The 26th installment of Basketball Travelers Inc.’s Paradise Jam started on Friday, Nov. 21, with four men’s games at the University of the Virgin Islands’ Elridge W. Blake Sports and Fitness Center.
GAME 1 – Yale 73 – Green Bay 67
The Yale University Bulldogs tamed the Phoenix of the University of Wisconsin Green Bay 73 – 67 in the opening game of the 2025 Paradise Jam. The Bulldogs took control in the first half and maintained a comfortable working margin throughout, including a nine-point halftime advantage. Senior forward Nick Townend scored 13 points for the Ivy League school. His teammates, Casey Simmons and Riley Fox, each chipped in 11 points for the Bulldogs. Junior forward, Marcus Hall, had an outstanding game for the Phoenix, dropping 20 points and snatching 8 rebounds. C.J. O’Hara added 15 points in a losing effort.
GAME 2 – College of Charleston 69 – University of Massachusetts 65
The Minutemen of the University of Massachusetts started this game on a 7–0 run against the College of Charleston. They outshot the Cougars, making 46.4 % of their shots. They made 4 more three-point shots than their opponents, but came up 4 points short on the scoreboard. The Cougars of Charleston went 24-29 from the free-throw line, while the Minutemen needed more time on the charity stripe, going 6-13. Jlynn Counter scored 12 points for the College of Charleston. Marcus Banks and Leonardo Bettiol were the top two offensive players for UMass.
GAME 3 – Akron 96 – Iona 75
Iona University Gaels came into game two of this tournament with an unblemished (4-0) record, while the University of Akron Zips suffered their only loss of the season to top-ranked Purdue Boiler Markings. Akron’s Red-shirt Freshman, Eric Mahaffey, shot 8-9 from the field, including 1-1 from three-point land, igniting the Zips’ offense. Mahaffey finished with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Tavari Johnson contributed 19 points for Akron. Kosy Akametu and C.J. Anthony were the top scorers for Iona, scoring 16 and 13 points, respectively.
GAME 4 – Evansville 73 – Oregon State 69
The final game of day one of the 2025 Paradise Jam was a very competitive contest. The Evansville Purple Aces were on top of the scoreboard for the majority of the first half, clinging to just a 2-point advantage at intermission (30-8). The Beavers started the second frame hot, building a modest 6-point lead. However, Evansville went on a 20–3 run that sealed the game for the Purple Aces. Joshua Hughes dropped 16 points and snagged 12 rebounds for Evansville. Leif Moeller and Connor Turnbull also contributed 14 and 10 points, respectively, for the winning team. Noah Amenhauser scored 17 points and collected 5 rebounds for the Beavers. Josiah Lake II added 16 points in a losing effort.
The tournament continues on Saturday, Nov. 22, with two tournament games at the Elridge Blake Sports and Fitness Center. Green Bay will play UMass at 4 p.m. Iona will take on Oregon State at 6:30 p.m. The final game of the evening will feature the Charlotte Amalie High School Chicken Hawks against their rivals, the Ivanna Eudora Kean Dynamite Rays, at 9 p.m. At halftime, the Lady Hawks and the Lady Rays will be on the courts for an abbreviated exhibition contest
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