ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) The Latest on the Paradise Jam (all times local):
6:30 p.m.
Kevin Puryear scored 17 points, and Missouri pulled ahead in the final two minutes to beat Kennesaw State 55-52 on Friday at the Paradise Jam tournament.
Jeremiah Tilmon added 12 points for the Tigers (2-1), who will face Oregon State in Sunday’s semifinals at the University of the Virgin Islands’ Sports and Fitness Center.
Missouri led by as many as 11 points in the first half, but the Owls (1-3) rallied to tie it at 50 on Kosta Jankovic’s jumper with 2:32 remaining. Jordan Geist hit a pair of free throws with 1:42 left to put the Tigers back in the lead.
Kennesaw State had two chances to tie it or take the lead, but Tyler Hooker missed a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left, and the Owls turned it over, leading to Mark Smith’s layup with 6.9 seconds left.
Hooker and Jankovic finished with 13 points each, and Kyle Clarke added 10 points for Kennesaw State, which plays Old Dominion in Saturday’s consolation game.
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4:30 p.m.
Gligorije Rakocevic scored 15 points, including a pair of key baskets down the stretch, and Oregon State rallied in the second half Friday for a 61-56 victory over Old Dominion in the opening game of the Paradise Jam tournament.
Down 53-44 with 6:17 remaining, the Beavers (3-0) took a 56-54 lead on Rakocevic’s 3-point play with 1:47 left.
After Ahmad Caver missed a pair of free throws with 56 seconds remaining that would have tied it for the Monarchs (1-2), Rakocevic followed with a dunk to give Oregon State a four-point lead.
Tres Tinkle had 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Stephen Thompson Jr. scored a game-high 17 points for the Beavers, who advance to Sunday’s semifinals at the University of the Virgin Islands’ Sports and Fitness Center.
B.J. Stith scored 15 points, Caver added 12 and Justice Kithcart had 10 points for Old Dominion, which will in Saturday’s consolation round.
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8 a.m.
The Paradise Jam tournament begins play Friday with Oregon State facing Old Dominion in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
That is the first of four games in the first round of the eight-team field. No. 12 Kansas State headlines the field and opens play against Eastern Kentucky in Friday night’s final game.
Kennesaw State will take on Missouri in the second game, while Northern Iowa faces Penn in the day’s third game at the University of the Virgin Islands’ Sports and Fitness Center.
The winners of Friday’s games advance to the semifinals, which will be played Sunday. The losers play in Saturday’s consolation bracket.
The Paradise Jam returns to the Virgin Islands after a one-year absence caused by the damage suffered from Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017.
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