'Didn't want this to end' even in NIT win for Chattanooga over UC Irvine to close record seasons
'Didn't want this to end' even in NIT win for Chattanooga over UC Irvine to close record seasons
INDIANAPOLIS — The calendar might say April, but March Madness was on full display in the NIT championship game Thursday at Butler's historic Hinkle Fieldhouse.
After forcing its second overtime of the tournament, Chattanooga knocked off top-seeded UC Irvine 85-84 to win its first NIT championship in the first meeting between the two programs.
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Senior wing Garrison Keeslar hit the game-winner for the Mocs (29-9) on a mid-range jumper with 11 seconds left in OT, but it was the final play of the game that sent the large contingent of Chattanooga fans into a frenzy.
With 2.7 seconds left and having to go the full length of the court, UC Irvine's Devin Tillis launched a Hail Mary pass. Somehow, 7-foot-1 center Bent Leuchten corralled the pass with one hand. Looking over his shoulder, Leuchten saw a wide-open Jurian Dixon on the baseline and dropped a Nikola Jokic-like pass off to Dixon, but Dixon's shot at the buzzer fell just short.
'I'm just thinking about our defense on that last play,' joked Chattanooga coach Dan Earl. 'I can't help myself, that's how I'm built. But I'm so thrilled for the guys. You talk about the original disappointment of not making the (NCAA) tournament, to turning the page and seeing how appreciative the guys are. I'm just proud of them, and proud that we could finish this off and they can each call themselves champions.'
Keeslar scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half and overtime, and added his first double-double of the season with 10 rebounds. Senior guard Trey Bonham and redshirt freshman Collin Mulholland both scored 19 for Chattanooga and junior guard Honor Huff added 14 points.
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'We knew we had a special group of guys that had a chance to make a run in the NIT,' Keeslar said. 'Honestly, for us, we didn't want this to end. This is a great group of guys. This is special. You don't get that very often. Even when it went to overtime, I looked at the guys and was like, 'We couldn't have written it any better. We get to play five more minutes of basketball with each other.''
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Tillis finished with 19 points to lead the Anteaters (32-7). Leuchten added 15 points and 11 rebounds. Justin Hohn scored 17, Dixon finished with 16 points, and Myles Che added 13 points.
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Chattanooga had played with fire throughout the tournament. The Mocs needed three overtimes in their first game to knock off No. 4 seed Middle Tennessee, and rallied after trailing at halftime in their previous two games, including by 16 at Bradley in the first half and by nine in Tuesday's semifinal against Loyola Chicago.
The Mocs started hot, opening an 8-0 lead behind a pair of 3s from Mulholland. The first half ended with a flurry, and Bonham was spectacular inside the final minute. He hit a pull-up jumper with 55 seconds left for a 33-32 Chattanooga lead. Dixon answered with a corner 3 to retake the lead. Bonham slashed and scored with 16 seconds left, but Tillis responded with his own layup for a 37-35 Anteaters lead with 4 seconds left. The 6-0 senior Bonham raced up the court after taking the inbounds and launched from just outside the midcourt line, draining the 3 for a 38-37 halftime lead.
UC Irvine opened the second half on a 10-2 run and had their biggest lead at 48-40 with 14:07 left in regulation. The Anteaters led 74-70 following a free throw by Leuchten with 1:38 left, but a 3-pointer by Keeslar and free throws by Huff helped force overtime.
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Both programs had record seasons for wins. UC Irvine set the single season record, finishing 32-7. Chattanooga tied a school record for wins, finishing 29-9.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: NIT championship: Chattanooga beats UC Irvine in wild overtime
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