Tucker DeVries scores 26, West Virginia beats No. 24 Arizona in another OT game at Battle 4 Atlantis
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Tucker DeVries scored 26 points, Javon Small made 7 of 8 free throws in overtime and West Virginia claimed third place at the Battle 4 Atlantis with an 83-76 victory over No. 24 Arizona on Friday.
DeVries made his eighth and final 3-pointer during West Virginia’s 7-2 run to open overtime and Toby Okani added his third 3-pointer nearly two minutes later for a six-point lead.
It was the third straight overtime game in three days for West Virginia (5-2), which also topped No. 3 Gonzaga on Wednesday to begin the event.
Okani finished with 20 points and Small added 14 points for West Virginia. Amani Hansberry had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Caleb Love scored 24 points on 9-of-20 shooting for Arizona (3-4). Trey Townsend added 19.
Takeaways
West Virginia was cold from 3-point range except for DeVries. He was 6 of 8 from 3-point range at the 14-minute mark of the second half while the rest of his teammates combined to make 1 of 14. West Virginia finished 12 of 34 from distance and Arizona made 7 of 21.
Key moment
West Virginia missed 10 of its last 11 shots in regulation. In the closing seconds, Small drove into the lane but his shot was blocked at the rim by KJ Lewis, who passed it ahead to Love for a game-tying 3-pointer with 14.1 seconds left to make it 66-all. After a timeout, DeVries was forced into a tough fadeaway that bounced off the rim as time expired.
Key stat
Small, West Virginia’s point guard, played 40-plus minutes in all three games. He had eight assists to only three turnovers against Arizona.
Up next
Arizona returns home for a game against Southern Utah on Dec. 7. West Virginia hosts Georgetown on Dec. 6.
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