FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) T.J. Parker hit a running 3-point shot as time expired as Northwestern beat Portland 56-53 in the first round of the Top of the World Classic Friday night.
Parker led the Wildcats (1-0) with 18 points. Vedran Vukusic added 12 and Davor Duvancic had nine rebounds for Northwestern.
The Pilots (0-1) were led by forward Marcus Lewis' 14 points and 11 by Pooh Jeter. Lewis also had 11 rebounds.
Lewis tied the game 53-53 with a short jump shot with 3.6 seconds left.
But then Parker took the inbounds pass, dribbled up court and took the wide-open shot to finish the Pilots.
Both teams made 39.6 percent of their field goals, but Northwestern struggled from the free-throw line, going 4-for-10.
The Wildcats were 10-for-34 from the 3-point line, with Parker shooting 3-for-6 and Vukusic 2-for-2. Vukusic also had a game-high five assists.
Portland outrebounded the Wildcats 41-26, but turned the ball over 17 times.
Northwestern led by as much as 12 in the first half, but allowed Portland to charge back for a 30-28 lead at the half.
The Pilots continued their run in the second half, leading by as much as nine midway through. But Northwestern put together a 14-5 run to end the game.
