Connecticut 89, Quinnipiac 83 (2OT): Shabazz Napier scored 23 of his game-high 29 points in the final 3:26 of regulation and overtime to help the Huskies avoid the upset and advance to the finals of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam.
Ryan Boatright added 18 points despite an awful shooting night - he was 3-of-14 from the field but made 12-of-13 free throws. Omar Calhoun chipped in with 17 points for Connecticut (4-0), which will face New Mexico in the championship game Monday at 10 p.m. ET. The Lobos advanced with a 70-69 win against George Mason.
The Bobcats (2-2) pushed their lead to 55-45 on Garvey Young's 3-pointer with five minutes left in regulation, but Napier got on track and scored 11 points over the remainder of the second half - including a driving layup that tied it at 61-61 with four seconds left.
Quinnipiac looked to be out of it in the first overtime, but Young and Dave Johnson hit 3-pointers in the final 11.7 seconds of the extra period to keep the Bobcats alive. Johnson had 16 points and Garvey added 15 to lead Quinnipiac.
The Bobcats led by as many as five early on, but the Huskies forged a 26-26 tie at halftime despite shooting 23.1 percent (6-for-26) in the first half.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Huskies have won 67 consecutive games against in-state opponents. UConn's last loss to an in-state foe was a 49-48 loss to Hartford on Dec. 29, 1986, which was former coach Jim Calhoun's first season with the Huskies. … UConn leads the all-time series 10-0, and this was only the second contest decided by single digits. The Huskies had won the previous nine meetings by an average of 28 points. … The Bobcats will face George Mason in the third-place game at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday.
Connecticut | Quinnipiac | |
Shabazz Napier 29 | Scoring | Dave Johnson 16 |
Ryan Boatright 4 | Assists | Dave Johnson 4 |
Tyler Olander 7 | Rebounds | Ike Azotam 9 |
Ryan Boatright 12 | Free Throws Made | Dave Johnson 6 |
Ryan Boatright 2 | Steals | Evan Conti 1 |
DeAndre Daniels 3 | Blocks | Jamee Jackson 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Connecticut | 89 | 38.3 | 4-16 | 39-45 | 9 | 29 | 5 | 9 | 10 |
Quinnipiac | 83 | 39.4 | 7-15 | 24-35 | 6 | 39 | 4 | 3 | 17 |