Year, and still rolled to its 10th straight win.
Moments after the game, Bulls coach Nate Oats met with athletic director Mark Alnutt in signed an extension through 2024.
Loren Cristian Jackson scored 16 points for Akron (17-16).