New Mexico 66, No. 23 Connecticut 60: Kendall Williams collected 15 points and five assists and Hugh Greenwood added 12 points and seven rebounds as the Lobos withstood a late run from the Huskies to win the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam.
Connecticut (4-1) was able to turn it on late in its first two wins in the tournament, but the Huskies' rally was not enough this time. Ryan Boatright knocked down three free throws to give UConn a 55-53 lead - its first since the 1:15 mark of the first half - but Greenwood's 3-pointer on the next trip down put New Mexico (4-0) back in front for good.
Tony Snell added 11 points and Alex Kirk had 10 points for the Lobos, who were 21-for-21 from the foul line and made six in the final 37 seconds to seal it.
New Mexico led by as many as 10 and was up 53-44 with 7:11 left when the Huskies made their charge. Enosch Wolf knocked down a jumper and Boatright and DeAndre Daniels hit 3-pointers to get Connecticut within 53-52.
Shabazz Napier scored 23 points and Boatright added 12 for the Huskies, who survived double-overtime against Quinnipiac on Sunday to reach the final.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Williams was named tournament MVP. Napier and Boatright were both named to the all-tourney team. ... UConn was trying to become the first team to win the tournament twice. The Huskies won it in 2008. … New Mexico has made at least one 3-pointer in 697 consecutive games dating to 1991. The Lobos were 7-for-23 from 3-point range. … The game was the first this season in which neither Williams nor Snell scored 20 points for the Lobos.
New Mexico | Connecticut | |
Kendall Williams 15 | Scoring | Shabazz Napier 23 |
Kendall Williams 5 | Assists | Shabazz Napier 4 |
Hugh Greenwood 7 | Rebounds | Omar Calhoun 5 |
Chad Adams 4 | Free Throws Made | Ryan Boatright 3 |
Kendall Williams 2 | Steals | Shabazz Napier 3 |
Hugh Greenwood 1 | Blocks | DeAndre Daniels 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
New Mexico | 66 | 39.6 | 7-22 | 21-21 | 11 | 30 | 1 | 5 | 13 |
Connecticut | 60 | 42.6 | 7-18 | 7-9 | 10 | 24 | 3 | 6 | 12 |