Gonzaga’s late run upends W. Virginia

MEN’S TOP 25 NO. 1 GONZAGA 87, NO. 11 WEST VIRGINIA 82

INDIANANAPOLIS — Losing Jalen Suggs in the first half shook up No. 1 Gonzaga.

Getting him back in the second half Wednesday provided a needed jolt of energy.

Joel Ayayi matched his career high with 21 points, Andrew Nembhard and Corey Kispert each scored 19 points, and Suggs’ return shifted the transition game into gear to help the Bulldogs rally past No. 11 West Virginia 87-82.

“At first, we were kind of disappointed because we all love Jalen,” Nembhard said. “Him coming back in the game was big for us. He played football so you know he’s tough, and we’re pretty versatile so we could do some different things in the second to help him out. It worked out well for us.”

The freshman finished with 4 points, 5 assists and 6 rebounds — much of that production coming after he went down with what initially appeared to be a serious left ankle injury.

By the second half, he was lobbying to get back on the court. Once he did, everything turned for Gonzaga, which struggled against the Mountaineers’ size and strength.

Gonzaga ( 3- 0) has won seven in a row, dating to the end of last season, and already has two wins over top 15 opponents — Kansas and West Virginia (3-1).

Derek Culver finished with with 18 points and 15 rebounds, and Oscar Tshiebwe had 14 points and 9 rebounds before fouling out with 7:26 to play to lead the Mountaineers.

“We’re every bit as good as they are — if we don’t do dumb things,” Coach Bob Huggins said. “I think everyone should shoulder the blame.”

West Virginia’s defense got Gonzaga out of sync early, and when it looked like the Bulldogs were about to get going, Suggs drove toward the basket, his left foot sliding through the lane and collapsing to the floor where he stayed for several minutes. He needed help to reach his seat.

And the Mountaineers took advantage of the momentum shift by grabbing 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 as Kispert and Ajayi combined for nine points in the decisive run.

NO. 17 TEXAS 69, NO. 14 NORTH CAROLINA 67

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Matt Coleman hit a stepback jumper with 0.1 seconds left to help No. 17 Texas beat No. 14 North Carolina to win the relocated Maui Invitational.

Coleman finished with 22 points and was the tournament’s MVP for the Longhorns (4-0), who blew a 16-point lead late in the first half and fell behind with about 2½ minutes left. Coleman and Kai Jones both came up big in the critical moments for Texas, securing the Longhorns’ first Maui title in their fifth appearance in the tournament.

Garrison Brooks had 18 points for the Tar Heels (3-1).

NO. 22 FLORIDA STATE 86, NORTH FLORIDA 58

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — M.J. Walker scored 17 points and Balsa Koprivica added 13 as No. 22 Florida State opened its season with a rout of North Florida.

Scottie Barnes, the ACC’s preseason freshman of the year, had 8 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

Dorian James had 13 points and Jacob Crews added 12 for North Florida (0-4), which found some success in going 11 for 26 (42.3%) on three-pointers.

RaiQuan Gray had four of Florida State’s 12 steals.

The Seminoles forced North Florida into 24 turnovers and had a 42-27 edge on rebounds.

NO. 23 OHIO STATE 77, MOREHEAD STATE 44

COLUMBUS, Ohio — E. J. Liddell scored 16 points and No. 23 Ohio State pulled away from Morehead State.

Justice Sueing, C.J. Walker and Duane Washington Jr. had 11 points apiece for Ohio State (3-0). Kyle Young collected 10 points and nine rebounds.

DeVon Cooper scored 13 points for Morehead State (1-3), which shot a dismal 25% from the floor. Skyelar Potter had 11.