FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Khalif Battle had 21 points off the bench and No. 14 Arkansas used a pair of big runs in the middle of the game to beat Gardner-Webb 86-68 on Friday night.
Tramon Mark added 14 points and El Ellis scored 13 for the Razorbacks. Trevon Brazile had 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
After trailing by eight early, Arkansas (2-0) finished the first half on a 17-5 surge and reeled off another 13-4 spurt in the first few minutes of the second to help build a 26-point lead.
Gardner-Webb (1-1) put a little scare into the home crowd during the first half. The Runnin’ Bulldogs led for almost 10 minutes and didn’t trail by more than six points until less than three minutes remained before halftime.
Besides struggling to stop Arkansas after those first few minutes, Gardner-Webb was eventually stifled by the Razorbacks’ size. Brazile blocked five shots and Makhi Mitchell blocked four more while also chipping in five rebounds and four points.
Caleb Robinson led Gardner-Webb with 18 points, and Julien Soumaoro added 15.
Davidson 64, Maryland 61
ASHEVILLE — Freshman Bobby Durkin buried a go-ahead 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining and scored 16 points to lead Davidson to a 64-61 victory over Maryland in the opener of the Asheville Championship on Friday night.
Davidson (2-0) will play the winner of Friday’s nightcap between Clemson and UAB in the title game on Sunday. Maryland (1-1) will play the loser on Sunday.
Durkin came off the bench to make 4 of 5 shots from beyond the arc for the Wildcats, who improved to 4-8 all-time against the Terrapins in a series that dates to the 1938-39 season when both were members of the Southern Conference.
Angelo Brizzi sank 8 of 9 foul shots and finished with 10 points, six steals and four assists for Davidson. David Skogman contributed nine points and eight rebounds.
All-Big Ten Conference preseason first-team selection Jahmir Young led Maryland with 18 points and seven assists. Young also reached the 2,000 career-points mark. Julian Reese totaled 16 points and 11 rebounds.
The Wildcats shot 43% overall but made 8 of 15 from distance. The Terrapins shot 35% overall and made only five of their 23 3-point attempts — 21.7%.
NC State 84, Abilene Christian 64
RALEIGH — Jayden Taylor scored 22 points and NC State defeated Abilene Christian 84-64 on Friday night.
Taylor, a Butler transfer, was 5-of-12 shooting with three 3-pointers and made all nine of his free throws. He and Casey Morsell had 3-pointers in an 11-0 run that put the Wolfpack up by 29 with 8½ minutes remaining.
Morsell scored 16 points, Arizona State grad transfer DJ Horne added 15 and DJ Burns Jr. had 12 for NC State (2-0). Missouri transfer Mohamed Diarra just missed his second straight double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds. The Wolfpack shot 46% and made 20 of 24 free throws.
Immanuel Allen, with 11 points, was the only double-figures scorer for the Wildcats (1-1), who opened their season with a 64-59 win over Oklahoma State on Monday.
NC State hosts Charleston Southern next Friday.
Georgia 80, Wake Forest 77
ATHENS, Ga. — Noah Thomasson scored 21 points, including 13 in the second half, to lead five Georgia players scoring in double figures and the Bulldogs beat Wake Forest 80-77 Friday night.
Jabri Abdur-Rahim added 17 points and Russel Tchewa 11 for Georgia (1-1). RJ Melendez and Silas Demary Jr. scored 10 points apiece.
Thomasson hit 3-pointers to open and close a 20-6 run that gave the Bulldogs a 69-56 lead with 9 minutes to play. Hunter Sallis and Kevin Miller each hit a 3 before Andrew Carr converted a three-point play that capped a 12-1 spurt that cut the Demon Deacons’ deficit to 74-72 with 4:48 left. But Thomasson answered with a jumper 19 seconds later and Wake Forest got no closer.
Miller had 22 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals for Wake Forest (1-1) and Carr finished with 18 points and eight rebounds. Sallis scored 13 points on 5-of-18 shooting and Cameron Hildreth added 12 points.
Georgia plays North Carolina Central at home on Sunday. Wake Forest takes on Utah at the Charleston Classic on Thursday.
Liberty 71, Charlotte 59
CHARLOTTE — Kyle Rode’s 20 points helped Liberty defeat Charlotte 71-59 on Friday night.
Rode shot 8 for 14, including 4 for 8 from beyond the arc, for the Flames (2-0). Brody Peebles added 13 points, and Kaden Metheny finished with nine points.
Igor Milicic Jr. led the 49ers (1-1), finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Nik Graves added 12 points for Charlotte. In addition, Daylen Berry had 10 points.
Charlotte hosts Utah Valley on Wednesday.
UNC Greensboro 94, North Carolina A&T 78
Southern Illinois 91, Queens 68
