OMAHA, Neb. – Mississippi State took the lead on Wes Rea’s two-run double in the eighth inning, closer Jonathan Holder turned back two Oregon State threats, and the Bulldogs beat the Beavers 5-4 on Saturday in the openingLAHAINA, Hawaii – Brandon Paul scored 20 points to lead Illinois to the Maui Invitational title on Wednesday night, beating Butler in a 78-61 blowout that marked its third straight double-digit win.
The Illini (6-0) held off several attempts by Butler to string points together in the second half. Paul was one of four players in double figures, along with Tracy Abrams with 17 points and Tyler Griffey and D.J. Richardson with 14 each.
Illinois shot 48 percent as Butler relied almost exclusively on point guard Rotnei Clarke to score. Clarke had 27 points and took nearly one-third his team’s shots.
With the win, Illinois topped a Maui field that included No. 9 North Carolina and Marquette, which both lost early-round games. Paul was tournament MVP.
