Not bad way to bow out

DETROIT – Josh Heytvelt expected to finish his career with a Final Four trip in Detroit, not a meaningless all-star game.

His shot at the Final Four denied, Heytvelt still wanted to go out with a memory on the Ford Field court.

Heytvelt hit the winning 3-pointer in the final minute, scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Reese’s All-Stars to a 105-100 win over Hershey’s All-Stars in a college senior game Friday night.

“Walking in the hallway right when we got here in Ford Field was kind of depressing a little bit,” Heytvelt said. “But I got over it, because I had something to look forward to today.”

The Tar Heels eliminated Heytvelt’s Gonzaga team in the regional semifinal.

Boston College’s Tyrese Rice scored 24 points and Wisconsin’s Marcus Landry had 14 for the winners in a game played on the same court as the Final Four.

Connecticut plays Michigan State, and Villanova plays North Carolina today.

“Just to have this experience like those great teams is wonderful,” Landry said.

The exhibition pitted a couple of Final Four coaching veterans against each other.

Former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson led Josh Carter and the Hershey’s team, and Bruce Weber of Illinois coached Rice and the Reese’s All-Stars.

Central Florida’s Jermaine Taylor had 23 points for Hershey’s. Washington’s Justin Dentmon had 22 points, and Auburn’s Korvotney Barber added 17.

Taylor’s dunk with 1 minute left gave Hershey’s its last lead, 98-96.

Heytvelt, who scored 14 points in his final game for Gonzaga in an NCAA tournament loss to North Carolina, hit the 3 that put Reese’s ahead for good. Rice sealed the win from the free-throw line.

“It took some time to get used to it, but it was pretty neat,” Heytvelt said.