LOUISVILLE, Ky., March 13 (UPI) -- Reece Gaines drove the length of the court and banked in a jumper with five seconds remaining to give Louisville a 66-65 victory over Princeton in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament Tuesday night.
Princeton trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half but took a 65-64 lead with 12 seconds left on a trademark backdoor layup by Ed Persia.
But Gaines sent Louisville (19-12) on to a second-round matchup with the winner of Wednesday's game between Temple and Fresno State.
Gaines scored 23 points and Luke Whitehead and reserve Erik Brown added 10 apiece for the Cardinals, who are appearing in the NIT for the first time since 1985. They won the tournament in 1956.
Mike Bechtold led all scorers with 24 points and pulled down seven rebounds for Princeton (16-12), which fell to 0-3 all-time against Louisville.
