FULLERTON (AP) — Denzel Valentine had a triple-double of 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and No. 3 Michigan State beat Boston College 99-68 Thursday in an opening-round game at the DirectTV Wooden Legacy to give coach Tom Izzo his 500th career victory.
Valentine helped the Spartans expand their 13-point halftime lead to 27 midway through the second half. His second triple-double of the season was the first in the event’s nine-year history.

No. 8 VILLANOVA 59, STANFORD 45
NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 18 points and Villanova overcame a poor shooting performance against Stanford in the semifinals of the NIT Season Tipoff.
Brunson had the most productive game of his freshman season while the Wildcats (5-0) struggled from the floor at Barclays Center. They shot 30.6 percent but did enough to advance to the championship game Friday against Georgia Tech, which beat Arkansas 83-73.

No. 25 TEXAS A&M 62, No. 10 GONZAGA 61
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Danuel House scored 19 points and Texas A&M edged Gonzaga to advance to the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Silas Melson missed a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer for the Bulldogs as time expired, with House contesting the shot.

MONMOUTH 70,
 No. 17 NOTRE DAME 68
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Justin Robinson scored 22 points, including two free throws with 3.6 seconds left, and Monmouth upset Notre Dame in the first round of the AdvoCare Invitational.
Robinson was fouled driving to the basket and calmly sank the decisive shots. Demetrius Jackson’s midcourt jumper at the buzzer was well off the mark.
Monmouth (3-1) also got 15 points from Micah Seaborn.

SYRACUSE 79,
No. 18 UCONN 76
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Michael Gbinije and Trevor Cooney each had 17 points, and Syracuse beat Connecticut to reach the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Tyler Lydon added 16 points off the bench. Gbinije also had seven assists.
The Orange (5-0) went on an 18-8 spurt to take a 65-55 lead with 7:45 remaining. Syracuse then fought off several spurts by the Huskies (4-1).

SOUTHERN CAL 72, No. 20 WICHITA STATE 69
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Freshman Bennie Boatright had a career-high 22 points and USC beat Wichita State at the AdvoCare Invitational.
Wichita State (2-2) played without senior guard Fred VanVleet, who missed his second consecutive game with ankle and hamstring injuries. He twisted his ankle in the season opener Nov. 13 against Charleston Southern and then was limited by hamstring soreness four days later in a game with Tulsa.

No. 23 XAVIER 64,
ALABAMA 45
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla, (AP) — Trevon Bluiett scored 15 points, J.P. Macura added 14 and Xavier beat Alabama in the first round of the AdvoCare Invitational.
Macura helped the Musketeers (5-0) overcome an early first-half deficit. Bluiett was part of a second-half surge that gave Xavier a comfortable advantage.