Phil Knight Invitational – Syndication Server

Portland Athletic Director: Michigan State basketball was given an extra free throw on 7-point play

During Michigan State basketball’s win over Portland on Sunday in the Phil Knight Invitational, a rather peculiar turn of events happened when the Spartans scored seven points on a single possession.

Here is what happened:

Mady Sissoko scored a basket
Sissoko fouled on the play and there was also a flagrant foul
Sissoko was given three total free throws, one for a common foul and two for a flagrant
MSU received the ball back and scored one more time

After the play and after the game itself, Portland coach Shantay Legans was beside himself, losing his cool at the referees.

He might have had a point. Portland athletic director Scott Leykam posted on social media that he was told by JD Collins, who placed the officials for the tournament, that MSU should have only been given two free throws instead of three. Since the game ended up being won by only one point, it makes sense why Legans was so upset.

We've received questions about what ended up as a 7-point play yesterday. Immediately after the game, JD Collins, who assigned officials for PKI and is former NCAA Coordinator of Officials, shared that there should have been only 2 free throws awarded on the play. Not 3.

— Scott Leykam (@sleykam) November 28, 2022

Here was the play:

Things you don't see everyday. ⬇️@MSU_Basketball scored 7️⃣ points on a single possession tonight against Portland. 😱 pic.twitter.com/jZNL3Xfe2V

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 28, 2022

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

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Deja Kelly named Phil Knight Invitational MVP

UNC Junior guard Deja Kelly was named MVP for the Phil Knight Invitational after leading the Heels to victory over No. Iowa State.

The North Carolina women’s basketball team earned their first trophy of the season, winning the Phil Knight Invitational, with [autotag]Deja Kelly[/autotag] earning the tournament’s MVP honor.

Kelly has been playing great basketball for the 6-0 UNC program but turned it up another notch during the Phil Knight Invitational. North Carolina qualified after beating No.18 Oregon, where Kelly poured it on, finishing with 17 points, seven assists, and four rebounds.

The Junior guard stepped it up even more in the championship game in the Tar Heel comeback win over No. 5 Iowa State. Kelly finished with a season-high 29 points, adding eight rebounds and four assists to her dominating night.

This award could be the first of many Kelly wins this season, as she is on the watch list for the Wooden Award, Naismith trophy, and the Nancy Lieberman Award.

Kelly and the Tar Heels will be back in action on Thursday, December 1st, as they travel to take on No. 6 Indiana.

𝘒𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 ☑️
𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵 ☑️#GoHeels x @dejakelly25 x @coachbanghart pic.twitter.com/1EKEAeLXD3

— Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) November 28, 2022

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

UNC women’s basketball team moves up two spots in the AP Top 25 poll

The North Carolina women’s basketball team moves up two spots to No. 6th ranked in the AP Top 25 poll.

The North Carolina women’s basketball team has been a team to watch this, and thanks to their unblemished start, they earned another leap in the Associated Press Poll.

UNC had a great weekend, winning the Phil Knight inventional over No.5 Iowa State in a 73-64 comeback. Thanks to that win, and their established status, North Carolina has moved into the No. 6 spot in this week’s AP Poll.

UNC has steadily climbed the ranking since the season started. They came in the year ranked 12th, then down to 13th, to move up five spots to eighth last week before moving into the sixth spot this week.

During their 6-0 start, UNC has dominated weaker opponents and secured two wins over top 25 ranked schools, No. 18 Oregon and No.5 Iowa State. The team clicks on all cylinders, with ball movement being the focal point. North Carolina averages 17 assists per game, with a 1.4 assist/turnover ratio.

UNC will be back in action Thursday, December 1st, when they hit the road to take on No.6 Indiana.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

WATCH: Highlights from Michigan State’s close win against Portland

Watch highlights from Michigan State’s 78-77 victory over the Portland Pilots on Sunday:

Michigan State was able to hold off a very pesky Portland Pilots team to win the fifth place game of the Phil Knight Invitational 78-77 on Sunday. Portland was a very game opponent for the Spartans, showing that they are capable of playing on the big stage. Prior to the matchup with MSU, the Pilots dominated Villanova and gave No. 1 North Carolina a scare in their opening round matchup.

Michigan State was able to hold off the upset minded opponent, and came away with a 78-77 victory, securing a 2-1 record in the invitational.

You can watch highlights of Michigan State’s win via MSU basketball’s Twitter page:

Last one in the PKI.

HIGHLIGHTS 📹 pic.twitter.com/pGS5b92Amh

— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) November 28, 2022

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner.

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WATCH: Portland basketball coach has outburst at conclusion of game with MSU

WATCH: Portland head coach Shantay Legans had an outburst towards the officials following the Pilot’s loss to Michigan State on Sunday

Michigan State survived a late scare against Portland on Sunday afternoon to win the fifth place game of the Phil Knight Invitational.

On the final play of the game, there was a contested shot in the lane that appeared to have some contact but went as a no-call, and the Pilots could not secure the win.

Portland’s coach Shantay Legans was not happy with the officiating during the contest, having an outburst after Mady Sissoko was flagarantly fouled and he concluded the game with an outburst prior to the handshake line.

You can watch his outburst via Twitter:

It appears Shantay Legans believes Portland received an unkind whistle down the stretch against Michigan State pic.twitter.com/TRauCseFgb

— Mike Rutherford (@CardChronicle) November 28, 2022

Total fouls in the game favored the Pilots 14-13.

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Michigan State basketball survives late scare, holds off Portland, 78-77

MSU survived a late game scare to defeat a pesky Portland team, 78-77

Michigan State has finished the Phil Knight Invitational with a 2-1 record after the team defeated the Portland Pilots 78-77 on Sunday afternoon.

All five Spartans starters finished in double figures to help propel the Spartans over the pesky Pilots.

The win proved to make the weekend a success with the Spartans finishing in fifth place and a 2-1 record.

Portland jumped out to a 42-34 halftime lead over the Spartans behind 9 three pointers and an MSU scoring drought lasting over three minutes.

The second half was a different story.

Michigan State came out ready to make this a game in the second half, and a 12-0 run turning a 46-37 deficit into a 49-46 lead, a lead the Spartans wouldn’t give up for the remainder of the game.

Late game struggles presented itself once again for Tom Izzo’s squad, as MSU held a 74-64 lead late, before allowing the Pilots to go on a 13-4 run to pull within 1, aided by multiple Spartan turnovers.

Portland missed two shots in the final seconds, and the Spartans survived 78-77.

Tyson Walker led the way with 16, while Brooks had another breakout performance with 15. Hauser added 14, Hoggard with 12 and Sissoko with 11, leading the Spartans to victory.

Michigan State will be back on action on Wednesday in the ACC/Big Ten when they travel to South Bend to take on Notre Dame at 9:15 EST.

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WATCH: Highlights of Michigan State’s win over Oregon

Watch highlights from Michigan State basketball’s 74-70 win over Oregon

Michigan State squeaked out a close 74-70 win over the Oregon Ducks in their second game of the Phil Knight Invitation. Both teams playing shorthanded, down several key scholarship players, played a knockdown slugfest of a game that the Spartans were able to come out ahead of.

The win, MSU’s fourth of the season, showed how resilient the Tom Izzo’s team is this year and also featured a breakout performance from sophomore Pierre Brooks.

You can watch highlights from the game via Michigan State basketball’s Twitter page:

Found a way.

HIGHLIGHTS 🎥 pic.twitter.com/3Z3vIrYSR4

— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) November 26, 2022

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Short-handed Michigan State basketball falls to Alabama in the Phil Knight Invitational

A short-handed Michigan State basketball team falls to Alabama in the Phil Knight Invitational

Earlier this week, we found out that Malik Hall, along with Jaden Akins, will be missing some time for Michigan State basketball. That was apparent on Thursday night, when the short-handed Spartans fell to Alabama in the Phil Knight Invitational, 81-70.

The Spartans had a hard time containing Alabama star and future NBA lottery pick Brandon Miller in this one without Malik Hall available. Miller had 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 steals. Center Charles Bediako also things difficult for the Spartans with his impressive size, and he also added 2 steals as Alabama made life miserable for MSU’s bigs.

For the Spartans, Tyson Walker and AJ Hoggard led the way with 21 points and 18 points, respectively. Jaxon Kohler also had a solid game for MSU, scoring 6 points and adding 7 rebounds, an assist and a block.

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MSU will suit up against Oregon late on Friday night.

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Photos from Michigan State basketball’s match-up vs. Alabama in the Phil Knight Invitational

Photos from Michigan State’s match-up vs. Alabama in the Phil Knight Invitational

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Oregon MBB recap: Ducks downed by UConn Huskies in PK85 opener

The Oregon Ducks looked listless and out of sports in a demoralizing loss to the UConn Huskies in the PK85 Invitational on Thursday.

It was forgivable – understandable even – that the Oregon Ducks dropped a game to the Houston Cougars last week to move to 2-2 on the season. Houston looks like perhaps the best team in all of college basketball, and Oregon held them to 66 points and hung tough throughout.

However – Thursday’s performance against the UConn Huskies in the Phil Knight Invitational didn’t give Duck fans anything to be thankful for.

Dana Altman’s squad shot an abysmal 20-for-47 from the field, good for just 42.6%, while turning the ball over a whopping 17 times. Factor in a horrific 14-25 showing at the free throw line and you have all the makings of a world class beatdown, suffered on Nike founder Phil Knight’s birthday in Portland, just a few hours north of Matthew Knight Arena. Yikes.

Here is some more info on Thursday’s tough outing for the Ducks, and what is coming up for Altman’s team this weekend: