LAS VEGAS — Paolo Banchero scored 21 points to lead No. 5 Duke over No. 1 Gonzaga 84-81 on Friday night.
Duke (7-0) handed Gonzaga (6-1) its first loss since April’s national title game, when Baylor beat the Bulldogs.
Gonzaga battled back from a nine-point deficit thanks to Julian Strawther’s offensive prowess early in the second half, as he scored eight of the Bulldogs’ first 14 points to help them get within two. But Gonzaga suffered through a 0-for-5 span down the stretch and turned the ball over three times to allow Duke to seize the momentum and close the game on a 13-9 run.
Wendell Moore Jr. scored 20 points and Mark Williams added 17 points and 9 rebounds for the Blue Devils.
Strawther led Gonzaga with a career-high 20 points and 10 rebounds. Drew Timme added 17 points, Chet Holmgren had 16 points and Rasir Bolton chipped in 15 for the Bulldogs.
DAYTON 74, NO. 4 KANSAS 73
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Mustapha Amzil hit a running jumper in the lane at the buzzer, and Dayton beat Kansas at the ESPN Events Invitational.
Kansas’ David McCormack blocked Malachi Smith’s layup with 3 seconds left. Amzil picked up the loose ball, and his shot went off the rim and backboard before going in. After Smith cut the deficit to 73-72 on a layup, McCormack was called for an offensive foul with 9 seconds to play.
Ochai Agbaji scored four of his 21 points during a late 6-0 run, helping Kansas take a 73-70 advantage with just over a minute remaining. Christian Braun had 17 points for Kansas (4-1).
Dayton (3-3) had five players score in double figures. DaRon Holmes II had 16 points, and Toumani Camara and Elijah Weaver both added 14.
IOWA STATE 78, NO. 9 MEMPHIS 59
NEW YORK — Gabe Kalscheur scored 30 points and led Iowa State over Memphis in the NIT Season Tip-Off championship game.
Kalscheur was named MVP of the tournament. Tristan and Aljaz Kunc each scored 11 points for the Cyclones (6-0), who led by five points at halftime and increased their advantage to as much as 25 in the second half.
Emoni Bates led Memphis (5-1) with 12 points and Landers Nolley II scored 11. Coach Penny Hardaway’s Tigers entered as an 11 1/2-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
NO. 6 BAYLOR 75, MICHIGAN STATE 58
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas — James Akinjo scored 15 points and Baylor blew the game open after halftime to beat Michigan State for the Battle 4 Atlantis championship.
The reigning national champions led just 38-36 at the break. But they began to take control in the opening minutes of the second half. The Bears (7-0) used an 8-0 run to stretch out to a double-digit lead and never let Michigan State within single digits again.
Freshman Kendall Brown added 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting. Akinjo was selected Atlantis MVP.
Gabe Brown scored 13 points for the Spartans (5-2).
NO. 3 PURDUE 97, OMAHA 40
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Zach Edey scored 20 points in 16 minutes, and Purdue pounded Omaha.
The Boilermakers improved to 6-0 for the first time since 2015-16 and just the fourth time in coach Matt Painter’s tenure.
Omaha (1-5) was led by Darrius Hughes with 13 points. It lost its fifth straight — all on the road.
NO. 10 KENTUCKY 86, NORTH FLORIDA 52
LEXINGTON, Ky. — TyTy Washington scored 14 points to lead Kentucky over North Florida.
Oscar Tshiebwe had 12 points and 15 rebounds for Kentucky (5-1), while Damion Collins made his first career start and scored 12 points and Sahvir Wheeler had 12 points and 14 assists. Dontaie Allen added 14 points off the bench, all but two coming in the second half.
Jayden Parker led North Florida (1-6) with 10 points.
Kentucky made just six shots from long range, doing most of its scoring in transition with 28 points.
NO. 10 ALABAMA 80, DRAKE 71
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Jahvon Quinerly scored 18 points, Jaden Shackelford and Juwan Gary each had 14, and Alabama beat Drake in the consolation round of ESPN Events Invitational.
Gary added 10 rebounds for Alabama (5-1), which was shocked 72-68 by coach Rick Pitino’s Iona team in its tournament opener on Thursday.
D.J. Wilkins led Drake (3-2) with 17 points. ShanQuan Hemphill and Tucker DeVries both contributed 15.
NO. 14 ILLINOIS 94, TEXAS RIO GRANDE VALLEY 85
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Kofi Cockburn scored a career-high 38 points to lead Illinois to a hard-fought win over Texas Rio Grande Valley.
Illinois (4-2) started slowly, trailing the Vaqueros by as many as 12 points in the first half. Timely buckets from Cockburn and Alfonso Plummer helped the Illini go on a 15-5 run to take a one-point lead at the half. Plummer scored 30 points.
Cockburn got open in the lane for a dunk to put the Illini up 88-83 with 1:40 to play, and later knocked down a pair of free throws to clinch the win in the final minute.
Justin Johnson was the leading scorer for Texas Rio Grande Valley (4-3) with 28 points. Marek Nelson had 23 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
NO. 15 TENNESSEE 80, TENNESSEE TECH 69
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Brandon Huntley-Hatfield scored eight of his 12 points during a key second-half spurt and Tennessee beat Tennessee Tech.
Olivia Nkamhoua led Tennessee (4-1) with 18 points. Kennedy Chandler had 15 points and five steals. John Fulkerson scored 14 points, and Santiago Vescovi finished with 13.
Jr. Clay led Tennessee Tech (2-4) with 19 points.
NO. 19 AUBURN 89, SYRACUSE 68
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas — Jabari Smith scored 22 points and Auburn beat Syracuse in the fifth-place game at the Battle 4 Atlantis.
K.D. Johnson added 15 points for the Tigers (5-1), who went 2-1 in the three-game tournament.
Buddy Boeheim, Cole Swider and Jesse Edwards each scored 17 points for Syracuse (3-3).
NO. 22 UCONN 70, VCU 63, OT
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas — R.J. Cole scored 26 points and Isaiah Whaley hit two late 3-pointers in his return to the lineup, helping UConn beat VCU 70-63 in overtime for third place at the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Whaley had 16 points for the Huskies (6-1), including a tying 3 late in regulation and the go-ahead 3 at the 3:54 mark in OT. He also came up with a punctuating three-point play with 4.5 seconds left.
UConn won despite shooting just 33% while committing 22 turnovers, with Whaley’s 3 standing as the only basket in overtime for either team until the final 12 seconds.
Jayden Nunn scored 21 points for the Rams (3-4), who led by four late in regulation. VCU had its own offensive troubles, shooting 36% and going 2 for 9 in the extra period.
NO. 24 USC 58, SAN DIEGO STATE 43
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Isaiah Mobley scored 18 points and had 12 rebounds and USC’s stifling defense earned it a victory over San Diego State in the title game of the Paycom Wooden Legacy.
Drew Peterson scored 16 points and Chevez Goodwin added 10 as the Trojans improved to 6-0. They held the Aztecs to 32.1% shooting and just 15 points in the first half.
Trey Pulliam scored 11 points, while Lamont Butler and Aguek Arop each had nine for San Diego State (4-2).
NO. 25 XAVIER 59, VIRGINIA TECH 58
NEW YORK — Nate Johnson scored 30 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 25 seconds left, and Xavier beat Virginia Tech in the consolation game of the NIT Season Tip-Off.
Johnson was the only player to finish in double figure scoring for Xavier (5-1).
Nahiem Alleyne scored 18 points for the Hokies (5-2), who were coming off a loss to No. 9 Memphis on Wednesday. Hunter Cattoor chipped in with 13 points and Keve Aluma added 12.
Xavier led Virginia Tech 45-37 midway through the second half before the Hokies began to rally, going on a 16-4 run to push ahead 53-49 with 3:46 remaining.