Santa Fe New Mexican

Roundup: Virginia tops Clemson to reach ACC final.

-

NEW YORK — Kyle Guy scored 15 points and No. 1 Virginia advanced to the Atlantic Coast Conference championsh­ip game with a 64-58 victory over No. 19 Clemson on Friday night.

The top-seeded Cavaliers (30-2) got several crucial plays from role player Jack Salt down the stretch and will face fifth-ranked and second-seeded Duke or 12th-ranked and sixth-seeded North Carolina for the tournament title Saturday night in Brooklyn.

NO. 2 VILLANOVA 87, BUTLER 68

In New York, Mikal Bridges had 18 points and Villanova scored the first 19 points and cruised toward its fourth straight trip in the Big East Tournament championsh­ip game in a win over Butler.

About 30 minutes after top-seeded Xavier was upset by Providence in overtime, the Wildcats (29-4) hit the court and showed how a favorite should play in a tournament semifinal.

PROVIDENCE 75, NO. 3 XAVIER 72, OT

In New York, Alpha Diallo hit a go-ahead jumper with 2:22 left in overtime and fifth-seeded Providence rallied from a 17-point second-half deficit and stunned top-seeded Xavierin the semifinals of the Big East Tournament.

Kyron Cartwright hit a clutch jumper with 55 seconds to go and took an offensive foul on a layup attempt by J.P. Macura with eight seconds to play as the Friars (21-12) beat the Musketeers (285) for the second time in three games this season.

NO. 12 NORTH CAROLINA 74, NO. 5 DUKE 69

In New York, Luke Maye scored 17 points, including North Carolina’s last field goal with 5:33 remaining, and North Carolina held off a late rally by Duke to advance to the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championsh­ip game.

The sixth-seeded Tar Heels (25-9) will face topseeded and top-ranked Virginia on Saturday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn in a rematch of the 2016 ACC championsh­ip, won by North Carolina.

NO. 8 CINCINNATI 61, SMU 51

In Orlando, Fla., Kyle Washington scored 15 points and Gary Clark added 12 points and 11 rebounds Friday to help Cincinnati beat SMU in the quarterfin­als of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.

The Bearcats also got 13 points from Cane Broome and rallied from a six-point second-half deficit to move on to the semifinals against the winner of the Tulsa-Memphis game.

NO. 9 KANSAS 83, KANSAS STATE 67

In Kansas City, Mo., Malik Newman poured in 22 points, Silvio De Sousa filled in admirably for ailing big man Udoka Azubuike and Kansas beat short-handed Kansas State to reach the Big 12 Tournament title game.

NO. 11 WICHITA STATE 89, TEMPLE 81

In Orlando, Fla., Landry Shamet scored 24 points, Rashard Kelly had 16 and Wichita State beat Temple in the quarterfin­als of the American Athletic Conference tournament.

The Shockers (25-6) also got a strong performanc­e from their reserves, including 13 points from Austin Reaves. Next up is the winner of the Houston-Central Florida game.

NO. 13 TENNESSEE 62, MISSISSIPP­I STATE 59

In St. Louis, Lamonte turner scored 15 points and Tennessee locked down on defense to beat Mississipp­i State in the quarterfin­als of the Southeaste­rn Conference tournament.

The second-seeded Volunteers (24-7) led nearly the entire game, but the Bulldogs (22-11) had an opportunit­y to take the lead in the final 10 seconds. Down 61-59, Xavian Stapleton missed a 3-pointer that would have put the Bulldogs ahead.

NO. 18 WEST VIRGINIA 66, NO. 14 TEXAS TECH 63

In Kansas City, Mo., Daxter Miles Jr. had 22 points for West Virginia, and Niem Stevenson’s half-court heave at the buzzer bounced harmlessly off the iron, giving the Mountainee­rs a win over Texas Tech in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals.

Jevon Carter added 17 points and Sagaba Konate had 11 for the third-seeded Mountainee­rs (24-9), who advance to their third straight title game. They’ll face No. 9 Kansas on Saturday night.

NO. 15 ARIZONA 78, UCLA 67 (OT)

In Las Vegas, Nev., Deandre Ayton scored seven of his 32 points in overtime and grabbed 14 rebounds, lifting Arizona to a victory over UCLA in the Pac-12 tournament semifinals.

Arizona (26-7) labored offensivel­y before Ayton sparked the Wildcats in the second half. UCLA (2111) matched Arizona nearly shot for shot, tying the game with about 5 minutes to go.

ALABAMA 81, NO. 16 AUBURN 63

In St. Louis, Collin Sexton scored 31 points and Alabama used a strong second half to defeat Auburn in the quarterfin­als of the Southeaste­rn Conference Tournament.

The Crimson Tide trailed 41-31 at halftime but started the second half on a 28-3 run. The stretch was keyed by three consecutiv­e 3s by Sexton. Alabama’s surge put the Tigers away early in the half, and the Crimson Tide (19-14) outscored Auburn 50-22 after the break.

NO. 21 HOUSTON 84, UCF 56

In Orlando, Fla., Galen Robinson scored 18 points, Rob Gray had 17 points, six assists and five rebounds, and Houston beat UCF in the quarterfin­als of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.

The third-seeded Cougars will face 11th-ranked and second-seeded Wichita State on Saturday in the semifinal round.

SAN DIEGO STATE 90, NO. 22 NEVADA 73

In Las Vegas, Nev., Devin Watson scored 20 points to lead San Diego State to a blowout victory over Nevada in the Mountain West Conference semifinals.

The Aztecs, who haven’t won a tournament championsh­ip since 2011, will play in the title game for the fourth time in five years, and eighth time in 10 seasons.

ARKANSAS 80, NO. 23 FLORIDA 72

In St. Louis, Jaylen Barford scored 27 points and matched his career high with 10 rebounds to help send Arkansas to the semifinals of the Southeaste­rn Conference Tournament with a win over Florida.

The win ends an eight-game losing streak to the Gators for the sixth-seeded Razorbacks (23-10), who are now 5-1 against ranked opponents this season and advance to face No. 13 Tennessee on Saturday.

NO. 25 RHODE ISLAND 76, VCU 67

In Washington, Jeff Dowtin scored 18 points, Jared Terrell added 16 points and Rhode Island survived a challenge from VCU in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament quarterfin­als.

 ?? THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? Mikal Bridges had 18 points and Villanova cruised toward its fourth straight trip in the Big East Tournament championsh­ip game in a win over Butler in New York.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Mikal Bridges had 18 points and Villanova cruised toward its fourth straight trip in the Big East Tournament championsh­ip game in a win over Butler in New York.
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States