Texas wins and loses in Great Alaska Shootout
ANCHORAGE -- Texas won its first game of the season Thursday night but lost another freshman starter to injury.
Behind Chris Owens' 19 second-half points, the Longhorns (1-1) overcame a 14-point first-half deficit and defeated Oregon State 78-68 in opening round action of the Great Alaska Shootout. In Thursday's other first-round game, Gonzaga held off St. John's 65-58.
In Wednesday's first-round games, No. 20 Indiana blew out tournament host Alaska Anchorage 101-60 and Marquette beat Tennessee 85-74. In women's Great Alaska Shootout action on Wednesday, Iowa claimed the tournament championship with a 90-73 victory over Gonzaga. Marquette beat UAA 88-50 in the consolation game.
Sydmill Harris, starting in place of injured Texas point guard T.J. Ford, scored five points but was helped off the floor late in the first half after suffering a concussion.
"I don't know what else could happen this early in the season," coach Rick Barnes said afterward.
His team had made adjustments after losing Ford, and had to make more after losing Harris.
"You can't have a great season in November, but you can blow a great season in November," Barnes said.
In Thursday's other first-round game, Alex Hernandez hit three free throws in the final 24 seconds to help Gonzaga hold off St. John's.
A Zach Gourde tip-in of a Hernandez miss gave Gonzaga its first lead, 47-46, with just under 11 minutes left in the second half. Blake Stepp followed with a 3-point shot and the Bulldogs never relinquished the lead.
Gonzaga (2-1) shot just 31 percent in the first half but hit 13 of 21 in the second half, led by 17 points from Dan Dickau.
In a first-round game on Wednesday, No. 20 Indiana blew out Alaska Anchorage as the Hoosiers hit 16 of 24 3-point shots. Dane Fife led Indiana with 20 points and six 3-pointers, while Jared Jeffries added 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Peter Bullock scored 25 points to lead UAA, with Cody Gallatin adding 12 points and G.J. Macon 11.
In the other Wednesday first-round game, Dwayne Wade scored 30 points and grabbed to lead Marquette over Tennessee. Cordell Henry added 18 points for Marquette, while Vince Yarbrough led Tennessee with 24 points and seven rebounds.
GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT WOMEN
In Anchorage, two Alaskans enjoyed a successful homecoming as they helped lead Iowa over Gonzaga 90-73 in Wednesday's women's championship game.
Leah Magner, who attended Colony High School, scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Hawkeyes, while former Service High star Beatrice Bullock added eight points and seven rebounds. Lindsey Meder scored 21 points to lead Iowa, earning tournament outstanding player honors. Jennie Lillis had 13 points and Kristi Faulkner added 11 for the Hawkeyes.
Jessica Malone scored 22 points to lead Gonzaga, with Ashley Burke adding 17 for the Bulldogs, who also picked up 11 rebounds and seven assists from Raeanna Jewell.
In Wednesday's consolation game, Marquette used a balanced attack to beat UAA, 88-50. UAA is the only NCAA Division II school in the tournament. Rachel Klug and Katie Alsdurf both scored 12 points to lead the Golden Eagles, while Lesley Juedes, Kelly Schwerman and Kylee Bogott each scored 11.
Jennifer Stoddard scored 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the tournament-host Seawolves, while Tanya Nizich of Juneau scored 10 points for UAA.