Jefferson, Duke handle Gators

Purdue too much for Arizona State

NEW YORK — Amile Jefferson had career highs of 24 points and 15 rebounds to lead No. 5 Duke to an 84-74 victory over No. 21 Florida on Tuesday night in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.

Luke Kennard scored 29 points and freshman Jayson Tatum added 22 for the Blue Devils (9-1), whose only loss was to Kansas on this same court in the Champions Classic in November.

Twice in the final 8 minutes the Gators (7-2) got within seven points but both times Kennard scored to hold off Florida, once with a 3-pointer and again with a long layup off a steal.

The 6-foot-9 Jefferson, who also blocked four shots, was 11 for 14 from the field. Kennard went 11 of 16, including 5 for 7 from 3-point range.

Kevaughn Allen led Florida with 21 points, and John Egbunu had nine points and 12 rebounds.

Duke closed the first half with an 8-2 run — Jefferson and Tatum had four points each — for a 41-31 lead.

Grayson Allen, Duke’s preseason All-America, had an off night shooting (2 for 10 including 1 for 5 on 3s) but he had eight assists to go with his six points. (1) VILLANOVA 89, LA SALLE 79: In Philadelphia, Jalen Brunson scored 26 points and Josh Hart had 21 to help the Wildcats (9-0) hold off the Explorers (4-3).

Villanova failed to dominate in its first game of the season as the top-ranked team in the country. The national champions led La Salle by only single digits late in the game and played little like the team that had steamrolled to the top.

Coach Jay Wright had worried that Villanova’s ascension to No. 1 would give the Explorers a little more incentive to go out and knock off the champs.

La Salle almost came through at the famed Palestra.

Johnnie Shuler and Pookie Powell made late 3-pointers that pulled the Explorers to 77-70. La Salle, which has never defeated a No. 1 team, got more late help from long range when Jordan Price popped a 3 that made it a four-point game. Powell scored 27 points. (3) KANSAS 105, UMKC 62: In Kansas City, Mo., Frank Mason scored 30 points to match his career high and the Jayhawks (8-1) rolled the Kangaroos (6-4) to give coach Bill Self career win No. 600.

Josh Jackson had 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, while Devonte Graham was 6 of 8 from beyond the arc and finished with 18 points as the Jayhawks (8-1) allowed Self to empty his bench early again.

He became the ninth-fastest coach to reach 600 wins, just behind Phog Allen, whose name adorns their building. The former Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois coach is 394-84 with the Jayhawks, and Self’s mark of 212-9 at Allen Fieldhouse is downright absurd considering the Jayhawks’ typically rugged schedule. (14) VIRGINIA 76, EAST CAROLINA 53: In Charlottesville, Va., Kyle Guy scored 13 points to lead five Virginia players in double figures, and the Cavaliers used strong perimeter shooting to beat the Pirates.

Virginia (8-1) had little trouble bouncing back from Saturday’s loss to then-No. 25 West Virginia. After trailing 16-15 with 9:26 remaining in the first half, the Cavaliers ended the period on a 27-4 run.

The spurt included seven straight made 3-pointers, with three coming from Guy.

A former Mr. Basketball in Indiana, Guy was held out for the final 11:27 during the loss to the Mountaineers. He logged 21 minutes Tuesday, sparking Virginia’s early barrage from long range.

The Cavaliers finished 9 of 21 from beyond the arc, taking advantage of East Carolina’s 2-3 zone. (18) PURDUE 97, ARIZONA STATE 64: In New York, Isaac Haas and Vincent Edwards were both 6 of 9 from the field and had 16 points as the Boilermakers (7-2) dominated the Sun Devils (5-4) in every phase of the game in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.

Purdue, which has won six of seven, took command with a 26-2 run that gave the Boilermakers a 35-12 lead. During the spurt, Purdue scored both inside and out while the Sun Devils missed 12 of 13 shots and the Boilermakers outrebounded Arizona State 16-5. (20) ARIZONA 79, UC IRVINE 57: In Tucson, Dusan Ristic and Lauri Markkanen scored 18 points apiece, and the Wildcats (7-2) bounced back from its loss to Gonzaga to beat the outmanned Anteaters (4-5).

Ristic, who was two points shy of his career high and grabbed 10 rebounds, scored 14 in the first half. Markkanen had 13 in the second.

The Wildcats pulled away in the final 6½ minutes of the first half and never were threatened again.

Jaron Martin scored 12 and Max Hazzard 10 for the Anteaters. (23) NOTRE DAME 87, FORT WAYNE 72: In South Bend, Ind., Bonzie Colson had his sixth straight double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds, leading the Fighting Irish (9-0) over the Mastodons (7-3).

MWC

MARQUETTE 84, FRESNO

STATE 81: In Milwaukee, am Hauser hit two free throws in the final 12 seconds to help the Golden Eagles (7-2) hold off the Bulldgos (5-3).

Marquette led by as many as 20 points in the second half but Fresno Statet rallied to trail by 71-66 on a layup by Terrell Carter II.

COLORADO STATE 93, ARKANSAS-FORT SMITH 69: In Fort Collins, Colo., Che Bob scored a season-high 21 points in his first start, freshman Anthony Bonner added a season-high 17, and the Rams (7-2) pulled away to beat the Division II Lions (2-1) UTAH STATE 84, GREAT FALLS 51: In Logan, Utah, Shane Rector scored 16 points and the Aggies (4-4) cruised over the NAIA Argonauts (7-3).

State college

CSU-PUEBLO 87, NMHU 67: In Las Vegas, N.M., Mark Williams had 18 points and eight boards as the Thunderwolves (4-4, 2-1 RMAC) topped the Cowboys (2-5, 0-3).

Highlands senior guard Kieran Woods scored 25 points and senior forward Marlon Johnson added 18 points and six rebounds.

Women

(3) BAYLOR 90, TEXAS

STATE 24: In Waco, Texas, Natalie Chou, Kalani Brown and Alexis Prince each scored 15 points, and the Lady Bears (10-1) routed the Bobcats (3-4).

Baylor forced 23 turnovers and enjoyed a 59-23 rebounding advantage. (4) MARYLAND 97, TOWSON 63: In College Park, Md., Brionna Jones and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough each scored 19 points before leaving early during another blowout by the Terrapins. (14) MIAMI 81, LOYOLACHICAGO 43: In Coral Gables, Fla., Nigia Greene scored 14 points and Laura Cornelius added 13 to lead four players in double figures as the Hurricanes (8-1) beat the Ramblers (0-8).

MWC

UTAH 80, NEVADA 50: Emily Potter scored 20 points on 9 of 11 shooting to lift the Utes (8-0) past the Wolf Pack (4-4), who were held to six points in the second quarter. State college CSU-PUEBLO 73, NMHU 48: In Las Vegas, N.M., Tuileisu Anderson scored 18 points, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range, to lead the Thunderwolves (9-0, 3-0 RMAC) to a victory over the Cowgirls (2-4, 1-2).

Sophomore Kaylani Maiava led Highlands with 15 points.