Marquette wins Great Alaska Shootout

Nov. 26, 2004

Forward Ryan Amoroso scored 30 points, including the last five of the game, to help Marquette to its second Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout title with a 92-89 overtime victory over South Carolina at Sullivan Arena.

Tournament Most Outstanding Player Steve Novak poured in 28 points for the Golden Eagles (4-1), who added the 2005 title just four years after winning their first one.

South Carolina (4-1) got 23 points from guard Tre' Kelley and 20 points, six rebounds and five assists from backcourt mate Tarence Kinsey, and 16 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks from forward Renaldo Balkman. All three Gamecocks made the All-Tournament Team in the 28th annual tournament.

MU freshman point guard Dominic James (12 points, 9 assists) and freshman guard Jerel McNeal (7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals) were also voted all-tourney.

Amoroso and Novak both put up career-high point totals, while Amoroso tied his career-best with 12 rebounds. Amoroso entered Saturday's game with just 13 points and nine rebounds through the Golden Eagles' first two Shootout victories.

The first Shootout championship game to go to overtime featured nine ties and 20 lead changes, and neither team led by more than eight points.

Kinsey's put-back dunk put USC ahead 72-68 with 6:34 to play in regulation before Marquette answered with back-to-back three-pointers from James and Amoroso. Another trey by James put the Golden Eagles up 80-76 with a minute left, but Kinsey nailed a long-range bomb just seconds later, drawing the foul and completing the 4-point play to tie it. MU got off three shots on the final possession of regulation, all coming up short.

Marquette went up 87-84 in the extra session before a Kinsey bucket and an unlikely three-pointer from forward Brandon Wallace put the Gamecocks ahead 89-87 a the 49-second mark. Amoroso got the ball down low on the ensuing possession, however, banking home a short jumper and drawing the foul from Kinsey.

After Amoroso converted the three-point play, South Carolina declined to call timeout, and Kelley and Wallace missed a pair of shots. Amoroso grabbed his final rebound and was fouled again, converting both charities with 4.1 second left. Kelley got off a final shot from 25 feet, but it was off-line.

Marquette becomes just the fourth team to win multiple Shootout titles, joining North Carolina (1980, 1985, 1997), North Carolina State (1978, 1983) and Kentucky (1979, 1996) in that elite company.

Novak was 6 of 10 from three-point range, tying the Shootout championship-game record for treys made, and the Golden Eagles tied the team championship-game record with 13 three-point makes.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Nick Young, Southern California Kemmy Burgess, Alaska Anchorage Jamaal Tatum, Southern Illinois Caleb Green, Oral Roberts Tarence Kinsey, South Carolina Dominic James, Marquette Ken Tutt, Oral Roberts Jerel McNeal, Marquette Tre' Kelley, South Carolina Renaldo Balkman, South Carolina

Most Outstanding Player: Steve Novak, Marquette