Gonzaga wins Maui championship with 61-59 victory over Cincinnati in overtime

Gonzaga wins Maui title, beats Cincinnati in OT

LAHAINA, Hawaii — Robert Sacre scored 14 points and Gonzaga won the Maui Invitational for the first time in three tries, beating Cincinnati 61-59 in overtime Wednesday night at the Lahaina Civic Center.

Steven Gray and Elias Harris added 13 points apiece for Gonzaga (5-1).

The Bulldogs, who also got 12 points from Demetri Goodson, overcame a 10-point second-half deficit and sent the game to overtime after Sacre hit a floater in the lane with 16 seconds to play in regulation. Sacre then blocked Cincinnati’s alley-oop attempt at the buzzer.

The Bearcats (4-1) looked weary in overtime, missing five of seven free throws in the first 1:45 while falling behind by two.

Yancy Gates, who scored 11 points, had a putback dunk with 12.6 seconds remaining to bring the Bearcats within one, but Cashmere Wright missed a floater as time expired.

Lance Stephenson led Cincinnati with 15 points.

It was Gonzaga’s third appearance in the Maui Invitational. The Bulldogs reached the championship game once before, losing to Connecticut 65-63 in 2005.