No. 2 UConn holds off hard-charging La Salle at Paradise Jam
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Associated Press - Published: November 22, 2008
CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands — Kemba Walker scored 23 points and Jeff Adrien added 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead No. 2 Connecticut to a hard-fought 89-81 victory over La Salle on Friday in the Paradise Jam.
The Huskies (3-0) trailed in the early minutes, but were up 46-40 at halftime under the leadership of guard A.J. Price. They never trailed in the second half, leading by as many as 10 points.
Rodney Green had a game-high 25 points for La Salle (1-2). Ruben Guillandeaux and Yves Mekongo Mbala each had 13 points.
No. 4 UCLA 77, Southern Illinois 60
NEW YORK — Alfred Aboya scored 22 points and Darren Collison had 17, helping the Bruins rebound from a disheartening loss to beat Southern Illinois in the consolation game of the 2K Sports Classic.
The Bruins (3-1) struggled in a semifinal loss to Michigan, turning the ball over 17 times and showing very little patience against the Wolverines' zone defense.
They had their own problems with Southern Illinois, a team known for its gritty defense, before a 20-2 run covering more than 6 minutes late in the game made it much more comfortable.
Freshman guard Kevin Dillard scored 14 for the Salukis (2-2).
No. 6 Pittsburgh 86, Akron 67
PITTSBURGH — Sam Young gave Akron problems no matter where he was on the floor, scoring 26 points and taking control during a Pittsburgh surge late in the first half that carried the Panthers.
Levance Fields had 19 points and seven assists and DeJuan Blair added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Panthers (3-0). Young scored 11 of Pitt's final 15 points in the first half as the Panthers doubled their lead from 28-19 to 45-27.
Brett McKnight had 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting, but Akron (2-1) lost its 20th consecutive game against a Top 25 opponent.
No. 10 Duke 71, Michigan 56
NEW YORK — Kyle Singler showed up from the start this time, scoring 15 points and leading Duke over surprising Michigan in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic.
Nolan Smith added 16 points and Gerald Henderson had 12 for the Blue Devils, who won their four games in the 2K Sports Classic by an average of 28.5 points. Duke has won seven straight in-season tournament games after sweeping through the Maui Invitational last season.
Manny Harris scored 25 points to lead Michigan (3-1), which will get another crack at the Blue Devils (5-0) when they visit Ann Arbor on Dec. 6. DeShawn Sims added 10 points off the bench.
No. 13 Memphis 84, Seton Hall 70
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Doneal Mack scored 16 points to lead Memphis over Seton Hall in the semifinals of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
The Tigers (4-0) led 70-46 with 8:42 left and prevailed despite 20 second-half points from Seton Hall's Jeremy Hazell, who finished with a career-high 32 points.
The Pirates (3-1) fell behind 44-30 at intermission and couldn't recover.
No. 14 Tennessee 76,
Middle Tennessee 66
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Tyler Smith scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Tennessee beat Middle Tennessee.
Bobby Maze added 12 points for the Vols (3-0) while J.P. Prince and Scotty Hopson had 10 apiece.
Down by only six points, Middle Tennessee (2-1) opened the second half with a 6-0 run to tie the game at 38 with 17:30 left on a long jumper by Nigel Johnson.
Tennessee responded with a 9-0 run. A behind-the-back pass by Smith set up a Cameron Tatum layup that gave the Vols a 47-38 lead with 14:02 to go.
No. 17 Miami 70, Southern Miss 60
CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands — Dwayne Collins scored 14 points to lead Miami over Southern Mississippi in the Paradise Jam opener.
No. 19 Southern Cal 73,
Chattanooga 46
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Taj Gibson scored 17 points to lead Southern Cal over Chattanooga in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
Gibson also grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked five shots for the Trojans (3-1), who played a strong second half to claim the win.
Dwight Lewis scored 16 points, DeMar DeRozan added 13 and Daniel Hackett had 10 points and nine assists.
Nicchaeus Doaks led the Mocs (0-4) with 14 points, 15 rebounds and three assists.
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