Top 25 roundup: Oklahoma edges No. 24 Arizona in Atlantis semis

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Oklahoma 82, No. 24 Arizona 77

Jeremiah Fears delivered a stellar 26-point performance, sealing Oklahoma’s victory with clutch free throws in the final seconds of the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinal in Paradise Island, Bahamas.

Fears hit two free throws with eight seconds left after a critical rebound and iced the game after Arizona cut the lead to three. Jalon Moore contributed 24 points and seven rebounds, while Luke Northweather chipped in 10 points off the bench for the Sooners (6-0), who advanced to face Louisville in the championship game.

Arizona (3-3) was led by Caleb Love’s 17 points. Motiejus Krivas scored 14 points, and Trey Townsend added 10 for the Wildcats, who will play West Virginia in the third-place game.

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No. 3 Gonzaga 89, No. 14 Indiana 73

Khalif Battle paced the Bulldogs with 16 points as Gonzaga defeated Indiana in a consolation game of the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Nolan Hickman scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half, and Michael Ajayi matched his 15-point tally for the Bulldogs (6-1). Ryan Nembhard dished out 13 assists and collected five steals in addition to scoring 11 points. Gonzaga will face Davidson in the fifth-place game.

Indiana (4-2) saw Oumar Ballo dominate early, scoring 19 of his 25 points in the first half. Mackenzie Mgbako added 13 points, but the Hoosiers struggled to keep up in the second half and will face Providence in the seventh-place game.


No. 13 Purdue 71, North Carolina State 61

Trey Kaufman-Renn poured in 22 points to help Purdue secure a decisive victory over North Carolina State at the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego.

Camden Heide added 15 points, including three 3-pointers, while Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively. Purdue (6-1) will play No. 23 Ole Miss in the title game.

Jayden Taylor led NC State (5-1) with 15 points, while Brandon Huntley-Hatfield contributed 13 points and eight rebounds. The Wolfpack will face BYU in their next matchup.


No. 18 Florida 75, Wake Forest 58

Walter Clayton Jr. scored 21 points to lead the Gators past Wake Forest in the ESPN Events Invitational semifinals in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Florida (7-0) featured four double-digit scorers, with Tre’Von Spillers recording a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds. The Gators will face Wichita State in the championship game.

Hunter Sallis and Cameron Hildreth each scored 15 points for Wake Forest (6-2), which had a two-game winning streak snapped.


Illinois 90, No. 19 Arkansas 77

Tomislav Ivisic had 21 points, including six 3-pointers, to lift Illinois over Arkansas in a high-profile matchup in Kansas City, Mo.

Ivisic also added 10 rebounds and three blocks in the win, while Kasparas Jakucionis scored a team-high 23 points. Illinois (6-1) shot a blistering 42.1% from deep.

Adou Thiero led Arkansas (5-2) with 26 points, but missed nine of his 21 free throws. Zvonimir Ivisic, Tomislav’s twin, had 13 points and six rebounds in the loss.


No. 23 Ole Miss 96, BYU 85 (OT)

Jaylen Murray erupted for a career-high 28 points, including nine in overtime, as Ole Miss defeated BYU in a thrilling game in San Diego.

Murray’s late-game heroics capped a standout performance for the Rebels (6-0), who also got 18 points each from Dre Davis and Matthew Murrell. Ole Miss will face Purdue in the title game.

Kanon Catchings led BYU (5-1) with 17 points, while Richie Saunders, Egor Demin, and Fousseyni Traore each scored 16.

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No. 25 Mississippi State 80, UNLV 58

KeShawn Murphy posted a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, leading Mississippi State to a dominant win over UNLV at the Arizona Tip-Off in Tempe, Ariz.

Josh Hubbard added 11 points before exiting with an apparent ankle injury. The Bulldogs (6-0) out-rebounded the Runnin’ Rebels 46-29 and outscored them 30-3 in second-chance points.

Jailen Bedford led UNLV (4-2) with 13 points, but the Rebels struggled in their first road game of the season.

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