College basketball: No. 1 Gonzaga beats No. 11 West Virginia in Jimmy V Classic

Joel Ayayi matched his career high with 21 points and Andrew Nembhard and Corey Kispert each had 19, and No. 1 Gonzaga rallied to beat No. 11 West Virginia 87-82 on Wednesday night in the Jimmy V Classic.

The Bulldogs (3-0) struggled to get in sync early and again after freshman Jalen Suggs injured an ankle in the first half. But Gonzaga used a late 13-4 run to take control and scored six straight points late to seal it.

Derek Culver led West Virginia (3-1) with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Oscar Tshiebwe had 14 points and nine rebounds before fouling out with 7:26 to play. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak and dropped the Mountaineers to 0-5 in the series.

This did not look like the same Gonzaga team that won two shootouts last week.

The shooters struggled early and just when it seemed they were about get on track, Suggs slid through the lane, hurting his left ankle. He stayed on the ground for several minutes and needing help to reach his chair.

West Virginia took advantage of the momentum swing with a 14-3 run that gave it 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 with Kispert and Ajayi combining for nine points in the decisive run.

No. 2 Baylor 82, No. 5 Illinois 69

Adam Flagler scored 18 points and Baylor pulled away late to beat Illinois in the second game of the Jimmy V Classic.

Baylor (3-0) won for the first time this season with coach Scott Drew on the sideline. He missed the previous two games after a positive COVID-19 test, but watched his team swing the game with its trademark defense in the second half.

Ayo Dosunmu had 18 points and Giorgi Beshanishvili added 15 for Illinois (3-1).

Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua started the decisive stretch by making two free throws with 12:51 left. That broke a 43-all tie and spurred Baylor to six straight points. After Illinois made a 3-pointer, Baylor scored five more points and then took control with another run, this time 9-0.

When it ended, Baylor led 65-51 with 7:31 left and the Illini never seriously challenged again.

No. 17 Texas 69, No. 14 North Carolina 67

Matt Coleman III hit a stepback jumper with 0.1 seconds left to lift Texas past North Carolina in the championship game of the relocated Maui Invitational.

Coleman finished with 22 points and was the tournament’s most valuable player.

The Longhorns (4-0) blew a 16-point lead late in the first half and fell behind with about 2 1/2 minutes left. Coleman and Kai Jones came up big in the critical moments for Texas, securing the Longhorns’ first Maui title in their fifth appearance in the tournament.

Jones had 12 points, including a tying jumper with 2:19 left and then a transition dunk with 41.2 seconds remaining that gave Texas a 67-65 lead. North Carolina’s Leaky Black answered with two free throws with 25.6 seconds left, only to see Coleman make a tough shot against RJ Davis that hit the rim, bounced off the backboard and dropped through the net.

Garrison Brooks had 18 points for the Tar Heels (3-1), playing through an ankle injury.

No. 22 Florida State 86, North Florida 58

M.J. Walker scored 17 points and Balsa Koprivica added 13 and Florida State opened its season with a blowout victory.

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

Dorian James had 13 points for North Florida (0-4).

No. 23 Ohio State 77, Morehead State 44

E.J. Liddell scored 16 points to help Ohio State rout Morehead State.

Justice Sueing, C.J. Walker and Duane Washington Jr. had 11 points apiece for Ohio State (3-0).

DeVon Cooper scored 13 points for Morehead State (1-3). The Eagles shot 25% from the floor.