Winthrop women to play in Paradise Jam tournament

The Winthrop women’s basketball team is set to play in the 2016 Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Eagles travel to the Caribbean during Thanksgiving for the three-day tournament that will take place Nov. 24 to 26 at the UVI Sports and Fitness Center in Charlotte Amalie.

Kevin Cook’s team begins the tournament with a matchup against Florida State on Thanksgiving Day at 5:45 p.m. On Friday, Nov. 25, Winthrop faces Michigan at 8 p.m., and ends the tournament against Gonzaga on Saturday at 5:45 p.m. All games times are Eastern Standard Time.

This trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands will mark Winthrop’s second tournament appearance outside the continental United States in the program’s history. The Eagles played in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in 2012.

“We are excited to be invited to participate in this year’s Paradise Jam,” Cook said. “It will provide a great opportunity to play some high quality competition and further bond as a family in a tropical paradise. I hope our fans will make plans to make the trip and give us some support.”

Winthrop has played FSU and Gonzaga once before, but will face Michigan for the first time. The Eagles defeated FSU 71-63 on Feb. 8, 1979, in the first game of the Winthrop Invitational. Winthrop lost to Gonzaga 80-66 on Nov. 22, 2012, in the Hardwood for Hope tournament in Puerto Vallarta.

Winthrop will play in the Reef Division Tournament, while the separate Island Division Tournament includes N.C. State, LSU, UTEP and Kansas State.

For fans who would like to travel to St. Thomas, the team will depart from Charlotte on Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 9:29 a.m., on American Airlines Flight 148 with a connection in Miami, and will return on Sunday, Nov. 27, on Delta Flight 307 with a connection in Atlanta and arrival in Charlotte at 11:12 p.m. The teams will be staying at the Marriott Frenchman’s Reef resort.

Winthrop’s full non-conference schedule will be released later this summer.

This story was originally published June 27, 2016 at 11:50 AM with the headline "Winthrop women to play in Paradise Jam tournament."