NASSAU, Bahamas – Junior Keifer Sykes (Chicago, Ill.) finished his foreign tour with another stellar game, scoring 26 points and putting Green Bay in front with a three-point play with under 30 seconds to play as the Phoenix defeated the Real Deal Shockers 75-71 on Thursday night.
Sykes, who averaged 24 points per game as Green Bay went 3-0 in the Bahamas, added nine steals and five assists. Senior Vince Garrett (Chicago, Ill.) had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Going just 28-for-81 from the floor, Green Bay struggled to put away the Shockers, who finished second in their division of the NBPA last season. Trailing 71-70 in the final minute, it was Sykes who took over, recording a three-point play to give the Phoenix a 74-71 advantage.
With nine ticks left, Real Deal missed a two and Greg Mays corralled his ninth rebound of the evening. Sykes split two free throws, sealing the result and giving him 26 points on the night. Despite shooting 5-of-20 from the field, Sykes was 15-of-18 at the charity stripe.
As a team, the Phoenix went 25-for-36 at the line.
Just two weeks after receiving a legislative relief waiver from the NCAA, Garrett enjoyed his finest game with the Phoenix, posting a double-double in 18:11 of court time.
Jordan Fouse (Racine, Wis.) matched Garrett with 11 boards.
