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Dwight Powell scored 22 points and nearly pulled off the play of the game but the Stanford men's basketball wound up on the wrong end of a 66-63 decision to Minnesota in the fifth-place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas on Saturday.

Powell scored 10 straight during one stretch and scored 18 of Stanford's final 23 points. He tied the game at 63 with two free throws with 14.8 seconds left.

"As a team, we had an attack mindset," Powell said. "Look for each other on openings and try to finish strong."

Minnesota was inbounding the ball from under its own basket. The ball was tipped away by Powell, who saved it as he was falling out of bounds near midcourt. Golden Gopher Andre Hollins picked up the loose ball and dribbled to midcourt before firing up a shot. He was hit on the right arm by Chasson Randle and made three free throws with 0.4 seconds remaining.

"He has to understand and I was trying to explain to him, the game is never decided the last play. That is just fiction," Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins said. "That play did not decide the game for us. I think he was emotionally excited and in a heated game, the young man wanted to make a play and unfortunately he got a little too close to the shooter."

A long pass by Andy Brown was knocked away by Minnesota and the buzzer sounded.

Randle, who has been struggling with his shooting this season, finished 3-19 from the field, including 2-9 from 3-point range.

Saturday's contest represented a rematch of last year's Postseason NIT championship game, which Stanford won 75-51.

The game featured 12 ties and 11 lead changes. Stanford shot 35.6 percent overall, making 6-19 from three-point territory and 15-19 from the foul line. Robbie Lemons added a career-high nine points on 4-5 shooting, completing an impressive three-game stretch in which he averaged 6.3 points while filling in for regular starter Aaron Bright (sprained ankle).

Dwight Powell has made 17 consecutive free throws, a streak that dates to Nov. 18 against Belmont.

Stanford (4-3) opens a three-game homestand Wednesday against Seattle.

— Palo Alto Online Sports

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