Nov. 22, 2000

Box Score | Video Highlights!

By JIM O'CONNELL
AP Basketball Writer

LAHAINA, Hawaii - Arizona is finally leaving Maui with a championship trophy.

The top-ranked Wildcats, who finished second in their two previous appearances in the Maui Invitational, held off No. 8 Illinois 79-76 in the title game Wednesday night.

Playing all three games without preseason All-America center Loren Woods, who was suspended for six games for NCAA rules violations, Arizona (3-0) beat Chaminade and Dayton before handing Illinois (3-1) its first loss under coach Bill Self.

Arizona lost to Kentucky on a tip-in at the buzzer in the 1993 championship game and then in 1997, again playing as the No. 1 team in the country, lost to Duke in the final.

This could have been another crushing defeat as Illinois, which trailed by 15 points with 3 1/2 minutes to play, used a last-minute 3-point blitz to pull to 77-76 with 15 seconds remaining.

Jason Gardner made two free throws with 11 seconds left to give Arizona a 79-76 lead. Illinois had two last chances.

First, Cory Bradford's 3-point attempt from the corner was blocked by Luke Walton and went out of bounds with 1.2 seconds left. Sergio McClain then tried to inbound the ball but Gilbert Arenas knocked it into the air and the buzzer sounded.

Gardner scored 18 of his 25 points in the first half to lead the Wildcats, while Richard Jefferson added 18 and tournament MVP Michael Wright had 16 points and nine rebounds.

Despite not having the 7-foot-1 Woods, Arizona did an impressive defensive job on Illinois' front line, which combined for 40 points and 27 rebounds in the Fighting Illini's semifinal win over No. 6 Maryland.

Junior forwards Jefferson and Wright were a big part of the win in a choppy, foul-plagued game.

Frank Williams had 27 points, including eight in the final minute, for Illinois, while the front line of Marcus Griffin, Brian Cook and McClain combined for just 14 points and 15 rebounds.

Arizona used an 8-0 run to take a 49-40 lead with 14:54 to play. Illinois got back within 55-50 with 8:57 left on two free throws by Griffin. Arenas sandwiched layups around a 3-pointer by Jefferson to make it 62-50 with 7:35 left and the Wildcats led by as many as 15 points before Williams led the final surge. He and Sean Harrington combined for three 3s in a 9-1 run that brought Illinois within 75-74 with 25 seconds to play.

The first half ended in a furious four minutes of runs.

Harrington hit consecutive 3-pointers to bring Illinois into a 31-31 tie with 3:52 to play.

Arizona then went on an 8-0 run that was started by a three-point play by Wright and capped by a 3-pointer by Gardner - his fifth of the half - with 2:50 left.

Illinois closed with a 7-0 run as Damir Krupalija sandwiched a layup and a steal and an impressive dunk just before the buzzer around a 3-pointer by Bradford to make it 39-38 at halftime.

Harrington had 15 points and Krupalija had 13.