Carmen's Crew performed a hostile takeover of Takeover BC on Monday.
Making its quarterfinal opponent in The Basketball Tournament look more like a high school's junior varsity squad, the Ohio State alumni team advanced to the semifinals of the $1 million tourney in 90-74 fashion.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #7 TAKEOVER BC | 10 | 15 | 15 | 34 | 74 |
| #3 CARMEN'S CREW | 29 | 23 | 23 | 15 | 90 |
A 16-of-38 shooting performance (42.1%) from 3-point range carried the day for Carmen's Crew. A variety of shooters found consistent strokes, with Andre Wesson leading the way at 16 points and 4-of-5 from distance. Erick Neal and Desonta Bradford also hit double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Carmen's Crew led wire-to-wire against Takeover BC. Ahead 4-2 in the game's early stretches, the team launched a 22-5 scoring run to sprint out to a 26-7 lead that grew to 29-10 by the end of the first quarter and 52-25 by halftime. That's a 27-point edge achieved in 18 minutes of basketball for those keeping track at home.
Desonta Bradford scored the game's first bucket on a long-range triple from the right wing and it served as the perfect bit of foreshadowing for how the affair unfolded, given that Carmen's Crew mounted its insurmountable halftime lead by going 11-of-24 from downtown.
The glass and interior game also played to Carmen's Crew's advantage throughout. It held a 44-32 advantage on the boards over Takeover BC and a 24-18 edge in points in the paint.
Not willing to take its foot off the gas pedal, Carmen's Crew opened the third period with another made triple off Neal's hand, opening the second half on an 11-0 run to make it a 63-25 ballgame.
The lead got as large as 40 points at 68-28. Takeover BC outscored Carmen's Crew 18-7 in the fourth quarter prior to the Elam ending, setting the target score for the Buckeyes' alumni squad at 90 as they enjoyed an 82-58 lead.
Takeover kept trying to charge back, outscoring Carmen's Crew 16-8 after the game clock turned off, but a Bradford jumper sealed the Buckeyes' semifinal berth.
With a spot in TBT's championship game on the line, Carmen's Crew will face Kentucky alumni team La Familia in the semifinals at 9 p.m. Friday in Philadelphia. FS1 will broadcast the contest.
