Nov. 21, 2007

Henderson's 23 Points Helps Duke Past Illinois, 79-66

Duke has a chance at another title on Maui, but the Blue Devils will have to defeat a team that beat them in a tournament championship game last season.

Gerald Henderson scored 23 points and DeMarcus Nelson added 16 to lead the 13th-ranked Blue Devils to a 79-66 victory over Illinois on Tuesday night in the semifinals of the EA Sports Maui Invitational.

Duke (4-0) will meet No. 11 Marquette, which beat Oklahoma State 91-61, on Wednesday night for the shot at title No. 4.

The Golden Eagles beat Duke 73-62 in the finals of the CBE Classic in Kansas City, Mo., last November, and most of that Marquette team is back.

Virginia Remains Undefeated With 72-58 Win over Drexel

Sean Singletary had 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists and No. 23 Virginia returned to John Paul Jones Arena after an impressive trip out West with a 72-58 victory against Drexel on Tuesday night.

The Cavaliers (4-0), who handed Arizona its first November home loss since the 1978-79 season with a 75-72 victory on Saturday night, led 31-25 at halftime and used a 10-2 run in the second half to stretch their lead to double digits.

Mamadi Diane capped the burst with a 3-pointer and the Cavaliers gradually stretched their advantage to 18 in the second half. Diane, Adrian Joseph and Calvin Baker each added 11 points for the Cavaliers, 19-1 on their home floor since it opened at the start of last season.

No. 1 Carolina Overpowers South Carolina State, 110-64

North Carolina has shown what it can do here against an overmatched opponent. The top-ranked Tar Heels will soon learn how they'll respond when they leave their home state.

Tyler Hansbrough scored 26 points and Wayne Ellington added 19 to help North Carolina beat South CAROLINA State 110-64 Tuesday night, giving the Tar Heels another easy win before starting an extended road swing that will keep them away for nearly a month.

Danny Green had 15 points for the Tar Heels (3-0), who earned their second straight blowout win in the Las Vegas Invitational.

Florida State Rolls Over Georgia State, 78-48

Uche Echefu scored a career-high 18 points, and Florida State snapped its two-game losing streak with a 78-48 win over Georgia State on Tuesday night.

Echefu made 6-of-7 from the field, including 2-for-3 from the 3-point line and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. He added five rebounds. Isaiah Swann scored 14 points, and Toney Douglas added 10 for the Seminoles, who travel to play at No. 25 Florida on Friday.

The Seminoles (4-2) scored 33 points off of 26 Georgia State turnovers and outscored the Panthers 32-18 in the paint. Florida State held Georgia State to 33-percent shooting from the field.

Missouri Downs Maryland, 84-70

Leo Lyons had 23 points and 11 rebounds, and Missouri swarmed Maryland into numerous mistakes for an 84-70 victory over the Terrapins on Tuesday night in the consolation game of the CBE Classic.

Missouri (4-1) twice rallied from double-digit leads in the semifinals against No. 10 Michigan State, using their frenetic defense to rattle the Spartans into 17 turnovers. The Tigers' pressure had the same effect early against Maryland, which had 12 turnovers in the first half, including two at the start of a 10-0 run that put Missouri up 39-29.

Darryl Butterfield hit some big shots after leading scorer DeMarre Carroll went out with foul trouble. Butterfield finished with 11 points. Carroll also had 11, but played just 15 minutes, four in the second half.