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Boeheim's Army Opens TBT With Win
7/26/2019 10:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SYRACUSE, NY -- When it came to crunch time, top-seeded Boeheim's Army turned to its most experienced performer and pulled out a 68-65 victory against #8 We Are D3 in the opening day of The Basketball Tournament in the Syracuse Regional. Eric Devendorf, who was playing in his 17th TBT game with Boeheim's Army, had two free throws, two assists, two rebounds and a blocked shot in the waning moments to help his squad advance.
THE ELAM ENDING
The contest entered the Elam Ending, a specialized format utilized in the fourth quarter of all TBT games, with Boeheim's Army clinging to a 60-56 advantage, thanks to a layup by Devendorf. The Elam Ending comes into play at the first whistle under the four-minute market of the fourth quarter, and adds eight points to the leading score to establish a target score. In this case, the target score was set at 68.
A slam by Warrick was answered by two free throws from Johnny McCarthy and Boeheim's Army led 62-58. Crawford scored for the Army, but Arik Smith converted a 3-pointer for We Are D3 to close the gap at 64-61. Devendorf made two free throws and when Warrick was fouled attempting a game-winning dunk, he went to the line with a chance to lock up the contest. Warrick made the first but missed the second. We Are D3 took advantage and McCarthy made a 3-pointer to keep his club alive, down 67-64. He shaved into the margin by hitting one of two free-throw attempts and Boeheim's Army had the ball, up 67-65. Following a tie-up, Boeheim's Army maintained possession and Crawford was fouled. He missed the first attempt but clinched the victory by making the second.
A SLOW BEGINNING
Despite its seed, We Are D3 served notice early by building a lead that reached 14, 26-12, in the first quarter. Devendorf answered with a 3-pointer and Boeheim's Army slowly worked its way back into the game. By halftime, the deficit had been sliced to two, 37-35.
TOP PERFORMERS
Jordan Crawford, the only member of Boeheim's Army who did not play college basketball at Syracuse, led the club with 17 points. Hakim Warrick, a four-year veteran of the TBT like Devendorf, had 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds, and Devendorf finished with 11 points.
OCC GOES ORANGE
The SRC Arena on the campus of Onondaga Community College welcomed 2,500 to the contest and the majority of the crowd was wearing and cheering for the Orange.
BOEHEIM'S ARMY NAMESAKE IN THE HOUSE
The full house at SRC Arena included Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim, who watched Boeheim's Army from a court-side seat.
Another Orange star in attendance was Lawrence Moten, the career leading scorer at Syracuse and in BIG EAST Conference history. Moten coached Boeheim's Army in the initial TBT. This year's edition has former Syracuse standout Ryan Blackwell as coach.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Boeheim's Army is back at SRC Arena on Saturday and faces fifth-seeded Gael Nation at noon. Tickets will be available at the door. At 2:00 p.m., #2 Armored Athlete faces #3 Brotherly Love. The winners will meet for the regional title on Sunday at 3:00 p.m.
THE ELAM ENDING
The contest entered the Elam Ending, a specialized format utilized in the fourth quarter of all TBT games, with Boeheim's Army clinging to a 60-56 advantage, thanks to a layup by Devendorf. The Elam Ending comes into play at the first whistle under the four-minute market of the fourth quarter, and adds eight points to the leading score to establish a target score. In this case, the target score was set at 68.
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A slam by Warrick was answered by two free throws from Johnny McCarthy and Boeheim's Army led 62-58. Crawford scored for the Army, but Arik Smith converted a 3-pointer for We Are D3 to close the gap at 64-61. Devendorf made two free throws and when Warrick was fouled attempting a game-winning dunk, he went to the line with a chance to lock up the contest. Warrick made the first but missed the second. We Are D3 took advantage and McCarthy made a 3-pointer to keep his club alive, down 67-64. He shaved into the margin by hitting one of two free-throw attempts and Boeheim's Army had the ball, up 67-65. Following a tie-up, Boeheim's Army maintained possession and Crawford was fouled. He missed the first attempt but clinched the victory by making the second.
A SLOW BEGINNING
Despite its seed, We Are D3 served notice early by building a lead that reached 14, 26-12, in the first quarter. Devendorf answered with a 3-pointer and Boeheim's Army slowly worked its way back into the game. By halftime, the deficit had been sliced to two, 37-35.
TOP PERFORMERS
Jordan Crawford, the only member of Boeheim's Army who did not play college basketball at Syracuse, led the club with 17 points. Hakim Warrick, a four-year veteran of the TBT like Devendorf, had 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds, and Devendorf finished with 11 points.
OCC GOES ORANGE
The SRC Arena on the campus of Onondaga Community College welcomed 2,500 to the contest and the majority of the crowd was wearing and cheering for the Orange.
BOEHEIM'S ARMY NAMESAKE IN THE HOUSE
The full house at SRC Arena included Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim, who watched Boeheim's Army from a court-side seat.
Another Orange star in attendance was Lawrence Moten, the career leading scorer at Syracuse and in BIG EAST Conference history. Moten coached Boeheim's Army in the initial TBT. This year's edition has former Syracuse standout Ryan Blackwell as coach.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Boeheim's Army is back at SRC Arena on Saturday and faces fifth-seeded Gael Nation at noon. Tickets will be available at the door. At 2:00 p.m., #2 Armored Athlete faces #3 Brotherly Love. The winners will meet for the regional title on Sunday at 3:00 p.m.
Players Mentioned
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