POSTED BY: Eurobasket News
Aliyah Boston
By Kyle Murphy
The 20th Anniversary of Paradise Jam wrapped up with two top-10 match-ups at the University of the Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center and the two top teams in the nation fell.
Island Tournament Game 5: Oklahoma State 60 UT- Arlington 47
Oklahoma's State's interior defense was strong early on as the Cowgirls built an 8-2 lead and swatted away three shots in the game's first five minutes. The defense held UT- Arlignton to 15 percent shooting in the initial period and the Cowgirls led 17-7 after one quarter of play.
Oklahoma State biggest lead of the second quarter was 23-10 with just under seven minutes left in the second quarter but UTA outscored the Cowgirls 12-4 over the last six and a half minutes of the half and the Lady Mavericks trailed 27-22.
Vivan Gray's three-pointer with 7:22 left in the third quarter gave the Cowgirls an eight point edge which was their largest of the second quarter. A Kassidy DeLapp tip in with five minutes left brought the lead back up to that margin before UTA went on an 8-2 run that made the score 36-34 with about three and a half minutes left in the quarter. Neither team scored for about three minutes but Emma Halverson jumper with 36 seconds left in the quarter tied them game at 36 but Natasha Mack hit two free throws before the quarter ended and Oklahoma State held a slim two point advantage going into the final period.
Natasha Mack's lay-up with around five minutes left in the fourth quarter gave the Cowgirls a double digit lead, 51-41. UTA's Misty Dossey scored on the next possession, which made it an eight point game but that is the closest they got the rest of the way.
Gray's 21 points earned her the Paradise Jam Player of the Game honor and Ayisa Evans had 19 points in the loss.
Island Division Game 4: No.8 Louisville 72 No.1 Oregon 62
Lousiville scored the first basket but Oregon went on a 13-2 run and led by nine with six and a half minutes to go in the first quarter. A three pointer by Louisville's Elizabeth Balogun made the score 14-11 with just under four minutes in the first period. The Cardinals only scored two points the rest of the quarter and Oregon led 24-13 after the first quarter.
Louisville rallied off the first eight points of the quarter and were down 24-21 two minutes into the second quarter. Oregon's Ruthy Herbard's layup with just over seven minutes left grew the Ducks lead back to seven before the Cardinals went on a 9-2 run and were tied at 30 after Dana Evans hit a lay-up with just under three minutes to go in the half. Oregon scored the next basket but that didn't stop the momentum as the Cardinals scored the halves final seven points to go into the break leading 37-32. Evans was held to just one field goal attempt in the first quarter and scored all 10 of her first half points in the second period.
The streak continued in the second half and a Kylee Shook three pointer put Louisville up 10 just a minute into the second half. In total Louisville outscored Oregon 23-4 over a nine minute stretch between the two halves and their lead was 12 with seven minutes left in the third. Sabrina Ionescu's lay-up near the third quarter's buzzer was deemed too late and the Ducks trailed 51-42 going into the final quarter.
Shook's lay-up got the Cardinals lead up to 10 with just over five minutes left. Oregon cut the deficit to six after Ionescu's three with a minute and a half left in the game. Louisville finished the game by going 6-6 from the free throw line to secure the upset.
Shook had 18 points and 15 rebounds in the victory while Satau Sabally had a game-high 21 points.
Reef Division Game 5 No. 17 Indiana 78 Washington State 44
Washington State shot 5-6 from the floor in the game's first three minutes and built a 11-7 lead. Grace Berger's lay-up with about four and a half minutes left tied the game at 13 for the Hoosiers. Indiana closed the quarter on an 11-2 run and led 24-18 after the first period.
A Jayleen Penn three-pointer with eight minutes to play in the first half gave IU a 31-24 lead. Washington State cut the deficit to three with five and a half minutes left but the Hosiers then scored 14 straight points and led 45-28 at the half.
Indiana dominated the third quarter and had built a 28 point lead with just under four minutes left and went into the fourth up 65-39.
Ali Packard was the Paradise Jam Player of the Game with 15 points and eight rebounds while Borislava Hristova had 16 points in the loss.
Reef Division Game 6: No. 5 South Carolina 74 No 2. Bayor 59
Balyor scored eight of the games first 10 points but Mikiah Herbert Harrignan 's three pointer with just under four minutes left in the period tied the game at 14. Victaria Saxton's lay-up with five seconds left in the quarter's gave the Gamecocks a 22-19 lead at the end of the first period.
That basket was part of a 10-0 run that by the end of it they led 26-19 with just over nine minutes to go in the half. Hometown player Aliyah Boston (193-F-01) lay-up put the Gamecocks up by double-digits, 32-21, with just under seven and a half minutes to go in the quarter. Baylor closed the half by going on a 14-6 run and trailed by three at the half 38-35.
Baylor got within two when T'ea Cooper split a pair of free-throws with under five and a half minutes left and the Bears cut it two one point with just under two minutes in the quarter. They never overtook South Carolina in the quarter and trailed 51-48 going into the final period of play.
Caitlin Bickle lay-up with 8:15 made the score 54-52 but Boston's tenth rebound and 14th point gave the Gamecocks a five point edge with just over six minutes left. Cooper's three on the games next possession cut it two but that was a close as the Bears got down the stretch.
Tags : ALIYAH BOSTON, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, USA BASKETBALL
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