"Dayton Defeats No. 2 UConn for Third Consecutive Loss: Top 25 Recap"
Enoch Cheeks tallied eight of his 20 points in a crucial stretch late in the second half on Wednesday as Dayton handed two-time defending national champion and second-ranked UConn their third defeat at the Maui Invitational with a dominant 85-67 victory in the seventh-place game at Lahaina, Hawaii.
The Flyers (6-2) went on a 7-0 run, highlighted by Javon Bennett finding Cheeks open for a 3-pointer in transition to extend Dayton's lead to 69-57 with 4:27 remaining. Cheeks' jumper with three minutes left sealed the game at 77-61.
This win marked Dayton's first victory at the tournament after suffering close losses to No. 12 North Carolina and No. 5 Iowa State in their previous two games.
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UConn (4-3) entered the event with a 17-game winning streak but fell short by just two points in overtime against Memphis and by one point against Colorado. The three losses in Maui match the total number of defeats the Huskies had in the 2023-24 season.
West Virginia 86, No. 3 Gonzaga 78 (OT)
Javon Small led the Mountaineers with 31 points to rally past the Bulldogs in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in Nassau, Bahamas.
Amani Hansberry also had a career-high 19 points and eight rebounds for West Virginia (4-1), who will face another surprise first-round winner, Louisville, in the semifinals on Thursday. Louisville stunned No. 14 Indiana in their quarterfinal matchup.
Braden Huff scored 19 points and Khalif Battle added 16 points for Gonzaga (5-1), who will play in the consolation round against Indiana on Thursday.
No. 4 Auburn 90, Memphis 76
Johni Broome notched 21 points, 16 rebounds, six assists, and four blocked shots to lead Auburn to a victory over Memphis in a battle of the Tigers to win the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii.
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Dylan Cardwell was perfect from the field, scoring a career-high 18 points for Auburn (7-0), who never trailed in the game. The team shot an impressive 56.7% from the field.
PJ Haggerty led Memphis (6-1) with 27 points and nine rebounds, but it wasn't enough to secure the win. Colby Rogers and Dain Dainja each added 15 points for Memphis.
No. 5 Iowa State 99, Colorado 71
Milan Momcilovic scored 18 of his career-high 24 points in the first half to lead the Cyclones to a victory over the Buffaloes in the fifth-place game of the Maui Invitational at Lahaina, Hawaii.
Curtis Jones also had a strong performance with 19 points, while Keshon Gilbert contributed 15 points and six assists for the Cyclones (5-1). Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson, and Dishon Jackson each added 10 points.
Julian Hammond III led Colorado (5-2) with 20 points, and Andrej Jakimovski added 18 points in the loss. Colorado was coming off a victory over No. 2 UConn in the second round of the tournament on Tuesday.
No. 7 Tennessee 78, UT-Martin 35
The Volunteers outscored the Skyhawks by 28 points in the second half to secure a dominant victory in Knoxville, Tenn.
Chaz Lanier led all scorers with 18 points for Tennessee (7-0), who expanded on their 35-20 halftime lead with a 43-15 second half. Felix Okpara had a double-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks, while Igor Milicic Jr. added nine points and 13 rebounds. Zakai Zeigler nearly had a double-double as well with 11 points and nine assists.
UT Martin (2-5) struggled to find their footing in the second half, missing their first eight shots after halftime. Josu Grullon led the team with 15 points, but his performance was not enough to overcome Tennessee's dominant play.
No. 9 Alabama 95, Rutgers 90
Mark Sears scored 24 points to lead Alabama to a hard-fought
