Matt Coleman III scored 16 points to help No. 17 Texas beat Indiana 66-44 in Tuesday's semifinals of the relocated Maui Invitational, reaching the tournament's championship game for the first time.
Courtney Ramey added 13 points for the Longhorns (3-0), who locked down to force a rough offensive performance for the Hoosiers.
Indiana shot just 24% and finished with more turnovers (14) than field goals (11). Its struggles included four stints of roughly five minutes or longer between baskets, including one of nearly eight minutes that ended just before halftime.
Texas forward Jericho Sims (20) and Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis (23) tip off for the start of a semifinal NCAA college basketball game in the Maui Invitational tournament, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, in Asheville, N.C. (AP PhotoKathy Kmonicek)
It was a far better result for Texas at the defensive end than in their tough first-round win against Davidson. The Longhorns didn't have the same offensive balance, though, with only Coleman, Ramey and Andrew Jones (12 points) hitting double figures after six Texas players did so the previous afternoon.
Trayce Jackson-Davis scored 17 points to lead Indiana (2-1), which made 20 of 29 free throws in what amounted to its most reliable source of scoring, with little else falling.
Indiana trailed 31-19 at the break and got no closer than 10 after the opening minute of the second half. The deficit ballooned past 20 points by midway through the second half on a frustrating afternoon, which included fourth-year coach Archie Miller getting whistled for a technical foul with 10:38 left.
The tournament is being played in the North Carolina mountains instead of its traditional Hawaii setting due to the coronavirus pandemic.
BIG PICTURE
Texas: The Longhorns advanced past Davidson in the first round on Ramey's go-ahead drive with 20 seconds left, followed by two missed 3-pointers by Davidson for the win. The Longhorns didn't have any such drama this time, scoring the first six points and never trailing while holding the Hoosiers to just five first-half field goals — a welcome sign after coach Shaka Smart talked about the need to see defensive improvement from Monday.
Indiana: The Hoosiers overwhelmed Providence in the first round. That included getting a huge day from Race Thompson up front, with the 6-foot-8 forward posting 22 points and 13 rebounds for his first career double-double. But Thompson and the Hoosiers sputtered from the start in this one, missing 13 of 15 shots, then managing just one field goal for the final 8 1/2 minutes before halftime to dig themselves into a hole they would not erase. And Thompson finished with four points on 1-for-5 shooting.
UP NEXT
Texas: The Longhorns advanced to Wednesday’s championship game to face the North Carolina-Stanford winner.
Indiana: The Hoosiers will face the North Carolina-Stanford loser in Wednesday's third-place game.
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