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Coleman III’s buzzer beater lifts No. 17/22 Men’s Basketball to 69-67 win over No. 14/16 North Carolina
12.02.2020 | Men's Basketball
Senior guard hits jumper from foul line with 0.1 second left and propel the Longhorns to the Camping World Maui Invitational title
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Senior guard Matt Coleman III hit a jumper from the foul line with 0.1 second left to lift No. 17/22 Texas (4-0) to a dramatic 69-67 victory over No. 14/16 North Carolina (3-1) on Wednesday afternoon in the championship game of the Camping World Maui Invitational. This marked UT's first title at the prestigious tournament in its fifth overall appearance.
Coleman paced the Longhorns with a game-high 22 points while converting 9-of-16 field goals, including 3-of-6 from three-point range, in 37 minutes. He earned tournament MVP honors, averaging a team-best 16.0 points and 5.0 assists in 37.0 minutes per game over the three contests while converting 50-percent (18-36) from the field, including a 7-of-17 (.412) mark from three-point range, and 5-of-6 free throws.
Junior guard Courtney Ramey added 13 points, three assists and three steals in 37 minutes, and sophomore forward Kai Jones registered 12 points (4-5 FG, 3-3 FT) and a team-high eight rebounds in 26 minutes. Freshman forward Greg Brown also reached double figures in scoring with 10 points.
North Carolina jumped out to a 15-10 lead at the 10:51 mark following a Day'Ron Sharpe put-back layup. The Longhorns scored 14 consecutive points en route to a 26-5 run over the next seven minutes to build a 36-20 advantage with 3:50 remaining after a pair of Brown free throws. UT forced 10 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes and took a 40-28 lead into the break.
The Tar Heels opened the second half with a 12-2 spurt to close within 42-40 after a Garrison Brooks jumper at the 16:00 mark. Back-to-back baskets by Coleman gave the Longhorns a 56-46 lead with 10:38 remaining, but UNC answered with a 9-0 run to trim the margin to 56-55 following a Brooks free throw at the 6:48 mark.
A Brooks turnaround jumper provided North Carolina with its final lead of the contest (65-63) with 2:35 left. Kai Jones converted a pull-up jumper and finished a dunk in transition to give Texas a 67-65 lead with 41 seconds remaining. UNC's Leaky Black then made a pair of free throws with 25 seconds left to set the stage for Coleman's heroics.
Texas returns to action when it hosts No. 12/3 Villanova on Sunday, Dec. 6. Tip is set for 12 p.m. CT at the Frank Erwin Center, and the game will be televised nationally by ESPN.
Texas Basketball Postgame Notes
#17/22 Texas 69, #14/16 North Carolina 67
Camping World Maui Invitational championship game
December 2, 2020
Harrah's Cherokee Center-Asheville (Asheville, N.C.)
Attendance: 0
Team Notes
- Texas captured the title at the prestigious Maui Invitational for the first time in program history. UT's previous-best finishes in its four prior appearances were a pair of third-place showings in 2004 and 2008.
- The Longhorns have now won five straight and nine of the last 10 meetings against the Tar Heels.
- Texas registered a 15-10 margin in points off turnovers, a 17-9 advantage in fast-break points and a 19-15 edge in bench scoring.
- UT converted 40.9-percent from three-point range (9-22), while UNC hit just 1-of-9 (.111) from beyond the arc.
- The Longhorns tallied a season-high 10 steals.
- Texas built a 40-28 halftime advantage on the strength of forcing 10 turnovers and posting an 11-4 advantage in points off turnovers.
- The Longhorns hit 47-percent (7-15) from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes.
- Reached double figures in scoring (10 points) for the third time this year and in his career (4 games)
- Hit the game-winning basket on a jumper from the foul line with 0.1 seconds left on the clock
- This marked his second buzzer beater in the last six games dating back to last season. Coleman banked in a running three-pointer in the final seconds last year at Oklahoma (March 3, 2020) to help UT to a 52-51 win.
- Topped the 20-point mark (22 points) for the first time this year (4 games) and 10th time in his career (105 games)
- Reached double figures in scoring for the fourth time this year and 59th time in his career
- Tied his career high in field goals made (9-16)
- Claimed Most Valuable Player honors at the Camping World Maui Invitational, averaging a team-best 16.0 ppg and 5.0 apg in 37.0 mpg while converting 50-percent from the floor (18-36), including a 7-of-17 (.412) mark from three-point range, and 5-of-6 (.833) free throws
- Set a career high with 4 blocked shots (previous: 3, three times)
- Grabbed 5 rebounds and recorded a plus-minus total of +14 in 20 minutes
- Reached double figures in scoring (12 points) for the third time this season (4 games) and fifth time in his career (31 games)
- Grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds and registered a plus-minus total of +17 in 27 minutes
- Tied his career high in assists (2) and free throws made (3-3)
- Reached double figures in scoring (13 points) for the fourth time this season (4 games) and 41st time in his career (72 games)
