Freshman forward Cameron Boozer scored 35 points to match his career high, and he had enough help down the stretch as No. 4 Duke beat No. 22 Arkansas 80-71 on Thursday night in Chicago.
Boozer made 13 of 18 shots from the field, including a pair of 3-point baskets, and had clutch moments in what was a one-possession margin in the waning minutes. He also had nine rebounds.
Caleb Foster added 15 points and Patrick Ngongba II had 11 points for Duke, which is off to its first 8-0 start to a season in eight years.
Darius Acuff Jr.’s 21 points led Arkansas (5-2), while Meleek Thomas had 13 points and Billy Richmond III and Trevon Brazile each added 11 points. Brazile had a game-high 11 rebounds.
No. 9 BYU 72, Miami 62
The trio of AJ Dybantsa, Kennard Davis Jr. and Robert Wright III combined for 51 points to lead the Cougars to a victory over the Hurricanes in the semifinals of the ESPN Events Invitational in Kissimmee, Fla.
BYU (5-1) rallied from a 33-29 halftime deficit against Miami (5-2) and advanced to Friday’s tournament championship against Dayton. The Hurricanes will play Georgetown in the consolation game on Friday.
Davis finished with 18 points and five rebounds. Wright totaled 17 points, four assists and three steals, and Dybantsa had 16 points and eight rebounds. Malik Reneau’s 14 points and nine rebounds and Shelton Henderson’s 13 points led the Hurricanes.
TCU 84, No. 10 Florida 80
Brock Harding scored seven of his 19 points in the final minute as the Horned Frogs snapped a tie and claimed a victory over the Gators in the Rady Children’s Invitational semifinals in San Diego.
Jace Posey led TCU (4-2) with a career-high 21 points while David Punch added 19 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. The Horned Frogs will play Wisconsin on Friday afternoon in the finals.
Urban Klavzar and Thomas Haugh led the Gators (4-2) with 20 points each. Rueben Chinyelu added 13 points and nine rebounds and Boogie Fland had 12 points before fouling out with 1:10 left. Florida, which had a four-game winning streak snapped, faces Providence in the consolation match on Friday.
No. 11 Michigan State 74, No. 16 North Carolina 58
Jeremy Fears Jr. poured in 15 of his 19 points in the second half and Carson Cooper racked up 14 points as te Spartans used a key 9-0 run down the stretch to beat the Tar Heels in the Fort Myers Tip-off in Fort Myers, Fla.
Cam Ward had 11 points off the Michigan State bench and Jaxon Kohler contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Spartans (7-0) shot 62.1% in the second half.
North Carolina (6-1) went more than four minutes without a field goal to end the game. Caleb Wilson notched 18 points, Henri Veesaar finished with 13 points and Luka Bogavac had 11 for the previously unbeaten Tar Heels. North Carolina shot 4-for-23 from 3-point range, with starting guards Bogavac and Kyan Evans a combined 1-for-11.
No. 24 Vanderbilt 89, VCU 74
The Commodores shot 60.9% from the field in the second half to hold off the upset-minded Rams and clinch a spot in the Battle 4 Atlantis final at Paradise Island, Bahamas.
Vanderbilt (7-0) will play Saint Mary’s in the final after the Gaels defeated Virginia Tech 77-66 in the second semifinal. VCU (4-3) will oppose the Hokies in the third-place game.
Duke Miles led four Vanderbilt double-digit scorers, finishing with 20 points. VCU’s Jadrian Tracey scored 15 points and Nyk Lewis chipped in 16, but they shot a combined 8-for-25 from the field.
