Orange add to résumé with upset of Clemson
Oshae Brissett and Tyus Battle each cored 17 points and Syracuse rallied to beat No. 18 Clemson, 55-52, on Saturday at the Carrier Dome to remain in the hunt for a postseason berth.
It was an opportunity for Syracuse (19-12, 8-10 ACC) to fill the biggest void on its résumé — the lack of a marquee win — and the Orange capitalized. They were coming off a 15-point loss at Boston College, which put a big dent in their postseason hopes.
Iona 72, Manhattan 60
In Albany, Zach Lewis had 23 points and nine rebounds to lead No. 4 seed Iona past fifth-seeded Manhattan in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal. Iona (18-13) will play ninthseeded Saint Peter’s (14-17) in a Sunday semifinal.
Schadrac Casimir added 18 points for the Gaels.
Pauly Paulicap had 16 points and 12 rebounds and Zane Waterman scored 14 with six rebounds for Manhattan (14-17).
LIU (Brooklyn) 78, FDU
Raiquan Clark scored 28 points, Joel Hernandez added 25 and Jashaun Agosto made both free throws in his only trip to the line with 3.6 seconds on the clock and LIU won a bruising semifina at the Wellness Center to advance to the Northeast Conference Tournament Championship game.
The No. 4-seed Blackbirds (17-16), making their first championship appearance since 2013, will play at topseeded Wagner on Tuesday.
Wagner 75, Robert Morris 64
JoJo Cooper scored 20 points with six assists, Romone Saunders added 18 points, and top-seeded Wagner beat No. 7 seed Robert Morris in the other NEC semifinal. Blake Francis added 15 points with three 3-pointers for Wagner (23-8).
Duke 74, North Carolina 64
In Durham, N.C., Marvin Bagley III had 18 of his 21 points in the second half along with 15 rebounds, and No. 5 Duke pulled away to beat No. 9 North Carolina.
Grayson Allen added 15 points in his final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Murray St 68, Belmont 51
In Evansville, Ind., Jonathan Stark finished with 24 points and Ja Morant added 15 to give Murray State a victory in the Ohio Valley Conference title game. With the win, the Racers (26-5) advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012.
Florida 80, Kentucky 67
In Gainsville, Fla., Jalen Hudson scored 22 points, Chris Chiozza broke the school’s all-time assist record (Erving Walker, 547) and Florida beat No. 23 Kentucky.
Oklahoma St. 82, Kansas 64
In Stillwater, Okla., Kendall Smith scored a career-high 25 points and Mitchell Solomon had 16 points and seven rebounds to help lead Oklahoma State over No. 6 Kansas.
Arizona 66, California 54
In Tucson, Ariz., Deandre Ayton had 26 points and 20 rebounds, helping No. 19 Arizona clinch the Pac-12 regular-season title. Coach Sean Miller said Ayton, Allonzo Trier and Rawle Alkins will leave for the NBA draft after the season.