Longhorns tame Tar Heels
Matt Coleman III hit a stepback jumper with 0.1 seconds left to lift Texas past North Carolina, 69-67, in the championship game of the relocated Maui Invitational on Wednesday night.
Coleman finished with 22 points and was the tournament’s MVP.
The Longhorns (4-0) blew a 16-point lead late in the first half and fell behind with about 2 1/2 minutes left. Coleman and Kai Jones came up big in the critical moments for Texas, securing the Longhorns’ first Maui title.
Jones had 12 points, including a tying jumper with 2:19 left and then a transition dunk with 41.2 seconds remaining that gave Texas a 67-65 lead. North Carolina’s Leaky Black answered with two free throws with 25.6 seconds left, only to see Coleman make a tough shot against RJ Davis that hit the rim, bounced off the backboard and dropped through the net.
No. 1 Gonzaga 87, No. 11 West Virginia 82 — Joel Ayayi matched his career high with 21 points and Andrew Nembhard and Corey Kispert each had, and No. 1 Gonzaga rallied to beat No. 11 West Virginia in the Jimmy V Classic.
The Bulldogs (3-0) struggled to get in sync early and again after freshman Jalen Suggs injured an ankle in the first half. But Gonzaga used a late 13-4 run to take control and scored six straight points late to seal it.
Derek Culver led West Virginia (3-1) with 18 points and 15 rebounds.
Gonzaga shooters struggled early and just when it seemed they were about get on track, Suggs slid through the lane, hurting his left ankle.
West Virginia took advantage of the momentum swing with a 14-3 run that gave it a 33-24 lead late in the first half.
When Suggs returned in the second half, Gonzaga charged back. It retook the lead on Kispert’s layup with 9:46 to play and seized control with Kispert and Ajayi combining for nine points in the decisive run.
Rhode Island 76, Seton Hall 63 — Makhi Mitchell recorded 11 points and 11 rebounds to carry Rhode Island to a win over Seton Hall.
Fatts Russell had 17 points for Rhode Island (3-2). Jeremy Sheppard added 14 points. Ishmael Leggett had 11 points.
Sandro Mamukelashvili had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Pirates (1-2). Jared Rhoden added 10 points.
Alabama 88, Providence 71 — John Petty Jr. scored 16 points and Jaden Shackelford added 15 and Alabama beat Providence.
It was the fifth/sixthplace game of the relocated Maui Invitational.
Joshua Primo also scored 15 for the Crimson Tide (3-1) and Herbert Jones had 11. Alabama scored 86 points Tuesday night in a 12-point win over UNLV.
The Tide finished 29-of62 (46.8%) shooting from the field including 12 of 29 from 3-point range. A 48-28 rebounding advantage, 18 of which came on the offensive end, helped Alabama seize control of the interior.
A.J. Reeves’ 3-pointer early in the second half brought Providence within 41-35, and Petty sandwiched a pair of layups around a jumper from Reeves. Jones made a 3 and the Tide led 49-37 and by double digits for most of the remainder.