Tyrese Rice had eight of his team-leading 20 points during the Elam Ending to boost Boeheim’s Army to a 73-69 win and semifinal berth in The Basketball Tournament.
Here are a couple more notes on Saturday’s game:
Boeheim’s Army was very fortunate to stay in the game in the first half. The Golden Eagles made 8-of-11 shots in the first quarter to open up their early lead, then kept control as the Army could not find the range from deep in the second quarter, missing all six of their three-point attempts.
After shooting 38.2 percent for the bulk of the game, Boeheim’s Army finished by making eight of their final nine field goal attempts. Part of their early struggles were caused by poor ball movement and reliance on isolation play. The Army did not record a single assist on 14 first half field goals and ended the game with seven dimes on their 29 baskets.
As they have throughout the tournament, Boeheim’s Army dominated the fourth quarter, notching a 23-11 scoring advantage. In four games, the Army has outscored their opponents by a collective 78-38 margin.
Boeheim’s Army pounded the Eagles on the glass, earning a 44-29 advantage on the strength of 18 offensive rebounds, which they converted into 19 second chance points. In addition to McCullough’s ten rebounds, Lydon snagged eight and Richardson seven.
WHAT’S NEXT: Sunday afternoon, Boeheim’s Army faces Florida TNT at 12:00pm Eastern (ESPN). Florida TNT is averaging over 85 points per game in the tourney, twice notching 92 points. Kenny Boynton (17.3 points per game), Christopher Warren (16.0), and Dominique Jones (15.5) lead their explosive offense, which connects on 41.4 percent of their threes.
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