Terrence Williams’ stick-back with one second on the clock gave the Charlotte 49ers (5-1) a 63-61 win over 13th-ranked Michigan (4-2), the 2013 national runner-up, as the men’s basketball team captured the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Title.
“You almost don’t know what to say after that one; that was one of the most incredible basketball games I’ve ever been a part of. I just can’t say enough about these kids,” Charlotte head coach Alan Major said. “Every game got sticky, all three games of this tournament got sticky. Teams have gone on runs and guys don’t come to the time outs with their heads hanging, they maintain their poise. The thing that’s been the most fun and encouraging for me to watch is just them coming together down here and being a team. It’s the hardest thing to do in sports these days is to legitimately root for the next guy on your team and not care what happens for you. They’re really trying to be a team so I’m just really thankful to God for them. They’re a tremendous bunch and they deserve this. A lot of conditioning in the fall, a lot of running and weight room stuff, everything that they’ve done – they deserve it. Hats off to this crew.”
Denzel Ingram led the 49ers with 12 points off the bench. Pierria Henry scored 11 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out six assists. Willie Clayton recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Clayton had nine offensive rebounds. Shawn Lester, who was named to the Puerto Rico Tip-Off All-Tournament team, scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds.
“I don’t know if I’ve seen a better offensive rebounder in all these year,” said Michigan Coach John Beilein. “That kid (Willie Clayton) is unbelievable, number 21, Clayton.”
Michigan’s Nik Stauskas led all scorers with 20 points.