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DeAndre Kane took the ball upcourt with Boeheim’s Army down two points midway through the third quarter. JP Tokoto stayed stride-for-stride with Kane until they got to the 3-point line, then Kane lost Tokoto with a behind-the-back move.

Kane fired a 3, but it fell short. Jon Elmore positioned himself near the left edge of the scorer’s table and launched a deep 3-pointer, nailing the shot to give Herd That a 45-40 lead.

Elmore’s shot was part of Herd That’s 17-0 run to take a commanding lead early in the third.

“When we got stops, got the outlets and got easy buckets, I think that got everybody in rhythm,” Elmore said postgame.

After holding a lead through the majority of the first half, Boeheim’s Army fell apart following the break. Herd That outscored BA 34-13 in the third quarter en route to a 88-71 victory in the quarterfinal of TBT, advancing to the Final Four in Philadelphia. Elmore carried the load in the second half, scoring 11 third-quarter points (17 total) and drilling a game-high five 3-pointers.

Elmore, who averaged 15.3 points prior to today’s game, struggled to find open looks in the first half. He only took four shots, all from long range, and couldn’t create space inside.

To begin the second half, though, Elmore set the tone for Herd That, immediately blowing by BA’s interior defense for an easy layup. A few minutes later, Grant Riller misfired a contested 3 and Williams found a wide-open Rob Gray for a 3-pointer on the other end.

On their next possession, Herd That took their first lead since the first quarter with a layup from Taevion Kinsey, and the run that would break BA began.

During a four minute stretch in the third quarter, Herd That didn’t miss. Nine consecutive baskets gave them a 12-point advantage, which increased to 16 by the end of the quarter. They fired on all cylinders, making Boeheim’s Army look sluggish with their crisp ball movement and success in transition.

“(Boeheim’s Army) just played a big game and had to give a lot of energy,” Gray said. “To come out versus us where you got multiple guys throwing high-level energy and big, strong bodies at you… that’s never easy.”

But Herd That’s first half was a different story. They kept Boeheim’s Army in the game with their inconsistent shooting and methodical offense that BA held strong against.

Boeheim’s Army opened the contest in man-to-man defense instead of the 2-3 zone they used against Blue Collar U. BA’s first-quarter defense improved from Friday, allowing 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Their size advantage over Herd That drew a lot of early 3-point attempts, even though they were struggling from deep.

Elmore called Herd That’s first-half performance “stagnant,” expressing they wanted to get back to their fast paced, “Marshall-style” offense.

Up 24-19 midway into the second, Jimmy Boeheim missed a 3-pointer and Elmore secured the rebound, instantly pushing upcourt. Elmore fed Williams, who drove inside the paint and was greeted with a swarm of BA defenders. Williams was forced to take an off-balance shot, and BA stalled Herd That’s transition opportunity.

Herd That quickly responded. Justin Robinson cut inside for a lay-up on BA’s next possession, but a trailing Elmore blocked it and took the rebound the other way. Herd That was on another fast-break with Gray taking the ball up. Gray planted his feet at the left wing, turning around and finding Elmore, who buried a long 3, cutting Boeheim Army’s lead to 24-22.

Herd That had five turnovers in the opening quarter, as opposed to BA’s zero. But Boeheim’s Army struggled to take advantage of Herd That’s miscues, scoring just two points off turnovers in the first.

With 35 seconds left in the first quarter, Jarrod West was called for a travel after shuffling his feet once he received the ball in the paint. As they moved to the other end, BA put together a rushed possession, passing the ball back-and-forth with minimal movement. As the clock winded down, Robinson finally swung it to Andrew White III at the top of the key, but White missed the jumper.

At the 2:24 mark of the second, Robinson, at the left wing, looked inside as Rakeem Christmas tried to position himself in front of Herd That’s James Kelly. Robinson sent an errant pass toward Christmas, leaving Kelly to pick up the loose ball.

Kelly sprinted past midcourt, finding an uncovered Kinsey in the left corner. Kinsey drilled the 3-pointer, bringing Herd That’s deficit back down to two. Following back-to-back missed lay-ins from Deandre Kane and Christmas, Kelly threw down a dunk on the other end to even the score at 32-32.

Boeheim’s Army swiftly recovered. They went on a 6-0 run over their next three possessions, attacking the paint with three straight lay-ups. With under 45 seconds in the first half, Riller charged past Gray, getting inside the free throw line.

Riller missed, but Boeheim’s Army got into a full-court press coming back on defense, causing Riller to intercept a wild pass from Kelly. Riller had a wide-open lane to the basket, converting on the layup and giving Boeheim’s Army a 38-32 lead near the end of the half.

Any success BA had in the first half was erased in the second. Riller’s shots didn’t fall, Elmore had the hot hand and Boeheim’s Army couldn’t consistently force turnovers.

In the fourth quarter, Boeheim’s Army played a better brand of basketball, knocking down shots and limiting Elmore’s perimeter presence. But it was too little, too late.

Published on July 30, 2023 at 6:08 pm

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews