NORMAN, Okla.—Freshman Rob Lewis hit two free throws with 9.8 seconds left in overtime as Denver survived an upset bid and beat NCAA Division II East Central (Okla.) 76-75 on Thursday in the first round of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic.
Lewis scored 19 points as Denver (1-0) made Joe Scott’s debut as coach a successful one. Denver advanced to the tournament’s second round and will play Oklahoma, a 71-55 winner over San Francisco, on Friday. The Norman regional winner will play Memphis in New York in the tournament semifinals on Nov. 15.
East Central will play San Francisco on Friday.
Denver blew a 20-point second-half lead but rallied from a 4-point deficit in the final 15 seconds of overtime. A 3-pointer by Kyle Lewis pulled the Pioneers within 75-74, and Denver forced a jump ball after the ensuing inbounds play to regain possession.
East Central’s Ian Adams was called for a foul away from the ball, sending Rob Lewis to the free-throw line. Denver’s Tyler Bullock blocked a last-second shot by East Central’s Terrell Carpenter to seal the win.
The 42-year-old Scott previously coached at Air Force—where in 2004 he led the Falcons to a 22-7 record, the Mountain West Conference regular-season title and a berth in the NCAA tournament—and Princeton, where he spent the past three seasons, going 38-45.
He faces a major rebuilding job at Denver, as the Pioneers finished 4-25 last season. Denver, which plays in the Sun Belt Conference, took the court against East Central with seven freshmen and only six returning letter-winners and two starters.
“What happened is what Denver has to get better at,” Scott said. “We have a 20-point lead and we’re playing the way Denver basketball wants to play, then we let it slip away. … We have to learn how to handle pressure. The game is not going to stay the same. They’re down 20, what do you think they’re going to do? They’re going to come after you.”
East Central, a Lone Star Conference member, finished 10-16 last season. The Tigers made just two of their first 17 shots and trailed 43-23 with 11:52 left. But thanks to 20-of-22 free-throw shooting, they chipped away at that margin and went ahead 61-60 on Tariq Naqqash’s 3-pointer with 52.2 seconds left in regulation.
“The first half we made four baskets, the second half we made 14,” East Central coach Terry Shannon said. “When you’re putting it in the basket you look a lot better. We were fortunate that they missed from free throws, front ends of one-and-ones, and we went down and hit a couple of threes and the next thing you know momentum builds.”
Denver’s Adam Tanner made the second of two free throws with 2.8 seconds left to force overtime.
David Kummer added 16 points for the Pioneers, while Kyle Lewis had 14 points. Carpenter scored 19 and Naqqash scored 16 for East Central.
The loss was East Central’s second straight to a Division I opponent, as the Tigers lost 98-48 in an exhibition game at Oklahoma State on Tuesday.
Unlike Denver, which counted Thursday’s game toward its regular-season record, East Central considered the game an exhibition contest. Shannon said that under Division II rules, the Tigers can’t play any regular-season games until Nov. 15.
