Top-ranked Duke fights off Auburn in its stiffest test
Duke hit Auburn with a flurry of alley-oops, acrobatic drives and step-back 3-pointers.
The Tigers, unlike the Blue Devils’ first four opponents, fought back, going right back at the topranked Blue Devils. It still wasn’t enough.
Duke withstood its toughest test of the season so far, outlasting No. 8 Auburn 78-72 Tuesday night to reach the Maui Invitational title game in Lahaina, Hawaii.
Duke (5-0) came into the game as the tournament favorite and looked like it would run Auburn out of the gym after racing past San Diego State in the opener. The Tigers (41) clawed back to pull the Blue Devils within reach, yet could never get a firm grip. Duke answered every Auburn challenge, earning a chance to play No. 3 Gonzaga for a shot at an unprecedented sixth Maui Invitational title.
Zion Williamson provided the wow factor with acrobatic moves to the basket, finishing with 13 points and nine rebounds. Jared Harper nearly kept the Tigers in it with deep 3-pointers in the second half. He had 22 points and Bryce Brown 16 for Auburn. TEMPLE 76, CAL 59 >> Darius McNeill made three 3-pointers and led the Bears (1-3) with 12 points in the third-place game of the Legends Classic at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York. Paris Austin, Andre Kelly and Matt Bradley added 10 points each for Cal, which plays Santa Clara at home on Monday. Quinton Rose scored 14 of his 23 points in the second half to lead the Owls (5-1).
• St. John’s, which beat Cal in the semifinals Monday, got 35 points from Shamorie Ponds, including
a running floater with 4.8 seconds left in overtime, to lift the Red Storm (50) to an 87-86 victory over VCU for the Legends Classic championship. MINNESOTA 80, SANTA CLARA 66 >> Tahj Eaddy led the Broncos (0-4) with 20 points, and Keshawn Justice added 12 in the Vancouver (British Columbia) Showcase. Minnesota (40) attempted 37 free throws compared to just nine for the Broncos.
The foul disparity was finally enough for Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek, who was given three technical fouls in the process of getting ejected with 3:16 left after a disputed offensive foul on the Broncos.
“I didn’t know it was possible. I’m going to have to find out. I thought the rule was you got two and
you got tossed and weren’t able to get a third but apparently you are,” Sendek said.
NO. 3 GONZAGA 91, ARIZONA 74 >> Rui Hachimura scored 24 points, and Zach Norvell Jr. added 20 as the Bulldogs earned a spot in the Maui Invitational title game. Gonzaga (5-0) was out of synch late in the first half after a good start, falling into an eight-point hole. The Zags went on a 15-2 run early in the second half that put them up 56-53.
Justin Coleman had 28 points for Arizona (4-1). NO. 21 OREGON 83, GREEN BAY 72 >> Bol Bol had 21 points and nine rebounds, Payton Pritchard added 18 points, and the host Ducks held off the Phoenix (3-3). The Ducks (4-1) won the game at the foul line, making 33 of 42 free throws to just 9 of 18 for Green Bay. LIPSCOMB 73, NO. 18 TCU 64 >> Garrison Mathews had 23 points, Kenny Cooper scored 17 with a couple of breakaway layups off steals, and the Bisons (4-1) scored their first win over a Top 25 team. Alex Robinson had 17 points and 10 rebounds for TCU (3-1), which lost a November game for the first time since 2015. SAN DIEGO STATE 79, XAVIER 74 >> Jalen McDaniels scored 25 points, and Devin Watson added 21 as the Aztecs (3-1) earned a spot in the Maui Invitational fifth-place game. San Diego State fell behind by 19 early against Xavier (2-3) but responded with a 19-3 run to pull within three by halftime and had an early 16-2 run in the second half. BOISE STATE 72, ST. BONAVENTURE 52 >> Derrick Alston made six 3-pointers and scored 22 points, and Justinian Jessup added four 3s as the Broncos (22) advanced to the fifthplace game at the Cayman Islands Classic in George Town.
USC 99, MISSOURI STATE 80 >> Bennie Boatwright scored 22 points, and Jonah Mathews added 21 as the Trojans (3-2) took third place in the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Missouri. USC made 17 3-pointers.
UNLV 96, PACIFIC 70 >> Kris Clyburn hit three 3-pointers and scored 17 points, and Cheikh Mbacke Diong added 16 points and seven rebounds to guide the Runnin’ Rebels (3-1) past the visiting Tigers (3-2).
SAN DIEGO 70, COLORADO 64 >> Isaiah Pineiro scored 15 of his 27 points in the final nine minutes, including the go-ahead slam dunk with 1:31 left, and the host Toreros erased an eight-point second-half deficit to beat the Buffaloes. San Diego (4-1) beat Colorado (2-1) for the second straight year.