Terrell Vinson tipped in a rebound at the buzzer to lift UMass past Providence, 77-75, in an opening-round game at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in Bayamon on Thursday night.
UMass trailed by three points with 1:22 left when Jesse Morgan (18 points) hit a 3-pointer to tie the score at 75. The score stayed that way until the final second. Chaz Williams (17 points, five assists) drove to the basket and missed a layup, but Vinson finished it off for the Minutemen's second straight last-second win to open the season. UMass edged Harvard on Tuesday, 67-64, on Sampson Carter's 3-pointer with 1.2 ticks left.
Bryce Cotton scored a game-high 23 points for Providence (2-1). Also for the Friars, Kadeem Batts had 19 points and nine rebounds, and LaDontae Henton contributed 13 points and 11 boards.
UMass advances to a semifinal game against sixth-ranked NC State on Friday at 5 p.m. The Wolfpack knocked off Penn State on Thursday, 72-55.
Providence will play Penn State on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in a consolation-bracket game.
Links:
[1] http://www.weei.com/weei/boston/basketball