NEW YORK — The No. 4 Arizona versus No. 6 Duke NIT Season Tip-Off Finals matchup has lived up to the hype after one half of play, with the Blue Devils holding a tight 36-33 lead at Madison Square Garden.
The game commenced nearly an hour late because Drexel took three overtimes to defeat Alabama for third place in the NIT Season Tip-Off. Fans booed fervently after the first and second overtime buzzers sounded.
Both sides went back and forth from the start, as the game was tied 11 times with eight different lead changes. The Wildcats (6-0) barely outshot the Blue Devils (6-1), a total 52 to 50 percent.
Sophomore power forward Brandon Ashley, who scored Arizona’s first points of the game, led the team in scoring with 11 points. Fellow sophomore center Kaleb Tarczewski topped Arizona with six rebounds.
Duke’s freshman standout, Jabari Parker, has outplayed his first year counterpart Aaron Gordon so far, outscoring him 11-2. However, Gordon’s three rebounds and two assists exceed Parker’s totals (1,0).
Tarczewski, Gordon and junior guard Nick Johnson racked up two fouls each in the opening half for the Wildcats. The Blue Devils’ Quinn Cook and Amile Jefferson were called for two fouls in the first half as well.
