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No. 23 West Virginia Survives Marist

Harler hits back-to-back 3-pointers in victory

West Virginia guard Chase Harler (14) reacts as he makes a 3 -point basket in front of Marist guard Brian Parker (2) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at the AdvoCare Invitational tournament Thursday, Nov. 23, 2017, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. West Virginia won 84-78. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

By MARK DIDTLER

Associated Press

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Jevon Carter had 20 points, Sagaba Konate added 14, and No. 23 West Virginia survived an upset bid by winless Marist, beating the Red Foxes 84-78 in the opening round Thursday night at the Advocare Invitational.

Carter hit a key trey that put West Virginia ahead 70-67 with 5 1/2 minutes left after Marist had pulled even on Brian Parker’s basket.

The Mountaineers (4-1), who shot 32 percent over the game’s first 28 minutes, finished at 35 percent.

Marist (0-4) got 19 points from David Knudsen and 14 more by Parker.

Knudsen hit a pair of 3s that got Marist with 65-62 with 7 minutes to play.

West Virginia, winner of four in a row after a season-opening 88-65 loss to Texas A&M in Germany, did have success in the turnover battle by turning 24 Marist miscues into 26 points.

Marist got 11 points off 11 West Virginia turnovers.

The Mountaineers shot just 33 percent (13 of 39), including 15 percent (3 for 20) from 3-point range in a sluggish first half that saw West Virginia take a 39-26 lead.

West Virginia went 8 for 38 (21 percent) from behind the arc overall.

After Marist cut it to a three-point game, Chase Harler hit his first 3-pointer to put the Mountaineers up by six with 4:07 left in the game, 73-67. Marist responded with a 3-point shot of their own before Harler knocked another one down on the Mountaineers’ ensuing possession. Harler finished with six points, three reounds and three steals.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

West Virginia will likely need to win the invitational to stay in the Top-25 and the championship could help the Mountaineers move up slightly in the rankings.

BIG PICTURE

West Virginia: Over the last 15 years are 137-33 against non-conference opponents. The Mountaineers beat Marist 87-44 in the only previous meetings between the teams in 2012.

Marist: The other losses this season came against Lehigh (84-76, OT), UMass-Lowell (76-73) and Army (94-73).

UP NEXT

West Virginia: Has a semifinal match up Friday night with Central Florida.

Marist: Faces Nebraska in a consolation game Friday night.

No. 1 DUKE 99, PORTLAND STATE 91

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Trevon Duval had 22 points and Duke pulled away to beat surprisingly tenacious Portland State to open the Phil Knight Invitational.

Marvin Bagley III added 18 points, and Grayson Allen had 14 points and nine assists. The Blue Devils (6-0) will face Texas on Friday.

Duke trailed by as many as eight points, but took control midway through the second half when Wendell Carter Jr.’s dunk put the Blue Devils in front 67-62. They would go on to lead by as many as 21 points.

It was coach Mike Krzyzewski’s 200th victory as coach of a No. 1-ranked team. He’s 200-29 when the Blue Devils sit atop the poll.

Deontae North led the Vikings (4-1) with 24 points, including 20 in the first half, but fouled out with 8:39 left in the game.

Dubbed the PK80, the tournament celebrates Nike co-founder Phil Knight’s 80th birthday.

SMU 66, No. 2 ARIZONA 60

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Ben Emelogu scored 20 points and SMU upset No. 2 Arizona night in the Battle 4 Atlantis consolation round, handing the Wildcats their second consecutive loss to an unranked opponent.

The Mustangs (5-1) blew an 11-point lead in the second half, but responded with a 10-2 run to go ahead for good. SMU won despite shooting 31 percent, though the Mustangs scored 19 points off 20 Arizona turnovers.

Shake Milton added 14 points, including four free throws in the final 70 seconds.

And for the second straight night, the Wildcats (3-2) found themselves on the wrong side of a stunning defeat. Arizona lost 90-84 to North Carolina State on Wednesday in the first round.

Allonzo Trier scored 22 points to lead the Wildcats. They will face No. 18 Purdue on Friday in the seventh-place game. The Mustangs will play Western Kentucky for fifth place.

No. 5 VILLANOVA 85, TENNESSEE 76

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 25 points and Villanova overcame a 15-point deficit to beat Tennessee in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals.

The Wildcats (5-0) trailed 44-29 with 1:39 left before roaring out of a break with a dominating run. Villanova scored the first 11 points as part of a 23-2 burst.

Mikal Bridges added 21 points for Villanova, which shot 52 percent after halftime and built a 15-point lead with 4:40 left. Grant Williams scored 20 points for Tennessee (3-1).

Villanova will play Northern Iowa on Friday in the championship game. Tennessee will face North Carolina State in the third-place game.

No. 9 NORTH CAROLINA 102, PORTLAND 78

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Luke Maye had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Joel Berry II added 18 points and North Carolina overwhelmed Portland to open the PK80 Invitational.

Kenny Williams added 17 points and Theo Pinson had 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Tar Heels (4-0). They have scored at least 90 points in the past three games.

Franklin Porter led the Pilots with 19 points and Marcus Shaver Jr. added 17.

No. 15 XAVIER 83, GEORGE WASHINGTON 64

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Trevon Bluiett scored 20 points to help Xavier beat George Washington in the Las Vegas Invitational.

The Musketeers, who went into the game leading the Big East and ranked fifth nationally in field-goal percentage at 56.8, shot a blistering 62.5 from the field in the second half. Xavier (5-0) finished the game hitting 33 of 57 from the floor, including 5 of 13 from 3-point range.

Terry Nolan Jr. led George Washington (2-3) with 18 points.

WESTERN KENTUCKY 77, No. 18 PURDUE 73

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Darius Thompson scored 12 points and hit two free throws with 5.1 seconds left to help Western Kentucky beat Purdue in the consolation round at the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Justin Johnson led the Hilltoppers (3-2) with 17 points, including a tough driving score for a five-point lead with 21 seconds left.

P.J. Thompson hit a corner 3-pointer with 5.8 seconds remaining to bring the Boilermakers (4-2) to 75-73, but Thompson answered with two free throws that made it a two-possession game.

Isaac Haas scored 22 points to lead Purdue.

RHODE ISLAND 75, No. 20 SETON HALL 74

NEW YORK (AP) — Jared Terrell made a running layup with 5.2 seconds left to give Rhode Island the victory over Seton Hall in the second game of the Preseason NIT.

Terrell finished with 32 points to help the Rams improve to 3-1. Stanford Robinson added 15 points.

Myles Powell led the Pirates (4-1) with 21 points. Angel Delgado had 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Khadeen Carrington and Desi Rodriguez had 12 points each.

Following Terrell’s layup, Seton Hall inbounded the ball to Carrington, who raced up court but lost his dribble and the Pirates were unable to recover the loose ball before the buzzer sounded.

No. 21 SAINT MARY’S 89, HARVARD 71

FULLERTON, Calif. (AP) — Jock Landale scored 26 points and Saint Mary’s beat Harvard in the opening game of the Wooden Legacy.

Emmett Naar just missed a triple double, finishing with 11 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the Gaels (5-0). Bryce Aiken led the Crimson (2-3) with 22 points, including 20 in the second half when Harvard outscored Saint Mary’s 51-43. Chris Lewis added 18 points.

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