Heels hell on Devils
Joel Berry II scored 28 points — including a critical late-game burst of seven straight for his team — to help No. 5 North Carolina hold off No. 17 Duke, 90-83, on Saturday night in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Isaiah Hicks added 21 points for the Tar Heels, who battled through a nearly shot-for-shot fight with their fiercest rival to finish unbeaten at home. The game featured 24 lead changes and 14 ties before UNC finally pushed ahead for good in the final six minutes, with its final margin the biggest lead for either team all night.
Villanova 81, G’town 55
In Washington, Josh Hart scored 21 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers with seven minutes left that put the game out of reach, as No. 2 Villanova pulled away to beat Georgetown. UCLA 77, Wash. St. 68
In Los Angeles, Aaron Holiday scored 16 points and No. 3 UCLA rallied with a 14-0 run over the final 10 minutes to beat Washington State for its ninth straight victory and a 16-1 finish at home.
Lonzo Ball had 12 points and 14 assists to break Gary Payton’s freshman Pac-12 assists record. Kansas 90, Okla. St. 85
In Stillwater, Okla., Frank Mason scored 27 points to help No. 1 Kansas hold off Oklahoma State. Louisville 71, N.D. 64
In Louisville, Ky., Donovan Mitchell scored 20 points, including four throws in the final 22 sec- onds, and Deng Adel made a big 3-pointer to help No. 8 Louisville hold off No. 19 Notre Dame.
Syracuse 90, G. Tech 61
In Syracuse, Andrew White scored a careerhigh 40 points, going 8for-9 from 3-point range, Tyus Battle added 22, and the Orange beat Georgia Tech. Rutgers 62, Illinois 59
DeShawn Freeman scored 21 points and hit a 3-pointer with seven seconds left to lead Rutgers past Illinois in Piscataway, N.J.
La Salle 66, Fordham 54
In Philadelphia, B.J. Johnson scored 19 points and La Salle beat Fordham.
Joseph Chartouny led the Rams with 17 points. Saint Francis (Pa.) 71, Wagner 70
In Staten Island, Keith Braxton’s awkward heave from beyond the arc went in at the buzzer giving Saint Francis (Pa.) a victory over Wagner, sending the Red Flash into the Northeast Conference Tournament championship game Tuesday against Mount St. Mary’s. Yale 75, Columbia 71
In New Haven, Blake Reynolds scored 16 points and passed out six assists and Alex Copeland’s layup off his steal sent Yale past Columbia to eliminate the Lions from the Ivy League’s first-ever postseason tournament.
Iona 88, Rider 70
In Albany, Rickey McGill and Schadrac Casimir combined for 47 points and Iona led from start to finish, ousting Rider from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
The third-seeded Gaels advance to meet No. 2 seed St. Peter’s in a Sunday semifinal.