Scarlet & Gray is on its way to Baltimore after beating the top-seeded Golden Eagles, a Marquette alumni squad, 81-56, in the quarterfinals of The Basketball Tournament on Sunday afternoon.
| 1 | 2 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2 SCARLET & GRAY | 29 | 52 | 81 |
| #1 GOLDEN EAGLES | 24 | 32 | 56 |
David Lighty was the clear star for Scarlet and Gray. Lighty's 12 first-half points came on 5-7 shooting from the floor, including 2-2 from behind the arc. His offense kept the Ohio State alumni squad on pace with Diebler and Sullinger limited. Lighty finished with a game-high 23 points and 3-4 from behind the arc. William Buford complemented Lighty's player-of-the-game performance with 21 points on 9-14 shooting.
Foul concerns for Sullinger limited his aggressiveness in the first half but Sullinger finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. Leon Rodgers led Scarlet & Gray with 12 rebounds, also contributing 11 points.
Scarlet & Gray's domination of the glass was one of two overall keys to the game. The team tallied 48 rebounds to Golden Eagles' 34. The Marquette alumni squad compounded this problem with a poor performance from the field. Golden Eagles shot 31.74% from the field and a paltry 16% from the perimeter. Comfortable that Golden Eagles couldn't shoot from the floor, Scarlet & Gray even threw a 2-3 zone in stretches at the opposition to prevent Davante Gardner from getting clean looks close to the basket.
The Scarlet & Gray manhandled Golden Eagles despite playing without Jon Diebler for almost the entire game. The top shooter for the Ohio State alumni squad had a sore ankle after a drive to the basket yesterday against Always A Brave. He first appeared midway through the first half but was pulled after six minutes of action. A missed three-pointer underscored how hobbled Diebler was after yesterday's game. He sat out the second half and Scarlet & Gray relied on Buford and Lighty's shooting to carry the team against Golden Eagles.
HIGHLIGHTS | In their 1st #TBT appearance, @ScarletGrayTBT won the Midwest, advancing to the #TBT2017 Semis in Baltimore #TBTBmore #Super16 pic.twitter.com/xA5WeVnaLd
— TBT (@thetournament) July 23, 2017
Scarlet & Gray awaits the West Regional winner in Baltimore on Aug. 1. Armored Athlete and Team Challenge ALS play later today in Brooklyn to determine that semifinal matchup.
| # | Player | FG-FGA | 3FG-3FGA | FT-FTA | O-REB | D-REB | T-REB | PF | TP | A | TO | BL | STL | MIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | JARED SULLINGER | 7-15 | 0-3 | 1-3 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 |
| 01 | LEON RODGERS | 2-9 | 1-5 | 6-6 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| 04 | AARON CRAFT | 2-5 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 |
| 23 | DAVE LIGHTY | 9-14 | 3-4 | 2-2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 23 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 31 |
| 44 | WILLIAM BUFORD | 9-14 | 2-4 | 1-1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 28 |
| 22 | NATE MILLER | 1-6 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 24 | EVAN RAVENEL | 1-1 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 33 | JON DIEBLER | 0-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 52 | DALLAS LAUDERDALE | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
