Providence, R.I. – Senior Esaie Touze (Providence, R.I.) was named the Most Outstanding Player after leading the Johnson & Wales University Providence men's basketball team to the championship of the inaugural JWU Cup at the Wildcat Center on Saturday afternoon. Providence posted an 85-66 victory against North Miami in the Championship game. Denver took home third-place for the tournament with a 76-74 victory against Charlotte in the consolation game. The event features teams from all four JWU Campuses and is part of the University's year-long Centennial Celebration.
The Championship game saw a back and forth battle throughout the early part of the game with the score knotted 15-15 with 11:28 left on the clock. Providence then used a 13-0 run, capped by a three pointer by Touze with 8:11 left for the 28-15 advantage. Providence led by as many as 16 points several times in the stanza before taking the 43-27 lead heading into the locker room at halftime. Providence had a commanding 28-6 advantage in points in the paint and held North Miami to just 27.6% from the field. Providence's lead grew to as many as 18 early in the second half, but North Miami responded and cut the lead to just seven points after a traditional three-point play by senior Jonathan Lowe (St. David's Bermuda) with just over 11 minutes left to play made the score 57-50. Providence responded, however and pushed their lead back up to 15 points as a layup by sophomore Quarry Greenaway (Westchester, N.Y.) made the score 76-58. Providence then cruised to the 85-66 victory. Touze had a game-high 27 points and 10 rebounds while Greenaway, who joined Touze on the All-Tournament Team, added 19 points, 10 boards, three rebounds and three assists. Senior Curtis Lucas (Providence, R.I.) was also in double-figures with 15 points and five boards in the victory. Junior Ralph Nin (Miami, Fla.) recorded a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds for North Miami while senior Myles Smith (Davie, Fla.) tallied a team-high 13 points with three boards in the setback.
All-Tournament Team
Esaie Touze – Providence – Most Outstanding Player
Quarry Greenaway – Providence
Quentin Tate – North Miami
DeQuincey Bennett – Charlotte
Demetris Love - Denver