'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.
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
'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.''
How good is Purdue's Braden Smith? These 7 stats have him among sport's best
Money matters: Indiana basketball coach Darian DeVries to be top-20 earner in salary with new contract
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.
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
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
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
3 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Today in Sports - Michael Phelps wins 8th gold medal at Beijing Games for most ever at an Olympics
Aug. 17 1933 — Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees plays his 1,308th straight game to break Everett Scott's record of 1,307. 1938 — Henry Armstrong wins the lightweight title with a 15-round decision over Lou Ambers and becomes the only boxer to hold world championship titles in three weight divisions simultaneously. Armstrong won the featherweight (126-pound) title by knocking out Petey Sarron in six rounds on Oct. 29, 1937. On May 31, 1938, he won the welterweight (147-pound) championship from Barney Ross by a decision. 1960 — Flash Elorde knocks out Harold Gomes at 1:20 in the first round to win the world junior lightweight title. 1969 — Ray Floyd beats Gary Player by one stroke to win the PGA championship. 1995 — John Roethlisberger wins the U.S. National Gymnastics Championships' all-around title in New Orleans, becoming the first gymnast in 28 years to win four titles. 1997 — Davis Love III shoots a 66 at Winged Foot to win the PGA Championship in Mamaroneck, N.Y., his first major title, by five strokes over Justin Leonard with a 72-hole total of 11-under 269. 2001 — Shingo Katayama shoots a 6-under 64, and David Toms shoots a 65 to share the second-round lead in the PGA Championship. Katayama and Toms at 9-under 131, tie the PGA record for 36 holes last set by Ernie Els at Riviera in 1995. 2005 — The NCAA purchases the rights to the preseason and postseason National Invitation Tournaments as part of a settlement ending a four-year legal fight between the two parties. The 40-team postseason NIT, which is a year older and was once the bigger event, will be run by the NCAA. 2008 — At the Summer Olympics in Beijing, Michael Phelps and three teammates win the 400-meter medley relay for Phelps' eighth gold medal, eclipsing Mark Spitz's seven-gold performance at the 1972 Munich Games. Of his five individual races and three relays, Phelps sets world records in seven and an Olympic record in the eighth. 2008 — Jesus Sauceda of Matamoros, Mexico, pitches the fifth perfect game in Little League World Series history and the first in 29 years for a 12-0 win over Emilia, Italy. Sauceda also stars at the plate, going 3-for-3 with six RBIs, including a grand slam in the third. 2013 — Nick Davilla throws six touchdown passes and the Arizona Rattlers defeat the Philadelphia Soul 48-39 in the Arena Bowl. The Rattlers win the championship for the second straight year, beating the Soul in both championship games. 2014 — Inbee Park successfully defends her title in the LPGA Championship, beating Brittany Lincicome with a par on the first hole of a playoff to end the United States' major streak at three. 2014 — The Phoenix Mercury sets a WNBA record with their 29th win, beating the Seattle Storm 78-65 in the season finale. Phoenix (29-5) tops the previous mark set by Los Angeles (28-4 in both 2000 and 2001) and Seattle (28-6 in 2010). 2015 — The National Labor Relations Board dismisses a historic ruling that Northwestern University football players are school employees who are entitled to form what would be the nation's first union of college athletes. 2016 — Jamaica's Elaine Thompson completes the first 100-200 women's Olympic double since 1988. Thompson wins the 200 in 21.78 seconds to become the first woman since Marion Jones in 2000 to win both Olympic sprints. Jones' records have since been stripped, so Thompson goes in the record book along with Florence Griffith-Joyner, who starred in the 1988 Seoul Games. _____
USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
6 takeaways from Day 2 of Patriots-Vikings joint practices
The New England Patriots concluded their second day of joint practices with the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, having been given a real test this week. Both the Vikings' offense and defense provided challenges for the Patriots, and as expected, things went well, while the team struggled in other areas. So, here are the key takeaways from the second day of joint practice with the Vikings: *Information in this piece provided by the Boston Herald's Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed, NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry, and MassLive's Mark Daniels 1. Mike Vrabel Jumps in the Middle of a Fight... Again During a scuffle between the Patriots and the Washington Commanders in last week's joint practice, head coach Mike Vrabel jumped in to try and break it up, but ended up on the bottom and even came up with a streak of blood on his face. And on Thursday, he jumped right in again between New England and the Vikings, and once again ended up on the bottom of the pile. Oh, and not to mention it was Vrabel's 50th birthday. With that, he told reporters there is only one kind of cake he wants. 'There's one answer, it's carrot cake,' Vrabel said. 'There's one answer. There's no hemming and hawing.' 2. Another Rough Day for Will Campbell Will Campbell certainly had his hands full during joint practices, and Thursday was no different. The rookie left tackle was battling Pro Bowl edge rusher Jonathan Greenard and gave up two sacks during team drills. 3. Ben Brown Makes The Move to Left Guard After having some struggles during the first day, Jared Wilson didn't take part in the second day despite being present in pads. He was even photographed leaving the field early. In his absence, Ben Brown filled in at left guard, continuing to work with the top unit. 4. Drake Maye to Kayshon Boutte Hail Mary Drake Maye has been having some success in the two-minute periods to end practice on both days of joint practice. One day after hitting TreVeyon Henderson on a wheel route, with the rookie running back taking it for a 70-yard touchdown, Maye connected with Kayshon Boutte on a Hail Mary. This came after Maye was sacked twice, which forced a fourth-down situation. But, he sent the ball deep for Boutte, and the receiver didn't disappoint. 5. J.J. McCarthy vs. The Patriots Defense J.J. McCarthy took advantage of the Patriots' missing Christian Gonzalez, giving the cornerbacks a lot of trouble. Despite nice pressure from New England's defensive line, McCarthy was able to make plays and connect with his receivers, including nice plays to T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison. 6. Attendance Not participating: CB Christian Gonzalez, WR Ja'Lynn Polk, LB Marte Mapu, RB Terrell Jennings, RB Rhamondre Stevenson, LB Jahlani Tavai, WR Kendrick Bourne, TE Hunter Henry Returned: TE Hunter Henry, ED Elijah Ponder Limited: S Jabrill Peppers, CB D.J. James Left Early: OL Jared Wilson What's Next? The Patriots will face off against the Vikings in their second preseason game on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET at U.S. Bank Stadium. Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell announced that J.J. McCarthy will not play, and Sam Howell will start instead. Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
4 standouts from Day 2 of Patriots' joint practices with Vikings
The New England Patriots battled it out with the Minnesota Vikings for a second straight day at Thursday's joint practice between the two teams. There was a heavier focus on red zone work during the competitive team periods, and the Vikings seemed to get the better of the Patriots in this practice. Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy was missing All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson and still managed to carve up the Patriots' defense. Perhaps the most concerning part of the practice was the poor offensive line performance, particularly on the left side. It's important to note that the Vikings were a playoff team with 14 wins last season. Even without Jefferson, they are loaded at the skilled positions, and they have one of the best defenses in the NFL. This was always going to be a tough out for a young Patriots team. Here were the four standout players from Day 2 of joint practices with the Vikings: WR Efton Chism III Efton Chism III was the clear standout working with the second-team unit for the Patriots. The undrafted rookie wide receiver has come on strong in the last two weeks of training camp practices, and he kept that momentum going against a Vikings defense that mostly held the Patriots in check. He had a strong connection with veteran quarterback Joshua Dobbs throughout the day. DT Christian Barmore On a day when J.J. McCarthy had his way with the Patriots' defense, veteran defensive tackle Christian Barmore was credited with two sacks at Thursday's practice. It was one of the few positive performances for a unit that didn't have many answers for the Vikings' offense. When healthy, Barmore is one of the best defensive tackles in the league. He clearly wasn't going down without a fight. WR Kayshon Boutte Patriots second-year wideout Kayshon Boutte connected with Drake Maye for the play of the day to close out the practice. He hauled in a 40-yard bomb from the young quarterback with three defenders in the vicinity, resulting in multiple Patriots players running onto the field to celebrate. It was a highlight-reel play that lifted some of the stench from a tough training camp practice. QB Drake Maye This wasn't the best showing from the Patriots' offense, but Drake Maye wasn't at fault for those issues. There wasn't much separation from receivers, and the offensive line was a complete disaster. Yet, Maye still completed tight-window throws and didn't turn the ball over. His best throw of the practice was the Hail Mary touchdown connection with wideout Kayshon Boutte to end the session. Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
