Ohio State alumni squad Scarlet and Gray had to play without its best player on Friday night in Atlanta, but still found a way to win in the Super 16 of The Basketball Tournament.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 SCARLET & GRAY | 23 | 19 | 19 | 11 | 72 |
| #12 PRIMETIME PLAYERS | 25 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 60 |
Without the likes of Jared Sullinger, who is getting married on Saturday, Scarlet and Gray found plenty of production from the rest of their roster, including former No. 1 overall pick, Greg Oden, to defeat the Primetime Players, 72-60.
Oden, who had not played organized basketball in almost three years, started for Scarlet and Gray and contributed six points and three rebounds in the first half, finishing with 11 points and five boards in 16 minutes. He, along with Dallas Lauderdale and Evan Ravenel, took over the minutes left by Sullinger, who is expected to miss Scarlet and Gray's Sunday game as well.
The first half saw the Buckeye alums get into foul trouble with a short bench. Aaron Craft was forced to play extra minutes with the absence of Penn State alum Talor Battle, who is also getting married over the weekend. Craft contributed an all-around performance for the Scarlet and Gray, finishing with 13 points, nine rebounds and six assists while committing just one turnover.
| SCARLET & GRAY | STAT | PLAYERS |
|---|---|---|
| 72 | POINTS | 60 |
| 27-58 (46.6%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 20-58 (34.5%) |
| 11-24 (45.8%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 10-28 (35.7%) |
| 7-11 (63.6%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 10-14 (71.4%) |
| 14 | TURNOVERS | 12 |
| 40 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 32 |
| 9 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 9 |
| 31 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 23 |
| 27 | BENCH POINTS | 11 |
| 3 | BLOCKS | 4 |
| 5 | STEALS | 5 |
| 14 | ASSISTS | 11 |
William Buford and Oden each picked up three first-half fouls, but Jon Diebler helped pick up Scarlet and Gray with a trio of three-point shots to contribute to a 42-37 halftime lead. The Primetime Players cut the deficit to one early in the third quarter before Scarlet and Gray rattled off a 14-0 run, highlighted by a pair of three-pointers from Buford and a thunderous alley-oop slam from Lauderdale, to take a 59-43 lead with under three minutes left in the frame.
Scarlet and Gray carried an 11-point lead into the fourth quarter before Primetime Players cut the deficit to 65-60 before the Elam Ending went into effect, setting the target score at 72.
With the target score set, Craft took over, contributing back-to-back layups to push the lead to 69-60. Buford ended the game with a corner three-pointer to advance the Buckeye alums to the quarterfinals.
Buford led Scarlet and Gray in scoring with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-7 from behind the arc. David Lighty added seven points, four rebounds and five assists, Ravenel chipped in seven points, while all of Diebler's nine points came in the first half.
Scarlet and Gray is set to return to action Sunday at 3 p.m. against No. 2 seed Team Fredette, led by former BYU star Jimmer Fredette. The winner will advance to the final four of The Basketball Tournament.
