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HomeNewsLocal newsHigher Seeded Women Prevail in Paradise Jam's Second Day

Higher Seeded Women Prevail in Paradise Jam’s Second Day

Dana Evans fires a jump shot for Louisville. (Photo by Basketball Travelers)
Dana Evans fires a jump shot for Louisville. (Photo by Basketball Travelers)

The second day of action in the woman’s bracket of the Paradise Jam basketball tournament, as the higher-seeded teams ruled Friday, setting up championship scenarios in Saturday’s action.

All games are played at the University of the Virgin islands Sports and Fitness Center on St. Thomas.

Island Division Game 3: No. 8 Louisville 69 Oklahoma State 48
Ja’Mee Asberry hit a three-pointer on the game’s first possession for Oklahoma State but Louisville’s Dana Evans scored five of Louisville’s eight unanswered points that followed, but the Cardinals up 8-3 with five and a half minutes to go in the first quarter. Evans, last year’s ACC Sixth Player of the Year, finished the quarter with 12 points on 5 of 5 shooting and two three-pointers and Louisville led 19-13 after the end of the first quarter.

The Cardinals scored the quarter’s first four points to give them a double-digit advantage but Oklahoma State cut the deficit to six with seven minutes to go in the quarter. Louisville restored the double-digit edge before the half and the Cardinals led at halftime, 37-25.

The Cardinals lead grew to 45-27 with just three minutes gone in the second half.

Evans was the Paradise Jam Player of the Game, finishing with 28 points on just 15 shots. She hit more three pointers, six, by herself than the entire Oklahoma State squad, which nettd five.

Even though she was the leading scorer for the Cowgirls with 18 points , Louisville’s defense frustrated last year’s Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Vivan Gray, holding her to 29 percent shooting.

Island Division Game 4: No. 1 Oregon 91 vs. UT- Arlington 54

The Oregon Ducks huddle up. (Photo by Basketball Travelers)
The Oregon Ducks huddle up. (Photo by Basketball Travelers)

After not trailing at all in the first game, Oregon fell behind early against UT-Arlington as an Aysia Evans steal and lay up put the Mavericks up early in the game. The Ducks didn’t take the lead until there was four and a half minutes left in the first quarter when a Sabrina Ionescu three-pointer put Oregon up, 9-8. Oregon then went on a 9-0 run in the last two minutes of the first quarter and lead 20-12 as the periods ended.

The Ducks scored the second quarter’s first five points en route to a 13-2 run that made the score 32-14. By halftime, Oregon led 50-24.

Oregon’s dominance continued in the second half, with the Mavericks never able to close the gap to less than 20 points.

Satou Salbally was the Paradise Jam Player of the Game with 19 points on 63 percent shooting, while Marie Benson had 15 points in the loss.

Reef Division Game 3: No. 2 Baylor 77 No. 17 Indiana 62
The game was tied at 4-4, and Indiana scored the next five points to lead 9-4 after an Ali Patberg jump shot fell with just under seven minutes to go in the first quarter. But the Baylor Bears recovered and and a Te’a Cooper shot with three and a half minutes left tied the contest at 12. At the end of the first quarter the Bears led 19-16.

The Baylor Bears erupt as they beat Indiana. (Photo by Basketball Travelers)
The Baylor Bears erupt as they beat Indiana. (Photo by Basketball Travelers)

The Bears lead was 29-21 with just over five minutes remaining in the first half after Juicy Landrum sunk a corner three. Baylor poured it on, going up by double digits when Caitlin Bickle hit a three-pointer for the game’s next score. Didi Richards split a pair of free-throws with less than a second in the first half and Baylor led 37-28 at the break.

Indiana clawed back in the second half, and a Patberg three-pointer made the score 37-34. The Bears got the lead back up to eight with a Copper basket with 3:15 remaining that put them ahead 48-40. The margin was the same, 54-46, heading into the final quarter.

Cooper hit a lay-up with eight and a half minutes left to put Baylor up 58-48. Indiana was able to cut the difference to six but Baylor had it back up to 10 with a Queen Egbo jumper with about six and a half minutes left in the game. Indiana scored the next seven points and a Mackenize Holmes lay-up made the score 62-59 with just under five minutes remaining. Bickle hit a jump shot for the Bears and the score was 69-61 with two and a half minutes remaining. Baylor held Indiana to just one point in the last 4:23 to secure the victory.

Richards was the Player of the Game with 20 points and six assists while Grace Berger had 18 points for the Hosiers.

Reef Division Game 4: No. 5 South Carolina 68, Washington State 53
South Carolina went up 11-2 with all five starters contributing at least two points in the game’s first four minutes. The Gamecocks dominated the first quarter and were up, 25-9, at the end of the period, with St. Thomas native Aliyah Boston leading the way with seven first quarter points.

But Washington State outscored South Carolina 23-9 over the last eight minutes of the half to trail by only five, 37-32, at halftime.

South Carolina built its lead back up to 15 in the third quarter but at the period’s end the Cougars were within 10, trailing 51-41.

Mikiah Herbert Harrigan scored the fourth quarter’s first six points to give the Gamecocks a 57-41 lead with just under eight minutes to go in the game. Tysha Harris three-pointer with just over six minutes left grew the Gamecocks lead to 19 but a Cherylin Molina three-pointer with under three minutes made the score 63-51. The final tally was 68-53.

Herbert Harrigan was named the Paradise Jam Player of the Game with 20 points while Cherylin Molina was the only Washington State player with double figures with 17 points.

Island Division Final Day
UT-Arlington’s head coach, Krista Gerlich will have an opportunity to compete against her daughter Bryn, who plays for Oklahoma State when the Cowgirls take on the Lady Mustangs at 2 p.m

No. 1 Oregon will play No. 8 Louisville in a winner-take Island Division championship at 4:15 p.m

Reef Division Final Day
No. 17 Indiana will play Washington State at 6:45 p.m before No. 5 South Carolina will take on No. 2 Baylor.

Baylor will win the Reef Division with a win over South Carolina.

If Indiana beats Washington State then the Reef Division will come down to the final game with South Carolina needing to beat Baylor by 15 to win the Championship because it will be a three-way tie decided by net margin of victory between the three teams.

If Washington State upsets Indiana then a South Carolina win will give them the crown.

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