THE Duquesne Dukes are your 2019 men’s Junkanoo Jam champions and continue their historic pace start to the season.
The Dukes continued their undefeated streak and are now 6-0 on the year after last week’s performance at Gateway Christian Academy in Bimini.
They defeated Loyola Marymount 71-50 in the tournament finale, powered by a hot shooting second half highlighted by eight three pointers.
In the process, the Dukes are off to the programme’s best start since 2007-08.
Five players hit at least two three-pointers for Duquesne. The team was led by tournament MVP Sincere Carry.
LMU took an early 14-2 lead but the Dukes responded with a 19-6 run to take their first lead of the game at the 4:21 mark and led 28-26 at the half.
They put the game away in the second half with a 25-6 run over a nine minute stretch.
In the round robin format, the Dukes topped the standings at 3-0.
The Indiana State Sycamores were second in the standings at 2-1 while Loyola Maramount was 1-2 and Air Force finished without a win at 0-3.
The Dukes had a pair of close finishes in their first two games before the dominant conclusion on Sunday.
They opened with a 74-71 win over Indiana State and defeated Air Force 69-63.
Carry was joined on the All-Tournament by AJ Walker (Air Force), Eli Scott (Loyola Marymount), Jordan Barnes (Indiana State) and Michael Hughes (Duquesne)
The women’s Junkanoo Jam moves into its 17th year after previous editions were hosted in both Grand Bahama and Bimini.
This represents a shift for tournament organisers Basketball Travellers to men’s competition at the event.
“We think these tournaments provide a great opportunity for mid-major teams that get squeezed out of other early-season tournaments, but can still bring an elite level of play and excitement.” tournament director Jason Sarkies said.
“Having hosted the women’s Junkanoo Jam for 16 years in the beautiful islands of the Bahamas, we look forward to beginning this new chapter with the men’s tournaments. The teams will enjoy all that Bimini has to offer, and we are expecting high level competition for years to come.”
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