Azuolas Tubelis scored 30 points and had 11 rebounds as No. 14 Arizona scorched the nets in the second half to defeat pesky Cincinnati 101-93 at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Monday night.
Tubelis made 12 of 18 shots, and frontcourt partner Oumar Ballo also had a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds to help Arizona advance to Tuesday night’s semifinal against San Diego State.
The Wildcats (4-0) made their first 12 shots after halftime and shot 79.3 percent (23 of 29) in the second half, when the teams combined for 124 points. The Bearcats (3-2) kept pace with torrid 3-point shooting, led by senior Landers Nolley II, who finished with a career-high 33 points while making 9 of 14 from behind the arc.
Arizona led 40-30 at the break but couldn’t pull away despite its hot shooting. Cincinnati, which made 13 of 19 3-pointers in the second half, climbed within 81-74 on a long ball from Mika Adams-Woods with 5:29 to go.
No. 4 Texas, 73 Northern Arizona 48
Marcus Carr scored 17 points as the Longhorns experienced no hangover from their biggest win in years, a victory over then-No. 2 Gonzaga, in routing the Lumberjacks in a Leon Black Classic game at Edinburg, Texas.
Texas (4-0) led by 28 at halftime and let off the gas in the second half, having done more than enough to secure the win while getting everyone in uniform into the game.
Xavier Fuller led the Lumberjacks (2-4) with 15 points. No other player had more than six points for Northern Arizona, which had a two-game winning streak snapped.
No. 8 Duke 74, Bellarmine 57
Kyle Filipowski scored from the inside and perimeter on his way to 18 points as the host Blue Devils withstood the Knights’ patient attack to win in Durham, N.C.
Jacob Grandison added 16 points off the bench and Jeremy Roach had 10 points for the Blue Devils (4-1), who didn’t pull away until the final few minutes. Duke shot 14-for-35 on 3-pointers, with five players connecting from deep at least two times.
Curt Hopf and Peter Suder both scored 11 points for Bellarmine (2-3), which beat Louisville earlier in the season. Juston Betz had nine points, but the Knights shot 42.6 percent from the field.
No. 9 Arkansas 80, Louisville 54
Anthony Black scored 26 points and Ricky Council IV added 15 as the Razorbacks cruised to a victory over the winless Cardinals in an opening-round game at the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii.
Black shot 9 for 11 from the field, including 3 for 5 from 3-point range, to go along with six assists, three rebounds and two steals. Council shot 6 for 13 from the field. Louisville (0-4) was led by Kamari Lands’ 13 points. Arkansas (4-0) scored 29 points off Louisville’s 22 turnovers.
Arkansas will face No. 10 Creighton in Tuesday’s semifinals.
No. 10 Creighton 76, No. 21 Texas Tech 65
Arthur Kaluma had 18 points and all five Creighton starters scored in double figures as the Bluejays owned the second half on the way to a win over the Red Raiders in an opening-round game at the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii.
Trey Alexander had 17 for Creighton (5-0). Ryan Nembhard added 16, Baylor Scheierman racked up 11 points and 12 rebounds and Ryan Kalkbrenner had 10 points.
The Red Raiders (3-1) were led by Daniel Batcho’s 17 points. Pop Isaacs had 13, De’Vion Harmon added 12 and Kevin Obanor scored 10 for Texas Tech, which shot just 43.5 percent from the floor to Creighton’s 55.1 percent.
No. 17 San Diego State 88, Ohio State 77
Matt Bradley scored 18 points to lead four Aztecs in double figures during a victory over the Buckeyes in the quarterfinals of the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii.
Lamont Butler and Micah Parrish scored 15 points each and Adam Seiko had 14 for San Diego State (4-0).
Sean McNeil scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half, Brice Sensabaugh had 17 points and Bruce Thornton added 13 points for Ohio State (3-1).
–Field Level Media