Freddy Hicks led the way for a second straight game in St. Thomas as Tarleton State cruised past Boston College 70-54 in Sunday night’s U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam semifinal.
Hicks scored a game-high 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting and added six rebounds, three assists and a steal to help the Texans (3-1) win and set up a Monday championship against Drake.
Off the bench, Lue Williams scored 14 points with the help of three 3-pointers in the first half, while Shakur Daniel added 13.
The Texans shot 51.1 percent and scored 26 points off 20 Boston College turnovers.
C.J. Penha led the Eagles (3-2) with 12 points on five field goals.
A 5-2 BC lead was erased after five of the Eagles’ 11 first-half turnovers fueled a 12-0 Tarleton State run over 4:56. Williams hit a triple to put the Texans back in front at 8-5, while Hicks closed the sequence with two free throws and a driving layup with 11:58 left in the first.
BC got back within eight on Mason Madsen and T.J. Bickerstaff layups before Tarleton State regained control with Williams scoring five during an 8-2 spurt. Daniel finished a three-point play to make it 27-13 at 5:33.
Garry Clark’s layup with 45 seconds left in the half lifted the Texans 35-19 at intermission.
BC hit three of the first five second-half shots, a stretch that included five points from Penha. Daniel’s jumper ended a 7-0 run and gave the Texans a 19-point lead with 14:25 left.
After the Eagles’ Madsen and Chas Kelley III cut into the 46-25 score with consecutive 3-pointers, Jakorie Smith put in two baskets as part of a 6-2 response to re-establish the 19-point edge.
A 12-4 run — including a Madsen trey and Armani Mighty three-point play — brought BC within 11 with 5:39 left.
Despite Tarleton State going five minutes without a field goal, five Hicks free throws kept it in control. Hicks drove for two at the 4:02 mark to give the Texans a 63-48 cushion.
A Javontae Hopkins dunk punctuated the Texans win with 1:52 remaining.
–Field Level Media
