N.C. State knocks off Hawks

ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS >> Dennis Smith Jr. scored a career-high 24 points and N.C. State held off Saint Joseph’s for a 7363 victory Monday in the third-place game of the Paradise Jam tournament.

Torin Dorn added 19 points, Terry Henderson 15 and Abdul-Malik Abu had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolfpack (4-1), who overcame an 11-point deficit in the first half to lead by as many as 14 points.

“I think we just started really slow,” N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried said. “I don’t know if it was because of last night’s game (a 112-94 loss to Creighton in the semifinals Sunday). We didn’t have a lot of zip early. But around the 12-minute mark of the first half, we really started to play. We got going, started to execute and our defense was better. Our guys really responded.”

Shavar Newkirk scored 23 points and Charlie Brown added 14 for the Hawks (3-2), who shot just 32.9 percent from the field (24 of 73) including 5 of 22 from 3-point range.

Still, Saint Joseph’s managed to make N.C. State sweat in the closing minutes. Down 57-43 with less than 11 minutes remaining, the Hawks pulled to within six points three times, the last at 69-63 with 2:29 remaining.

But Smith connected of a pair of free throws less than a minute later, followed by a Henderson dunk that pushed N.C. State’s lead back to double digits.

“We had some terrific numbers - 22 offensive rebounds, 73 shots, eight turnovers, 10 for 12 from the foul line,” Saint Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli said. “Just terrific numbers. We just didn’t have enough guys making shots.”

Oregon 69, Tennessee 65

LAHAINA, HAWAII >> Dillon Brooks hit a long 3-pointer with 22 seconds left in overtime and scored 17 points, lifting No. 13 Oregon to a 69-65 victory over Tennessee at the Maui Invitational on Tuesday.

Oregon (3-2) shot poorly in a loss to Georgetown in its Maui opener and continued to struggle on Day 2. The Ducks shot 34 percent, including 5 of 17 from 3-point range, and had 21 turnovers.

Brooks carried Oregon in his second game back from offseason foot surgery, playing well at both ends before hitting the long 3-pointer and 1 of 2 free throws to seal it.

Tennessee (1-3), which lost to No. 16 Wisconsin in its tournament opener, had 25 turnovers and shot 37 percent. The Vols managed to keep the Ducks within reach, though, tying the game at 56-all on Shembari Philips’ two free throws with 30 seconds left.

Detrick Mostella led Tennessee with 22 points.

Brooks was limited eight points in 13 minutes in his return Monday night, leaving him frustrated. Ducks coach Dana Altman gave his star more playing time and the preseason AllAmerican delivered, hitting 4 of 9 shots and 7 of 10 free throws in 25 minutes.