KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -UCLA freshman Kevin Love is proving to be a quick learner.
Love adjusted after being frustrated by Maryland’s early physical play, scoring 18 points and grabbing 16 rebounds to help second-ranked UCLA overcome a sloppy first half in a 71-59 victory over Maryland on Monday night in the semifinals of the CBE Classic.
UCLA (4-0) had just eight scholarship players in uniform due to injuries to several key players and it showed early with numerous turnovers and bad shots. But the Bruins, led by Love’s crisp passing against Maryland’s press, settled things down by the second half.
Maryland (3-1) struggled its past two games, barely beating Hampton and Northeastern. The Terrapins had even more problems against UCLA, falling into an early hole, thanks to poor shooting and even worse ball handling, that they never fully recovered from.
Greivis Vasquez led the Terrapins with 18 points and Bambale Osby added 13.
No. 10 Michigan State 86, Missouri 83
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Drew Neitzel made a late 3-pointer and hit two free throws with 2.4 seconds left, helping Michigan State survive Missouri’s relentless defensive pressure in the semifinals of the CBE Classic.
Michigan State (3-0) struggled all night with Missouri’s full-court pressure, twice losing double digits leads. The Spartans seemed to have the game all but won when Neitzel hit a 3-pointer with just over 2 minutes left, but the Tigers kept coming.
Stefhon Hannah hit three 3-pointers in the final 90 seconds, the last an off-balance heave with 3.5 seconds left that hit the rim and bounced in to cut Michigan State’s lead to 84-83. The Tigers fouled Neitzel immediately and the preseason All-American calmly sank both for the Spartans’ toughest win of the season.
No. 11 Marquette 74, Chaminade 63
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) – Jerel McNeal scored eight of his 22 points in a late 11-2 run that let Marquette hold off upset-minded Chaminade in the opening round of the EA Sports Maui Invitational.
Chaminade, the Division II host of this eight-team tournament, was able to get within three points in the second half, immediately bringing to mind the Silverswords’ shocking upset of Virginia almost 25 years ago.
But McNeal keyed the deciding run with a tip-in of a missed free throw and three baskets on the break to let the Golden Eagles get some breathing room and avoid the upset.
The Golden Eagles (3-0) will face the winner of the LSU-Oklahoma State game in the semifinals on Tuesday.
Lazar Hayward added 15 points for Marquette, which is making its first appearance on Maui, while Dominic James and David Cubbilan both had 11.
No. 13 Duke 83, Princeton 61
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) – Freshman forward Kyle Singler had 21 points and 12 rebounds and Duke kept its perfect record on Maui intact with a victory over Princeton in the opening round of the EA Sports Maui Invitational.
Duke, which won the title here in 1992, 1997 and 2001, is 10-0 on the island and six of the wins have been by 20 points or more. The Blue Devils had that big a lead against Princeton seven minutes into this game.
Gerald Henderson had 12 points and Jon Scheyer added 10 for the Blue Devils (3-0), who will play the winner of the Arizona State-Illinois game in the semifinals Tuesday.
Lincoln Gunn had 16 points to lead the Tigers (2-1).
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