Gonzaga tops No. 1 Duke

No. 3 Bulldogs are poised in Hawaii

Gonzaga never panicked, never looked up in awe at the bouncy Duke Blue Devils. They have too much experience to get rattled, even against college basketball’s most talked-about team.

Playing with poise and grit down the stretch, No. 3 Gonzaga (6-0) turned back top-ranked Duke’s late-game charge to win the Maui Invitational title game, 89-97, in Lahaina, Hawaii.

“Experience plays a big role in this,” said Gonzaga guard Zach Norvell Jr., who had 18 points. “We came down the stretch and got some stops. We knew we were winning it on the defensive end.”

Gonzaga put on an offensive show in the first half and battened down on defense after Duke (5-1) made a second-half charge, blocking four shots in the final 46 seconds to win its second Maui title.

Tennessee

Grant Williams scored 24 points and No. 5 Tennessee (4-0) had five players In double figures to beat Louisville (3-1), 92-81, in the first semifinal of the NIT Season Tip-Off in New York. 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. “It means I’ve been around awhile,” Barnes said.

Wisconsin

Nate Reuvers blocked nine shots in the 62-46 win against Stanford (2-2) in the Battle 4 Atlantis on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. That set a tournament record and tied a program record for Wisconsin (4-0).

North Carolina

Point guard Seventh Woods will miss this week’s two games in Las Vegas with a concussion. The junior was injured Tuesday in practice. He will miss Thursday’s game against Texas and Friday’s matchup with No. 11 Michigan State or No. 17 UCLA.

Mississippi State

Teaira McCowan made all 11 of her shots in 20 minutes of action, finishing with 24 points and 10 rebounds for her 43rd career double-double as the No. 6 Bulldogs (5-0) made quick work of the Furman women (2-3) in a 106-41 win. The preseason Southeastern Conference player of the year became the first Mississippi State player to make 100 percent of her shots while attempting 10 or more field goals.