Pac-12 basketball: No. 14 UNC tops Stanford in Maui semifinals; UC Riverside takes down Washington

Leaky Black had a big driving basket at the 1:02 mark followed by a clinching free throw with 5.5 seconds left to help No. 14 North Carolina hold off Stanford 67-63 in Tuesday’s semifinals at the relocated Maui Invitational.

Freshman Caleb Love scored 16 points to lead the Tar Heels (3-0), who did just enough down the stretch to stay unbeaten. UNC shot 50% after halftime and won despite committing 24 turnovers, which led to 22 points for Stanford.

Black finished with 10 points and seven rebounds as one of five players in double figures. He came through with his biggest play when he drove into the paint and scooped in a layup to increase UNC’s lead to 66-63.

Then, after Spencer Jones missed a straightaway 3 for the tie with about 10 seconds left, Black grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He missed the first free throw but hit the second to make it a two-possession lead and all but ensure UNC would advance to the Maui title game.

It also improved the Tar Heels to 13-0 all-time against the Cardinal.

Daejon Davis scored 18 points to lead Stanford (1-1), which shot 39% for the game and made just 5 of 20 3-point tries. Touted freshman Ziaire Williams finished with 10 points.

The game featured a matchup for UNC coach Roy Williams against one of his former players and assistants in Stanford’s Jerod Haase, who beat his mentor while head coach at UAB but had lost the other four meetings.

The tournament is being played in the North Carolina mountains instead of its traditional Hawaii setting due to the coronavirus pandemic. It’s a home-state game for the Tar Heels in the city where Roy Williams grew up and played in high school, though with fan cutouts in the stands and crowd noise pumped in.

UC Riverside 57, Washington 42

Jock Perry scored 21 points, Arinze Chidom had eight points and 12 rebounds and UC Riverside beat Washington 57-42 on Tuesday for coach Mike Magpayo’s first victory with the Highlanders.

UC Riverside led by as many as 13 points in the second haft, but Washington cut it to 44-38 with 9:03 remaining. That would be Washington’s final basket as the Huskies missed their final 12 shots down the stretch.

Magpayo missed UC Riverside’s opening loss to Pacific last Wednesday after flying back to southern California to be with his wife for the birth of their child. Magpayo, who is the first Division I men’s coach of Asian descent, was named the head coach in July after David Patrick accepted a coaching position at Arkansas.

Washington, which last led at 3-2, finished 16 of 52 (29.6%) from the field and was outrebounded 49-33 by the Highlanders of the Big West Conference.

Zion Pullin added nine rebounds and nine assists for UC Riverside (1-1). Perry was 9 of 15 from the field and Chidom 4 for 13.

Perry had 14 points in the first half on 7-of-10 shooting and Pullin had four points, six rebounds and seven assists as UC Riverside led 29-22 after forcing nine turnovers and not allowing an offensive rebound.

Quade Green scored 18 points for Washington (0-2), which returned just 35% of its scoring from last season and was picked by the media to finish ninth in the Pac-12. Hameir Wright had seven points, six rebounds and four steals, but he was just 1 of 10 from 3-point range.

It was a last-minute addition to the schedule for both teams. Washington lost to No. 2 Baylor on Sunday, and opted to stay in Las Vegas before its scheduled Pac-12 opener on Thursday at Utah. UC Riverside’s scheduled game against Fresno State on Monday was canceled do to a positive COVID-19 test within the Bulldogs program.