After being held in check for the majority of the game, Tennessee Volunteers’ senior center Wayne Chism exploded late in the second half Sunday to help his team hold on for a 57-53 win over DePaul as the Paradise Jam Basketball Tournament continued on St. Thomas.
The game was a back-and-forth affair until late in the first half when Tennessee’s Skylar McBee found his touch, hitting eight of his nine overall points in the final three minutes to send the Vols into the break with a 33-24 lead.
Tennessee maintained the upper hand until the 7:15 mark in the second half, when DePaul’s Mario Stula hit two free throws to give the Blue Demons its first lead since the score was 6-7 with about 13 minutes left in the first half. But on the next possession, Melvin Goins’ mid-range jumper gave the Vols the lead back at 49-48.
On the other end, DePaul’s Will Walker got fouled trying to drive the base line and hit one of two free throws, knotting the game at 49 with just under five minutes to go. But just as the Blue Demons seemed to be gaining momentum, Taylor Smith hit one of two free throws, recapturing the lead for Tennessee, 50-49.
Tennessee got the ball back and Chism drilled a three-pointer from the top of the key, pushing the lead back up to four, 53-49. After a defensive stand by the Volunteers, Chism came right back up court and hit a runner in the lane that pushed the lead out to 55-49 and put a dagger in the hearts of the Demons.
Tennessee was led by Smith, who had 14 points and nine rebounds, followed by Chism with 13 points and eight rebounds.
For DePaul, Walker and Mac Koshwal both finished with 14 points. Koshwal also chipped in eight boards.
Speaking after the game, DePaul head coach Jerry Wainwright tried to focus on the positives, saying his younger team was able to hold its ground for much of the game against a more experienced and athletic Volunteers squad.
"We didn’t play well enough to beat them, but I think the kids are getting better and I think we handled the pressure well for a one-day prep," he said. "I think that’s going to work well for us in the future and I think the game overall was a good measuring stick — it showed we could face full court pressure and still do well."
In Sunday’s second game Purdue seemed to be having a tough time with a confident Saint Joseph’s University team, already 3-0 on the season and coming off a very impressive victory over Boston College on the first night of the tournament.
After trailing most of the night, Purdue’s E’twuan Moore hit the second of two free throws with four seconds left in the first period to give his team a 31-30 lead at half. In the second half, Purdue turned the close game into a blowout, scoring 54 points in the second period alone.
Purdue went on to take a 25-point win, 85-60. Leading the way for Purdue was Jajuan Johnson with 18 points and 10 rebounds, followed by Ryne Smith with 16 points. For Saint Joseph’s, Garrett Williamson led the way with 12 points, followed by Idris Hilliard and Bryant Irwin, with nine points each.
Purdue will face off in the championship game against Tennessee, which tips off at 9:30 p.m. Monday.
On Saturday, teams that were unsuccessful on opening day tried again for another shot at the winner’s column. In the first game, the University of Northern Iowa took a 10-point lead into half and went on to the 74-68 victory over East Carolina.
For UNI, Adam Koch had 25 points, followed by Jordan Eglseder, who finished with a double-double — 19 points and 10 rebounds. For East Carolina, Brock Young had 18 points to go along with five assists. He was followed by Jamar Abrams and Jontae Sherrod, who both had 15 points.
On Monday at 4:30 p.m., Northern Iowa will play Boston College, which trampled South Dakota State 75-58 during Saturday’s second game. Boston College was led by Joe Trapani, who had 21 points, followed by Biko Paris, who had 16.
For South Dakota State, Anthony Cordova had 18 points, followed by Kai Williams, with 11. South Dakota will have one last chance to get into the winners bracket when it takes on East Carolina at 2 p.m. Monday.