Saiz Career High Leads Rebels To Paradise Jam Championship

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) – Sebastian Saiz scored a career-high 26 points and added 12 rebounds, and Mississippi advanced to the Paradise Jam championship game with an 81-68 victory over Saint Joseph’s on Sunday.

Deandre Burnett added 20 points, and Cullen Neal and Rasheed Brooks had 11 each for the Rebels (4-0), who pushed a 41-37 halftime lead to as many as 16 points in the second half.

Shavar Newkirk scored 21 points, Charlie Brown had 13 and Lamarr Kimble 10 for the Hawks (3-1), who led twice in the first half, the last at 28-24 on Chris Clover’s 3-pointer with 8:56 left.

But Mississippi responded with a 15-5 run over the next five minutes, with Brown’s 3-pointer with 3:54 remaining giving the Rebels a 39-33 lead, their biggest of the half.

Mississippi’s biggest lead came in the final six minutes, with Justa Furmanavicius tipping in a missed Burnett layup for a 73-57 margin with 5:26 left.