NEWARK, N.J. – Duke built a big lead and held on for a 100-93 victory against Arizona in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night at Prudential Center.

The Blue Devils made a move to control the game late in the first half and carried that over to the start of the second half. They led by as much as 19 early in the second half; the lead was whittled down to five late.

Cooper Flagg scored 30 points to lead Duke, dueling with a 35-point explosion from Caleb Love.

Big defensive plays from Khaman Maluach down the stretch — a block of a Love 3-pointer and post defense — were key in stifling Arizona’s comeback attempt.

Duke (34-3) will play 2-seed Alabama on Saturday in the Elite 8. The Crimson Tide beat 6-seed BYU 113-88 on Thursday in the earlier game, setting an NCAA tournament single-game record with 25 3-pointers. Mark Sears made 10 of those en route to a 34-point game, and he also had eight assists.

This was a 42-42 tie in the final minute of the first half before a couple of pivotal 3-pointers from Duke’s freshmen.

First, that was Kon Knueppel knocking one down from the top of the key. And then — after Duke finally secured a defensive rebound on a scramble — Flagg pulled up to beat the buzzer and send Duke into halftime with a 48-42 lead.

The lasting image heading into the halftime break was Flagg screaming, “Let’s f***ing go!” at midcourt. It brought an end to an eventful first half.

The Blue Devils pushed the lead early in the second half

Arizona (24-13) made its first three 3s and led 15-10 after about 5½ minutes.

Duke’s 38th kill shot — defined as scoring 10 straight points or more — came shortly after, starting with a Tyrese Proctor 3-pointer. It was slow-developing, with Arizona going six minutes without a field goal. Isaiah Evans and Knueppel had 3-pointers that pushed Duke’s lead to 23-16, and the run was 11 straight points.

Love was hot in the first half — Arizona needed him, too, with Jaden Bradley and KJ Lewis both picking up two early fouls. The former UNC guard scored 14 points in the first half, including a couple of deep and contested 3-pointers; that first-half total exceeded how many points he had in each of his last four games against Duke.

Duke’s starting lineup was the same as it’s been since Flagg’s return; that group is 26-1 this season, the only loss being at Clemson.