No. 12 Michigan State capped a wild five days in Hawaii with a 74-71 overtime victory Wednesday over No. 9 Arizona to finish third in the Maui Invitational.
The trip to the 50th state started with a 22-point loss at the University of Hawaii that dropped the Spartans from their No. 4 preseason ranking. It included a 109-106 triple-overtime loss to No. 8 Gonzaga in the Maui semifinals.
Just 18 hours after leaving the Lahaina Civic Center following the loss to Gonzaga, the Spartans (2-2) looked impressive in building a big lead against Arizona only to see the Wildcats score 16 straight points to take a 60-58 lead.
Paul Davis made two free throws with 30 seconds left to tie it and send the Spartans to overtime for the second straight day.
Shannon Brown, who had 19 points, gave the Spartans the lead for good at 70-68 with a jumper with 35 seconds left.
“Four-and-a-half games in five days, we did wear down a little bit,” said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, taking the blame for the hectic start to the season. “There was stupidity in the scheduling, but we survived it.”
Davis said the Spartans were determined not to let the bad second half against Arizona make the trip home a somber one.
“In the timeouts late we were saying, `We’re not going to lose this game,”‘ he said.
Maurice Ager, who had a career-high 36 points in the loss to Gonzaga, scored 20 points against Arizona.
Mensah-Bonsu suspended
Senior forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu was suspended for three games by George Washington for NCAA violations related to his early declaration for the NBA draft.
Mensah-Bonsu was held out of the Colonials’ regular-season opener Wednesday and also will miss games against Norfolk State and St. Francis (Pa.).
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
RESULTS, SYNOPSIS
#1 Duke 78 vs. Drexel 68
J.J Redick scored season-high 31 pts to help Blue Devils (4-0) beat pesky Dragons (3-1) in NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals. Dominick Mejia had 25 pts, including 14 in 1st half, for Drexel.
#3 Conn. 65 vs. #8 Gonzaga 63
Denham Brown hit basket with :01.1 left to give Huskies (4-0) victory over Bulldogs (3-1) in Maui Invitational title game. J.P. Batista’s 2 FTs with :06.6 left had tied game for Gonzaga.
Binghamton 60 At #5 Oklahoma 88
Taj Gray, David Godbold and Michael Neal each scored 14 pts and Sooners (2-0) built 50-31 halftime lead to cruise past Bearcats (0-3), who were led by Andre Heard’s 18 pts.
#11 Memphis 88 vs. #16 UCLAl 80
Freshman Shawne Williams scored 20 of his 26 pts in 1st half to help Tigers (3-0) hold off Bruins (3-1) in NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals to make 1st appearance in final in 3 tries.
Kennesaw State 42 at #21 G. Wash. 87
Mike Hall had 22 pts and 10 rebs and Colonials (1-0) had little trouble with Division I newcomer Owls (1-3). Carl Elliott added 14 pts and Maureece Rice had 11 of his 13 in 2nd half for GW.
#22 Nevada 77 at Vermont 62
Marcellus Kemp scored 24 pts and Wolf Pack (2-0) snapped 14-game home winning streak of Catamounts (0-3). Kemp, 8 of 12 from field, helped Nevada to 11th straight road victory.
#23 Maryland 75 vs. Arkansas 62
Ekene Ibekwe had 16 pts and Chris McCray added 15 for Terrapins (3-1) in 5th-place game of Maui Invitational at Lahaina, Hawaii. Ronnie Brewer led Razorbacks (2-2) with 19 pts.
Nicholls State 56 at Penn State 93
Jamelle Cornley scored career-high 17 pts and Milos Bogetic added 12 pts and 13 rebs as Nittany Lions (2-0) shot 51% from field and received 53 points from bench.
Valparaiso 74 at IPFW 68
Dan Oppland scored 26 pts on 12 of 19 shooting to lead Crusaders (1-0) over Mastodons (1-2). Mohamed Kone added 15 pts and 11 rebs for Valpo. DeWitt Scott led IPFW with 26 pts.
