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Washington outlasts Long Beach State, 107-102, in first round of the NIT

Washington guard Andrew Andrews, center, goes up for a layup attempt against Long Beach State's Travis Hammonds during the first round of the National Invitational Tournament.

Washington guard Andrew Andrews, center, goes up for a layup attempt against Long Beach State’s Travis Hammonds during the first round of the National Invitational Tournament.

(Dean Rutz / Associated Press)
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Dejounte Murray scored 30 points, Andrew Andrews hit eight free throws in the final 37 seconds and Washington held off Long Beach State, 107-102, Tuesday night in a wild first-round NIT game at Seattle.

Marquese Chriss had 27 points and 11 rebounds as the Huskies (19-14) rallied after a sluggish start that left them trailing by as many as 14 points in the first half. Andrews finished with 25 points.

Murray was the catalyst for the comeback, helping carry Washington offensively for a long stretch of the second half with Andrews on the bench with four fouls. Murray made 10 of 16 shots and Chriss was 11 for 17 from the field. The trio of Murray, Chriss and Andrews combined for 82 of the 107 points.

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Nick Faust led Long Beach State (20-15) with 26 points and Justin Bibbins added 17, but was held to just four points in the second half.

Aztecs win easily

Winston Shepard had the first triple-double in San Diego State history, finishing with 10 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists as the Aztecs ran past Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne, 79-55, in an NIT opening-round game at San Diego.

Shepard, a senior forward who played 36 minutes, got his 10th rebound with 48 seconds left. As the clock wound down, he stood with the ball in one hand and his other hand held aloft in victory. Malik Pope scored 15 for the Aztecs (26-9), whose loss to Fresno State in the Mountain West Conference tournament title game caused them to miss the NCAA tournament for the first time in seven years.

IPFW finished 24-10.

Pitino says he saw ‘nothing unusual’

Louisville Coach Rick Pitino said he saw “nothing unusual” during occasional visits to the dormitory where a former member of his staff allegedly hired strippers for recruits and players.

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Escort Katina Powell says Andre McGee paid her and other dancers $10,000 for 22 strip shows from 2010-14 at Billy Minardi Hall. Several investigations are ongoing, including ones by the NCAA, the university, campus police and the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s attorney’s office.

Pitino said Tuesday on ESPN’s “Mike&Mike” that he visited the dorm a few times a month during the season but generally relied on staffers such as McGee to monitor players’ activities. Pitino reiterated he was unaware of any parties and hopes that the NCAA investigation “comes up with the right answers, because it’s puzzling to all of us.”

Etc.

Pepperdine (18-13) will play Eastern Washington (17-15) on Wednesday at Cheney, Wash., in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational tournament, starting at 6 p.m. . . . UC Irvine (25-9) plays at North Dakota (17-15) in the first round of the Collegeinsider.com tournament; tipoff is at 5 p.m. PDT. . . . Wake Forest center Andre Washington and guard Rondale Watson will transfer, Coach Danny Manning said. . . . Sophomore guards Namon Wright and Tramaine Isabell have decided to transfer from Missouri. Wright, a starter, and Isabell, a backup, are the fourth and fifth players with eligibility remaining to leave the program since last fall.

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