NEW YORK (AP) — Erik Reynolds II sank six 3-pointers and scored 26 points, but it was Justice Ajogbor’s free throw with 13.7 seconds left that gave Saint Joseph’s a 78-77 win over Texas Tech on Thursday night in the UKG Legends Classic.
The Hawks (4-1) will take on Texas, a 70-66 winner over Syracuse, in Friday’s championship game while the Red Raiders (4-1) will play the Orange.
Reynolds made 6 of 11 from the arc. Xzayvier Brown scored 20 points on just 3-of-10 shooting but made all 13 of his free throws. Rasheer Fleming added 14 points before fouling out with four minutes remaining. The Hawks made 12 of 22 3-point tries.
JT Toppin scored 22 points and had a career-high 18 rebounds, 12 on the offensive glass for Texas Tech. Darrion Williams scored 18 points and Chance McMillian 17 for the Red Raiders, who outrebounded Saint Joseph’s 44-28 but made just 4 of 20 3-point attempts.
There were five lead changes and five ties over the final seven minutes before Ajogbor went to the line with the game tied. Ajogbor, an under-50% free-throw shooter this season, missed the first but after a timeout swished the second. Williams missed a jumper in the paint as the game ended.
Texas Tech, trailing by 10 at halftime, got four points from Toppin in an early 8-0 burst to get within three and stayed on the Hawks’ heels. A three-point play by McMillian with under seven minutes left gave the Raiders their first lead since the game’s opening basket.
The Hawks had a 16-point lead before the Red Raiders closed the first half with six straight points in the final two minutes to trail 45-35.
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