Fort Myers Tip-Off: No. 24 Virginia wins third place, App State takes Palm Division
WEDNESDAY
Read: Badgers down SMU in championship Wisconsin defeats SMU 69-61 in Fort Myers Tip-Off Championship
Beach Division Third Place
No. 24 Virginia came out on top of a slugfest with West Virginia 86-84 in the Beach Division third place final.
The Cavaliers' defense limited easy looks for the Mountaineers, as they finished the first half with four steals and three blocks. But West Virginia won the battle on the boards, and kept themselves within one score for a majority of the opening half.
Virginia came out of the break firing on all cylinders, holding West Virginia to without a field goal for the first four minutes and going on a 13-3 run through the first seven minutes.
The Mountaineers responded with a 6-0 run over their own, followed by a triple from Kobe Johnson that gave West Virginia a 42-40 lead with just over eight minutes to play.
The two squads traded blows for the rest of the game.
With under a minute to play, Ryan Dunn got under the rim on a driving spin move and was knocked down the contested layup to give the Cavaliers a 54-51 lead.
But the Mountaineers still had gas in the tank, and Quinn Slazinski was fouled on a three-point shot. Slazinski knocked down all three free throws to even things up at 54-54 with 36 seconds to play.
Virginia's Reece Beekman got to the rim on a drive from the top of the key, and was fouled by Slazinski on his game-winning layup attempt with two second left on the clock.
Beekman went 1-for-2 at the line, but Dunn reeled in the board on the second shot and was fouled with less than a second remaining. He knocked down one free throw to ice the 56-54 win for the Cavaliers.
Six different Virginia players scored five or more points in the win. Dunn led the way with 13 points, five rebounds, two steals, and one block. Beekman added 12 points, five assists, four rebounds, and four steals to the winning effort.
The Mountaineers won the rebound battle 41-28 and corralled12 offensive rebounds. Jesse Edwards and Quin Slazinski both scored 17 points in the loss.
Palm Division
Appalachian State closed out their time in Fort Myers with a 67-57 win over Murray State in the Palm Division of the Fort Myers Tip-Off.
Both teams shot 41 percent from the field while shooting under 30 percent from behind the arc in the first half.
They traded buckets for most of the half, with the Mountaineers getting the largest lead of the half just before heading to the locker room, 33-28.
Brian Moore Jr. led the Racers with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Donovan Gregory tallied nine points for App State before the break.
The Mountaineers maintained the two-score lead for most of the second half. App State extended the lead to 61-53 with just under two minutes to play after Murray State went two minutes without a field goal.
Gregory finished with a team-high 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting with six rebounds and four turnovers. Terence Marcum added 13 points to the winning effort.
Moore Jr. tallied a game-high 18 points on 50 percent shooting for Murray State, while Jacobi Wood had 11 points. The Racers finished the loss shooting 22-of-58 from the floor while going just 3-of-18 from three-point land.
TUESDAY
Palm Division
Appalachian State used sweltering defense to spur a lights-out shooting performance in the second half, securing an 86-56 win over UNC-Wilmington in the Palms Division of the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Tuesday afternoon.
UNCW (4-1) got off to a rough start in the first half, shooting 29 percent from the floor. They made up for it behind the arc however, knocking down 7-of-17 threes while committing just one turnover.
Trazari White was a force down low in the opening half, drawing contact and going a perfect 7-of-7 from the line (and the only Seahawk to get to the charity stripe in the half) while corralling five rebounds. He finished the loss with a team-high 15 points with eight rebounds and one block.
App State (2-2) had the inverse shooting struggles that plagued UNCW, shooting 50 percent from the field but going just 2-of-10 from deep in the first half while committing six turnovers. But their efficient play inside kept them within striking distance and the Mountaineers entered halftime down just 34-33.
A few minutes into the second half, the Mountaineers were a perfect 6-of-6 from the field while tightening the screws on defense, going on a 13-0 run and jumping out to a 47-39 lead with 15 minutes to play.
UNCW responded with a 6-0 run of its own, and cut the lead to 49-44 just a few minutes later. But App State continued their defensive pressure and held the Seahawks scoreless for three minutes as they went on another 9-0 run for a 59-47 lead with just under ten minutes to play.
The Mountaineers continued to get easy looks inside, getting quick transition looks and setting up good lobs. In the first ten minutes of the half, Myles Tate had nine points on 3-of-4 shooting while App State shot 61 percent from the floor as a team. Tate finished with 14 points, three assists, and two steals
The good looks increased as the Mountaineers came up with five blocks and five steals in the second half, and built a 26-point lead with five minutes to play. App State finished the second half shooting 70 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three-point land while outscoring UNCW 53-22.
Five different App State players finished in double-figures with Tre'v Spillers leading the Mountaineers with 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting along with seven rebounds and two blocks.
Donova Gregory tallied 14 points, seven boards, five assists and five turnovers while Christo Mantis had 13 points, two blocks, and one steal while going 3-of-6 from deep. Terence Harcum added 10 points to the winning effort.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Fort Myers Tip-Off: No. 24 Virginia wins third place, App State takes Palm Division
