North Carolina
Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State’s 94-91 overtime win over North Carolina in the Maui Invitational
1. That was a massive win for MSU on several fronts
LAHAINA, Hawaii – There was a look to Michigan State’s men’s basketball team Wednesday that I hadn’t seen in any other game out of the gate this year. A determination to them. They weren’t leaving Maui without beating North Carolina. Or at least not without putting up the best wire-to-wire fight they could.
It’s as if they firmly understood that if you want to be taken seriously, you have to win some of these games.
A shaky-as-all-heck final couple minutes of regulation (and parts of overtime) notwithstanding, this 94-91 overtime win in their Maui Invitational finale was a you-better-take-me-seriously performance by MSU, which was playing without, arguably, its best player to this point in freshman Jase Richardson, who missed the game after taking an elbow to the head Tuesday in the Spartans’ loss to Memphis. And without Richardson, MSU played its best game of the season, almost end to end.
The reason: Just about everyone else elevated their games — beginning with junior guard Tre Holloman, who replaced Frankie Fidler in the starting lineup and couldn’t miss in the first half and made big free throws late, and Xavier Booker, who rewrote the script for his season (and maybe career) Tuesday, and Coen Carr, who rebounded and attacked with a ferocity that changed the game, and Jaden Akins, who was really good for a while, and Jeremy Fears Jr., who shepherded the Spartans along and made a boatload of free throws (and one massive defensive gaffe late), and Fidler, who, coming off the bench for the first time, made steady and important plays throughout.
This was an incredible game to watch. And the sort of game the Spartans have lost a lot in recent years. They nearly lost this one, losing a 79-71 lead by not making a field goal for the final four minutes of regulation.
They need to work on finding offense down the stretch — having Richardson will help. But give MSU credit, too. Once North Carolina sent this thing to overtime, with the Spartans visibly losing their poise in the final minute, I thought there was no way they were pulling this out. They were gritty in overtime — all the way to the final long pass up three, when Carr jumped through two North Carolina players to haul it in and all but end the game.
MSU shot 54% and scored 50 points in the paint — including 14 from Carr and 12 from Booker — and took advantage of a North Carolina team with some defensive deficiencies. But this is still North Carolina and the Tar Heels still have some serious backcourt firepower and shot-making.
So did MSU on Wednesday, with Holloman scoring 19 points and hitting three 3s — all of them coming in the first half — and Akins netting 14, playing well until the final minutes, and Fidler and Fears both 13.
This was a massive win on several fronts — what it means for Booker’s season, for Holloman, who’d been struggling, for Fidler, for their collective confidence and for their non-conference resume.
The way they began and played for so long — and that they held on — should help them.
2. Xavier Booker, holy smokes
Depending on where Xavier Booker’s season and career goes from here, this might be remembered as a pivot point. Booker was outstanding in the second half (more coming in a full column).
He was the catalyst for MSU during a critical stretch when the Spartans were wobbling a bit for the first time. Booker scored six points in less than a minute in the middle of the second half as the Spartans rebuilt a small cushion. It wasn’t just that he scored. It was how he scored — with aggression in the paint, which hasn’t come naturally for him. It was also how he impacted the game on the glass and how he changed shots defensively.
He finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and a block, his best moments coming in the second half. He wanted the ball in the post. His teammates wanted him to have the ball in the post. And they were thrilled for him.
One of best signs and scenes came when he checked out of the game after that impactful stretch — his teammates were so excited for him. He came back in and was in MSU’s closing lineup in regulation and overtime. That says a ton about how well he was playing.
A good game for Frankie Fidler in a big spot
Starting Tre Holloman proved to be the absolute right move Tuesday. MSU needed more in the opening minutes of games than Frankie Fidler had been given them. I don’t know that moving Fidler back into a starting role makes sense, given Wednesday’s start without him and Jase Richardson’s presence on this team coming off the bench. If there’s another move to be made, you’d think it would be Richardson entering the lineup.
But Fidler certainly didn’t play like someone who wasn’t hurt by it or sulking. Fidler hit 5 of 6 shots, scoring 13 points and was a steadying and consistent hand offensively in a game MSU absolutely needed him to be.
In overtime, he was there to steal a long pass and to grab a big rebound. He looked like a player MSU can count on — and count on off the bench.
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow in on X at @Graham_Couch and on Blue Sky at GrahamCouch.
North Carolina
Police: North Carolina man charged after high-speed chase in Erie County, arrested in the Town of Perry
PERRY, N.Y. — A North Carolina man is in custody after a chase that started in Erie County and ended with an arrest in Perry.
Wyoming County Sheriff’s deputies say Ericson Vasquez-Moran, 22, rammed a Border Patrol vehicle in Erie County around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday before taking off. The suspect was spotted in Warsaw on Route 20A, but a chase was called off due to high speeds.
Then around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, deputies say Vasquez-Moran called 911 from Perry to surrender.
He’s charged with speeding, failure to keep right, unlawful fleeing a police officer, reckless driving, and reckless endangerment in the second degree.
Vasquez-Moran was given an appearance ticket for the Village of Warsaw Court and was released to the custody of the United States Border Patrol.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — After nearly two hours of public comment, the Asheville City Council unanimously denied a proposed affordable housing complex off Caribou Road—despite the city’s ongoing housing crisis.
The proposal, submitted by developer Pennrose, would have brought 100 affordable housing units to a nearly 10-acre site in the Shiloh neighborhood.
“I’m going to vote against affordable housing tonight, and that’s not a norm for me,” said Asheville City Councilmember Sage Turner.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS MOVE FORWARD ACROSS WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
News 13 asked Vice Mayor Antanette Mosely why the city would deny this project amid a housing crisis in Asheville.
She said, in a statement, “I absolutely believe Asheville needs more affordable housing, and I have consistently supported housing projects across the city. But not every site is appropriate for every project.”
Residents who opposed the project said they were not against affordable housing itself, but believed the development was too large for the area.
MAY 13, 2026 – The Asheville City Council unanimously denied a proposed affordable housing complex off Caribou Road—despite the city’s ongoing housing crisis. (Photo credit: WLOS Staff)
“The access is too narrow, there was only one access point, the streets are too narrow, we’ve got a big problem with traffic here,” said Shiloh resident Scott Raines.
“Perhaps the only thing that I consider as a dead stop for affordable housing is if people are going to be injured or possibly die from the traffic that’s created,” Michael Boses, another resident, said.
ASHEVILLE PROPOSES PROPERTY TAX RATE INCREASE TO CLOSE $8.9M BUDGET GAP
The Shiloh neighborhood, established in 1870, is one of Asheville’s last historically Black communities. Several council members said preserving the area’s legacy factored into their decision.
“My vote for no is because I feel hyper protective of our legacy neighborhoods, I feel hyper protective of Shiloh,” Turner said.
Pennrose responded to the denial in a statement, saying: “While we are disappointed in the Council’s decision concerning the rezoning application at Caribou Road, we respect the community’s interest in preserving the character of legacy neighborhoods.”
Mullin visits Chimney Rock, talks immigration, recovery
Markwayne Mullin visits Chimney Rock, discusses recovery and says he does not believe sanctuary cities are legal.
ASHEVILLE – The city will consider shifting $19.2 million of its Tropical Storm Helene recovery funding to repair single-family housing after its initial plan would only repair about eight homes.
Across Western North Carolina, contracts for the repair, reconstruction or rehabilitation of single-family homes damaged by Helene have come in at an average cost of $276,285, according to slides presented to the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Western North Carolina Recovery on April 20. The repair program, managed through RenewNC, is funded by a $1.4 billion Community Development Block Grant delivered to North Carolina from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In 2024, the North Carolina Office of Budget and Management estimated that over 70,000 homes were damaged by the storm, which caused an estimated $60 billion in damages and killed over 100 in the state.
After the city received its own $225 million grant from HUD, City Council unanimously voted to only allocated $31 million to housing for both multi-family projects and single-family home repairs. Of that $31 million pot, it only allocated $3 million to the single-family home repair program. During a May 5 Housing and Community Development Committee meeting, the city projected costs for just single-family home repairs at $30 million to $40 million.
In late 2025 and early 2026, city staff had suggested moving millions into the single-family home program to meet rising demand, the Citizen Times reported. During an April 1 Helene Housing Recovery Meeting, Director of Renew NC’s Single-Family Housing Program Maggie Battaglin estimated the $3 million in funding would only cover around eight homes.
Under the city’s agreement with the state, Asheville is not able to access the additional $807 million allocated to the single-family home repair program, meaning remaining applicants in Asheville would not be served. The agreement was first reported by Blue Ridge Public Radio.
Staff are now suggesting reallocating $19.2 million from other areas of its CDBG plan to fund the single-family repair program. The reallocation, which would require an amendment to the city’s plan, would pull $9.2 million from its multi-family housing program and $10 million from its CDBG-DR Infrastructure Program, where the city would pull from the funds from a project at the North Fork Water Treatment Plant. The reallocation would set aside $22.2 million for the program and will serve 55-65 households, according to state estimates presented by city of Asheville staff.
As of May 5, 285 applications for the program were filed in Asheville with 132 being considered “active” and eight being “under review.” Of the city’s applicants, 124 households have been deemed eligible for the RenewNC program.
The reallocation would set aside $22.2 million for the program and serve roughly 55-65 households, the city’s CDBG-DR Program Manager Elma King said during City Council’s May 7 Agenda Briefing. It’s still not enough to serve everyone, though, King said.
“Additional CDBG-DR programs, outside of infrastructure, may need to be re-evaluated to support single-family home repair,” King said.
As Western North Carolina continues to recover from Helene, lawmakers and regional leaders have pushed for more funding from the federal government. Despite high damages, Congress and FEMA have only distributed roughly $7 billion to the state, according to estimates from the Governor’s Office for Western North Carolina Recovery. Gov. Josh Stein has requested an additional $13.5 billion in federal aid, which would go through HUD’s CDBG-DR program.
Estimated damages in Asheville from Helene are far above the $225 million provided by the federal government, City Council member Kim Roney noted during the May 7 meeting.
“I keep coming back to the point that we don’t have enough funding, because $225 million sounds like a lot but it’s not $1.1 billion,” Roney said.
City Council will vote on the $19.2 million reallocation on June 23.
Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com or message will_hofmann.01 on Signal.
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