MORGANTOWN — What once looked like a nail-biter eventually turned into a rout Sunday, as Best Virginia took down Virginia Dream 75-45 in the first round of The Basketball Tournament (TBT) at the Charleston Coliseum.
Kevin Jones led the WVU alumni team — the top overall seed in the West Virginia Regional — with 18 points and eight rebounds.
Jermaine Haley added 11 points and six rebounds and former Fairmont State star Jamel Morris added 11 points, as Best Virginia advanced past the TBT’s first round for the third time.
Up next will be an interesting TBT in-state rivalry, as Best Virginia plays Herd That at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Herd That is the alumni team representing Marshall University.
Most of Best Virginia’s roster played against Marshall while in college, but the series was stopped after 2015 and the two schools haven’t played each other since the second round of the 2018 NCAA tournament.
For a half, it looked as if Best Virginia would have to put in hard work to advance, leading just 33-28 at halftime after shooting just 33% (10 of 30) from the floor.
That all changed in the opening moments of the second half. A 10-0 run to start the third quarter was punctuated when John Flowers found Jones open under the basket for an easy lay-up for a 43-28 lead.
Best Virginia’s defense was the difference. Virginia Dream — making its first TBT appearance — had 11 of its 16 turnovers in the second half and was out-rebounded 26-18.
Flowers added 10 points and four assists and Devin Ebanks had six points and eight rebounds for Best Virginia, which held Virginia Dream to just 22% (7 of 32) shooting in the second half.
In its third year in the TBT, Best Virginia improved to 4-2 overall after advancing to the final 16 of the tournament last year.
Virginia Dream, made up of alumni players from small Virginia colleges, was led by Ed Polite’s 11 points and seven rebounds.
Herd That 77, Founding Fathers 71
Justin Johnson scored 17 points on 5-for-6 shooting, and Herd That escaped against the pesky Founding Fathers.
James Kelly added 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds in the win for the Marshall University alumni team, which won despite making just 51% (16-for-31) of its free-throw attempts.
Ron Curry led all scorers with 27 points in the losing effort for the Founding Fathers, who fell to 0-2 all-time in TBT play.
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