Notre Dame Wins 2017 Maui Jim Maui Invitational

Notre Dame Wins 2017 Maui Jim Maui Invitational. Courtesy photo. 

Notre Dame claimed its first championship of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational by defeating Wichita State 67-66 to secure the 34th annual Wayne Duke championship trophy.

The Fighting Irish capped off their final day of the 2017 basketball tournament with a pair of free throws in the final seconds of play at the Lahaina Civic Center.

Notre Dame’s Matt Farrell took home the 2017 Maui Jim Maui Invitational Tournament MVP award.

“We’ve got guys that are fearless. Confident guys,” said Farrell in a post game press conference.   “I don’t know if you can say it was one play. Whoever was in the game was playing hard. Just trying to make the right play. Marti was battling all game, rebounding. Rex was down there rebounding. Everybody just played really hard, and we played for each other. There is something special about this group. We have a lot of fun with each other. It’s just a great vibe,” said Farrell.

The 2017 Maui Jim Maui Invitational All-Tournament Team featured three players from Wichita State, and one each from Notre Dame, Marquette and LSU.  The list included: Landry Shamet, Wichita State; Shaquille Morris, Wichita State; Rashard Kelly, Wichita State; Andrew Rowsey, Marquette; Tremont Waters, LSU; and Bonzie Colson, Notre Dame.

Last year’s event attracted more than 23,000 people and generated an estimated $17.2 million in visitor spending for the island of Maui.  Since its inception in 1984, the tournament has contributed more than $205 million to the local island economy.

Below are tournament highlights from the final day of play:

Game 12: Notre Dame 67, Wichita State 66

Despite trailing for 38 minutes, Notre Dame rallied back to beat Wichita State, 67-66, with a pair of free throws by Martinas Geben with two seconds to play.

Wichita State took control of the first half, shooting 50 percent from the field to Notre Dame’s 40 percent. The Shockers were up by as many as 16 points in the first half and went into the locker room leading 37-23 at the half.

The Fighting Irish fought back at the end, however, inching their way closer to the Shockers throughout the second half. The Irish pulled to within three points after a 3-pointer by Bonzie Coleman with 5:56 to play. But it was senior Geben who clinched the title for Notre Dame, knocking down both of his free throws after being fouled with 2 seconds to play.

Colson was the leading scorer for the Irish with 25 total points. This is the first Maui Jim Maui Invitational title for Notre Dame.

Game 9: Chaminde 96, Cal 72

Behind a string of hot shooters, Chaminade upsets Cal in a 96-72 victory to claim its eighth all-time win in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.

Chaminade came out on a mission, knocking down threes and shooting 53 percent from behind the arc in the first half. The Silverswords took immediate control of the game with an opening 3-point shot by Dantley Walter and never lost the lead. They shot 56 percent from both the field and the 3-point line and had six players who put up double digit points. Walker, the team’s leading scorer, had a career-high 23 points.

Cal’s leading scorer, Justice Sueing, picked up 23 points in the game.

The Silverswords’ last win in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational was in 2012 against Texas.

Game 10: Michigan 68, VCU 60

Behind the leadership of Duncan Robinson, Michigan executed down the stretch to pull out the victory over VCU, 68-60.

Michigan’s Moritz Wagner scored six of the team’s last eight points in a closing 11-0 run to push the Wolverines past the Rams. Wagner, and three other Michigan players, put up double digits in the team’s win, including 18 points from the team’s leading scorer, Duncan Robinson.

The game was close throughout, until Michigan went on a 11-0 run deep in the second half. VCU didn’t score a single basket in the game’s final 1:59, including two missed three pointers and a turnover in that span.

Game 11: Marquette 94, LSU 84

Marquette leaned on its sharp shooting, and near perfect free throw shooting, to beat LSU, 94-84.

Marquette picked up an early lead in the first half and shot 58 percent from the field overall and an impressive 88 percent from the free throw line. The Golden Eagles were led by senior Andrew Rowsey, who contributed 30 points and was perfect from the free throw line, making 16 of 16 attempts to tie the second most made free throws in the history of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.

Despite the Tigers’ loss, freshman guard Tremont Waters delivered a phenomenal performance, racking up 39 points, the fourth most in Maui history.

With the win, Marquette claims third place in the 2017 Maui Jim Maui Invitational.