The University of the Virgin Islands Buccaneers defeated Technical University of Jamaica, 101-82, in the championship of the 2001 Caribbean University Sports Association Basketball Tournament Sunday at the UVI Sports and Fitness Center.
The first quarter of the championship game was a close one. The Bucs took an early 11-2 lead before UTech's offense started to roll. The game was tied at 21 after the first quarter.
UTech even took a quick two point lead at the start of the second quarter, 23-21. However, the Bucs answered with an 8-0 run to reclaim the lead. The Bucs scored 21 more points than UTech in the second quarter.
The Bucs offense was on a fire, led by tournament most valuable player Bertrum Foster. Foster scored 23 of his game high 27 points in the first half.
The Bucs shot a sizzling 63 percent from the behind the 3-point arc in the first half. They added a 47 percent shooting performance in field goals. UTech was held to just 25 percent in field goals and 23 percent from 3-point range.
UTech outscored the Bucs in the third quarter but just by six points, 22-16. UTech held the Bucs scoreless for the last three minutes of the quarter to accomplish the task. Meanwhile, UTech scored 10 unanswered points.
The fourth quarter saw the Bucs offense come back to life with 27 points in the period. By the end of the game the only question was whether the Bucs would be able to pass the century mark in points.
Top scorers for the game were Foster for the Bucs. His teammate Kevin Abbott added 16 points and John St. Luce contributed 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. For UTech, Narada Wellington had 22 point and Nicholas Bogle added 16 points and 17 rebounds.
