Blue Devils escape Belmont upset bid

WASHINGTON - Mighty, mighty Duke let teeny, tiny Belmont play with the big boys. And, for stretches, get the better of them.

No. 2-seeded Duke actually trailed in the final 15 seconds before barely avoiding the monumental upset, using every last one of Gerald Henderson's 21 points to edge No. 15 Belmont 71-70 in the first round of the West Regional on Thursday night.

While Belmont couldn't quite pull off the stunner, it was surprising enough how close this game was. In a matchup between a school with three NCAA titles - that would be Duke, of course - and another that never has won a game in the tournament, it was Henderson's driving basket with 11.9 seconds left that erased Belmont's final lead.

After ACC defensive player of the year DeMarcus Nelson stole the ensuing inbounds pass, he was fouled, but he missed at the line. Belmont got the rebound, and one final chance to make history, with 2.2 seconds left. The Bruins' leading scorer, Justin Hare, got a good look at the basket from about 35 feet away, but his shot clanged off the iron.

West Virginia 75, Arizona 65

WASHINGTON - West Virginia's prowess from long range made Arizona's 24th consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament another one-anddone performance.

Alex Ruoff scored 21 points, Da'Sean Butler had 19, and the Mountaineers won.

West Virginia (25-10) took the lead for good on a 3- pointer by Ruoff with 17:43 left, and another jumper by Rouff from beyond the arc made it 48-39. After Arizona closed to 60-59, two 3-pointers by Darris Nichols and another by Ruoff sealed the victory.

Chase Budinger led Arizona (19-15) with 23 points, and Jordan Hill had 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Xavier 73, Georgia 61

WASHINGTON - Derrick Brown's 19 points and 11 rebounds led a balanced as-usual offense, and No. 3-seeded Xavier avoided a big upset by rallying to overcome fading Georgia.

Super-sub Josh Duncan scored 20 for the Musketeers (28-6), who trailed by as many as 11 in the second half but conjured up a 22-6 run to come back.

Xavier will play Purdue on Saturday in the second round.

Terrance Woodbury had 16 points and do-everything guard Sundiata Gaines' finished with 13 for Georgia (17-17), which could not sustain the energy it summoned during last week's run to the SEC tournament title.

Purdue 90, Baylor 79 WASHINGTON - Keaton Grant scored 17 points and Purdue built a 19-point halftime lead, then cruised to its 10th straight in the first round since 1993.

E'Twaun Moore added 16 for the sixth-seeded Boilermakers (25-8), who have won 15 of 18.

Baylor, meanwhile, will have to wait another year before seeking to end a 58- year winless drought in the NCAA tournament.

The Bears (21-11) were making their first trip to the tournament since 1988 and second since 1950.