Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Notre Dame no match for tireless Duke
Devils win fourth game in four days, claim ACC crown
NEW YORK — Jayson Tatum took over in the final three minutes, making key plays on both ends of the floor, and No. 14 Duke became the first team to win the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament with four wins in four days by rallying to beat No. 22 Notre Dame 75-69 on Saturday.
The freshman forward finished with 19 points and eight rebounds for the Blue Devils (27-8). Duke won its first ACC tournament championship since 2011 and its 20th overall, most in league history.
Bonzie Colson led Notre Dame with 29 points and nine rebounds.
The Blue Devils came from double digits down in the second half to beat both No. 10 Louisville and No. 6 North Carolina to reach the final at Barclays Center and then came from eight points down with 11:35 left to defeat the Irish (25-9).
Tatum made a running hook shot to give Duke a 65-62 lead, but Colson’s 3-pointer with 2:25 left tied it.
AMERICAN ATHLETIC
No. 12 Southern Methodist 70, Central Florida 59 — At Hartford, Conn., Sterling Brown led three scorers in double figures with 22 points as the Mustangs (29-4) pulled away from the Knights (21-11).
No. 15 Cincinnati 81, Connecticut 71— At Hartford, Conn., Gary Clark scored 24 points for the Bearcats (294), who went 38-for-46 at the free-throw line to ensure the first losing season in 30 years for the Huskies (16-17).
AMERICAN EAST
Vermont 56, Albany 53 — At Burlington, Vt., Payton Henson had 17 points and converted a three-point play with 39 seconds remaining for the Catamounts (29-5), who rallied from a nine-point deficit to defeat the Great Danes (21-13).
ATLANTIC 10
Virginia Commonwealth 87, Richmond 77, OT — At Pittsburgh, JeQuan Lewis scored 18 points, including a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left to force overtime, and the Rams (26-7) topped the Spiders (20-12).
Rhode Island 84, Davidson 60 — At Pittsburgh, E.C. Matthews scored 19 points, hitting all four of his 3-point attempts, and Hassan Martin added 16 points to help the Rams (23-9) cruise past the Wildcats (17-15).
BIG EAST
No. 2 Villanova 74, Creighton 60 — At New York, Josh Hart scored 29 points for the Wildcats (31-3), who forced 17 turnovers leading to 21 points and staked their claim to the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a victory over the Bluejays (25-9).
BIG SKY
North Dakota 93, Weber State 89, OT — At Reno, Quinton Hooker scored 28 points, and the Fighting Hawks (22-9) rallied to defeat the Wildcats (19-13) in overtime and clinch their first NCAA Tournament bid.
BIG TEN
No. 24 Wisconsin 76, Northwestern 48 — At Washington, Nigel Hayes had 18 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, Ethan Happ added 16 points and eight rebounds, and the Badgers (25-8) never trailed in their victory over the Wildcats (23-11).
Michigan 84, Minnesota 77 — At Washington, Derrick Walton Jr. had 29 points, nine assists and five rebounds to carry the eighth-seeded Wolverines (23-11) past the Golden Gophers (24-9).
BIG 12
No. 23 Iowa State 80, No. 11 West Virginia 74 — At Kansas City, Mo., Monte Morris scored 17 points, and Deonte Burton added 16 points for the streaking Cyclones (23-10), who beat the Mountaineers (26-8) for their third conference tournament title in four years.
CONFERENCE USA Middle Tennessee 83, Marshall 72 — At Birmingham, Ala., Giddy Potts matched his season high with 30 points, and the Blue Raiders (304) used a late 15-5 run to pull away from the Thundering Herd (20-15).
IVY LEAGUE
Princeton 72, Pennsylvania 64 — At Philadelphia, Myles Stephens scored 21 points, including the tying basket late in regulation and the first four points of overtime, and the Tigers (22-6) outlasted the Quakers (13-15) for their 18th straight victory.
Yale 73, Harvard 71 — At Philadelphia, Miye Oni scored 18 points, and the Bulldogs (18-10) overcame a career-high 28 points from Bryce Aiken to defeat the Crimson (18-10).
MID-AMERICAN
Kent State 70, Akron 65 — At Cleveland, Jaylin Walker scored 30 points, and Jimmy Hall added 19 points for the Golden Flashes (22-13), who beat the top-seeded Zips (26-8) to earn their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2008.
MID-EASTERN ATHLETIC
North Carolina Central 67, Norfolk State 59 — At Norfolk, Va., Patrick Cole scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and the Eagles (258) used a 19-0 run in the second half to defeat the Spartans (17-16) and secure their second NCAA Tournament berth in four years.
SOUTHEASTERN
No. 8 Kentucky 79, Alabama 74 — At Nashville, Tenn., De’Aaron Fox scored a career-high 28 points, including seven straight down the stretch, and Malik Monk added 20 points to lift the Wildcats (28-5) past the Crimson Tide (19-14).
Arkansas 76, Vanderbilt 62 — At Nashville, Tenn., Jaylen Barford had a game-high 18 points, and the Razorbacks (25-8) smothered the Commodores (19-15).
SOUTHLAND
New Orleans 68, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 65, OT — At Katy, Texas, Tevin Broyles led four players in double figures with 15 points, and the Privateers (20-11) rallied from a seven-point halftime hole to down the Islanders (20-11) in overtime.
SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC
Texas Southern 53, Alcorn State 50 — At Houston, Kevin Scott had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and the Tigers (24-11) edged the Braves (1814) for their third conference tournament title in the past four years.
SUN BELT
Texas State 83, Texas-Arlington 62— At New Orleans, Bobby Conley scored 16 points, and Immanuel King scored 11 of his 13 in the first half for the Bobcats (20-12), who shot 53 percent from the field to upset the top-seeded Mavericks (25-8).
Troy 74, Georgia State 63 — At New Orleans, Wesley Person scored 16 points, and the Trojans (20-15) overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to stun the Panthers (20-12) and reach the championship game for the first time since 2010.