ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (AP) – Matt Coleman III scored 16 points for Texas 17 to beat Indiana 66-44 in Tuesday’s Maui Invitational semi-finals, winning the tournament championship game for the first time.
Courtney Ramey added thirteen issues for the Longhorns (3-0), which were closed to force offensive functionality for the Hoosiers.
Indiana fired 24% and ended up with more ball losses (14) than area targets (11). Their fights included four relays of approximately five minutes or more between baskets, adding one of approximately 8 minutes that ended just before half-time.
It was a much higher result for Texas in the defensive aspect than in its difficult first-round win over Davidson. However, the Longhorns did not have the same offensive balance, with only Coleman, Ramey and Andrew Jones (12 points) scoring double digits after six Texas players did so last afternoon.
Trayce Jackson-Davis scored 17 points to lead Indiana (2-1), which hit 20 of 29 single shots in what is his top reliable scoring source with few chances.
Indiana was losing 31-19 at halftime and did not approach 10 after the first minute of the period at the time. The deficit surpassed 20 points in half the time part on a frustrating afternoon, when fourth-year coach Archie Miller whistled for a missing technician at 10:38 at the end.
The tournament is played in the North Carolina Mountains of its classic scene in Hawaii due to the coronavirus pandemic.
BIG PICTURE
Texas: The Longhorns beat Davidson on Ramey’s first green drive with 20 seconds to play, followed by two triples through Davidson for the win. back while keeping the Hoosiers just five goals in the area in the first half, a welcome sign after coach Shaka Smart spoke of the need to see a defensive improvement starting Monday.
Indiana: The Hoosiers outperformed Providence in the first round, which included getting a great race day with Thompson in the lead, with the 6-foot 8 ahead recording 22 problems and thirteen rebounds for their first double-double in their career, but Thompson and the Hoosiers fought. At first, without thirteen of 15 shots, he then controlled a basket in the eight and a half minutes before half-time to dig into a hole they could not erase. And Thompson ended up with four problems in a 1 out of 5 shot.
Following
Texas: The Longhorns for Wednesday’s championship game to face North Carolina winner-Stanford.
Indiana: The Hoosiers will face loser North Carolina-Stanford in the game for third place on Wednesday.
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