NEW YORK — Jeremy Roach tied a career high with 22 points and No. 15 Duke led virtually the entire way in a 74-62 victory over Iowa on Tuesday night in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.
With cancer survivor Dick Vitale calling the game for ESPN, the Blue Devils (9-2) won their third straight since a 19-point loss to Purdue last month in the championship game of the Phil Knight Legacy.
Roach entered 10 of 29 from the floor in his past three games since scoring 21 points against Xavier on Nov. 25. He helped Duke improve to 4-0 in this event by shooting 8 for 18 and making three of the team’s seven 3-pointers.
Mark Mitchell added 13 of his 17 points in the second half. Kyle Filipowski had 12 points and 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double, and Ryan Young grabbed 11 boards to help the Blue Devils outrebound Iowa 45-35.
Patrick McCaffery led the Hawkeyes (6-2) with 12 points in a game that had special meaning to him. The junior forward was 13 when he was diagnosed with cancer of the thyroid, the small gland at the base of the front of the neck that regulates a person’s metabolism.
The son of Iowa coach Fran McCaffery had two operations in 2014, and his grueling follow-up treatment included taking two radioactive iodine pills to eliminate any possible remaining cancer cells from his lymph nodes.
Three months after his diagnosis, he was declared cancer-free.
Filip Rebraca added 10 points but Iowa rarely developed a consistent flow on offense as leading scorer Kris Murray was held to eight on 3-of-9 shooting. Murray entered Iowa’s first game against a ranked opponent averaging 21 points and scored a career-high 31 last week against Georgia Tech.
Roach converted a three-point play with 14:14 remaining to give Duke its second 12-point lead at 51-39. The Blue Devils extended it to 59-43 when Young passed out of a double team near the baseline to Mitchell, who dunked and finished a three-point play with 9:51 left.
Duke hosts Maryland-Eastern Shore on Saturday before visiting Wake Forest for its first ACC road game next Tuesday.
UNC Wilmington 74, East Carolina 61
WILMINGTON — Trazarien White had 18 points and 14 rebounds in UNC Wilmington’s 74-61 win over East Carolina on Tuesday night.
Maleeck Harden-Hayes added 12 points for the Seahawks (7-3) while going 5 of 6 from the field, and he also had five rebounds. The Seahawks picked up their sixth straight victory.
Javon Small led the Pirates (6-4) in scoring, finishing with 19 points. East Carolina also got 12 points, seven rebounds and two steals from Ezra Ausar. Brandon Johnson had eight points and nine rebounds.
High Point 85, Furman 82
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Jaden House had 29 points in High Point’s 85-82 win against Furman on Tuesday night.
Zack Austin scored the last two points of the game with a pair of free throws with six seconds left.
House added seven rebounds for the Panthers (8-1). Abdoulaye Thiam scored 21 points, going 8 of 10 (5 for 6 from distance). Austin recorded 14 points.
Mike Bothwell led the Paladins (6-3) in scoring, finishing with 29 points and seven rebounds. Garrett Hien added 15 points for Furman. JP Pegues also had 12 points.
No. 9 Arkansas 65, UNC Greensboro 58
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Standout freshman Nick Smith Jr. scored 22 points in just his third game to help No. 9 Arkansas overcome a sluggish offensive showing and outlast UNC Greensboro 65-58 on Tuesday night.
The Razorbacks (8-1) shot 33.3% and trailed for a majority of the game. Arkansas didn’t take the lead for good until Devo Davis made a pair of free throws with 4:04 left. Anthony Black followed with a 3-pointer a minute later and Arkansas went on a 13-3 burst to take a three-possession lead into the final minute.
Smith, a projected NBA lottery pick, missed Arkansas’ first six games with a knee injury.
“In virtually his second game, to have 22 points, especially when we only scored 65, if he doesn’t have a good scoring night, we probably don’t win tonight,” Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said.
Makhi Mitchell had 13 points and 14 rebounds for Arkansas, Davis had 10 points and 10 boards, and Black scored 11 points.
Donovan Atwell led UNC Greensboro (4-6) with 12 points and Dante Treacy added 11.
Arkansas’s poor shooting in the first half led to the Hogs having as many turnovers (nine) as made field goals in the opening 20 minutes. UNC Greensboro was hardly better, shooting 29% in the first half, but the Spartans made four 3-pointers to take a five-point lead into halftime.
The Razorbacks’ biggest advantage came via their aggression in getting to the rim. Arkansas outscored the Spartans in the paint 28-24 and went 26 of 33 from the free-throw line. UNC Greensboro was 7 of 11 on free throws.
Smith, who played 39 minutes, made 9 of 11 free throws, including 3 of 3 in the final 90 seconds.
“Obviously we were a little bit concerned about his wind and conditioning, but I thought he was fresh enough to make some foul shots when we needed them,” Musselman said.
UNCG hosts Marshall on Dec. 13.
Marquette 90, NC Central 78
MILWAUKEE — Olivier-Maxence Prosper scored 25 points as Marquette beat North Carolina Central 90-78 on Tuesday night.
Prosper was 11-of-14 shooting for the Golden Eagles (7-3). Kam Jones addded 16 points. Oso Ighodaro finished a perfect 5 of 5 from the floor to finish with 10 points.
Justin Wright led the way for the Eagles (5-5) with 18 points and two steals. Brendan Medley-Bacon added 16 points and seven rebounds for North Carolina Central. Kris Monroe also recorded 10 points and eight rebounds.
Appalachian State 103, Carlow 43
BOONE — CJ Huntley and Justin Abson had 12 points each in Appalachian State’s 103-43 win over Carlow on Tuesday night.
Huntley also added eight rebounds for the Mountaineers (6-4). Abson was a perfect 6 of 6 from the field. Terence Harcum added 11 points.
Nehemiah Brazil led the way for the Celtics with 13 points. Byron Gaskins added 11 points for Carlow.
