Nov. 25, 2006 — The championship game of the Paradise Jam's women's tournament was called off Saturday after the death of a player's family member in St. Thomas.
The deceased was the 15-year-old brother of Arizona State's Aubree Johnson, said police spokeswoman Shawna Richards.
The boy had no vital signs when he arrived at Roy Lester Schneider Regional Medical Center about 9:30 a.m. Saturday, and was pronounced dead shortly after, said hospital spokesman Amos Carty.
Carty said an "expeditious" autopsy is planned.
Johnson is a senior from Post Falls, Idaho.
"This morning, the Arizona State women's basketball program suffered a tragic loss," said Steve Rodriguez, a team spokesman. "When one of the them encounters a loss, it is shared by every member of the 'family.' With that in mind, the team decided that it would be best to not go forward with playing Rutgers in tonight's championship game."
Arizona State, nationally ranked 13th, will not receive a loss under the NCAA's "catastrophic event" rule. Rutgers, ranked 18th, could force a forfeit by taking the court but has opted not to, said Craig Jonas, spokesman for tournament organizer Basketball Travelers.
"This is an incredibly sad day," said Nels Hawkinson, the company's executive director.
In other Paradise Jam action Saturday:
–Auburn 95, Western Michigan 86–
Dewanna Bonner had 27 points and five rebounds to lead Auburn in a comeback victory over Western Michigan, 95-86.
Sherell Hobbs had 17 points and four assists for Auburn.
Western Michigan's Carrie Moore had 24 points in the first half to put the Broncos up by 12 at the break. But Auburn surged ahead in the second half, taking the lead with less than five minutes left in the game.
Moore finished with 32 points, five assists and three rebounds. Lindsey Brown added 18 points and 12 rebounds.
–Marquette 73, Xavier 53–
Chistina Quaye had 16 points, six rebounds and three assists to lead Marquette over Xavier 73-53.
Krystal Ellis had 15 points, four rebounds and four assists and Danielle Kamm added 11 rebounds and 11 assists for Marquette.
Miranda Green scored 15 points for Xavier. Amber Harris added 12 points and eight rebounds. Michele Miller had 11 points.
–Western Kentucky 74, Penn State 64–
Crystal Kelly had 29 points and nine rebounds to lead Western Kentucky over Penn State 74-64.
Charlotte Marshall added 12 points, five rebounds and three assists for Western Kentucky (3-2).
Amanda Brown had 24 points and nine rebounds for Penn State (4-3). Adrienne Squire added 16 points, three rebounds, two steals and two assists.
Penn State missed all eight of their three-point attempts, while Western Kentucky made 67 percent of theirs.
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