The Ville Falls to Gutter Cats in TBT Regional Final

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball alumni team's run in The Basketball Tournament has come to an end.

Taking on the Gutter Cats in a matchup of the top two seeded team in The Basketball Tournament's Louisville Regional, The Ville was unable to pull through at the very end, falling 64-62 in the regional final Saturday at Freedom Hall.

The Ville led 56-55 when the Elam Ending started, and scored six of the first seven points during the period to get just two points away from victory. But when they needed a bucket the most, they couldn't get one. The No. 2 seed in the Louisville Regional missed their last five shots in the Elam Ending, and went just 2-for-12 overall in the period.

The Gutter Cats, the top-overall seed in the regional, went just 2-for-13 during the Elam Ending themselves, but four free throws put them within striking range. Then after missing their first 10 shots of the period, they made their last two to win the game: a layup from Michael Roll and a bank-shot three-pointer from former Virginia Tech standout Jarell Eddie.

Both defenses played exceptionally well, leading to a physical rock fight all afternoon long. The Ville shot 36.5 percent from the field, 3-for-18 on three-point attempts, and turned the ball over 14 times. Free throws were also hard to come by for The Ville, going just 13-of-25 at the charity stripe.

The Gutter Cats shot the ball just as badly, going 36.1 overall with 24 overall turnovers. However, the turnovers were countered by a 9-of-30 performance from three, better free throw shooting at 11-of-17, and winning the rebounding battle 47-39.

Chane Behanan led the charge for The Ville with 18 points, six rebounds and five steals, while Chinanu Onuaku had a 10-point and 12-rebound double-double. Russ Smith also finished in double figures with 12 points, but shot just 4-of-21 from the field.

Eddie and Roll each had 13 points for the Gutter Cats, who were led by a game-high 16 points from Q.J. Peterson

The Ville set the defensive tone for the game right out of the gates, especially down low in the paint. Over the first five and a half minutes of the game, they held the Gutter Cats to just 3-of-8 from the field, while forcing five turnovers.

That being said, the Cats' defense also presented some problems for The Ville from the jump. They shot 6-of-14 over the first quarter, but thanks to an 1-of-5 mark on threes and 1-of-5 performance from the free throw line, it was the Gutter Cats that led 15-14 after one quarter.

Following a trio of free throws in the opening minutes of the second quarter from the Gutter Cats, the Ville got just enough offense going to create separation. They went on a 14-5 run to go up by as much as seven, mainly fueled by an improved 7-of-11 mark on free throws during the period.

It also helped that they held the Gutter Cats to just 3-for-10 from the field and forced seven turnovers in the quarter, which at one point included an over three-minute scoreless stretch. However, a quick 5-1 burst by the Cats in the final minute of the half only gave The Ville a 31-28 advantage at halftime.

Turnovers persisted in the third quarter, with The Ville turning it over five times and the Gutter Cats doing so nine times in the period, but offenses for both sides took a step forward when they weren't coughing the ball up. The Ville went 8-for-16 in the period while the Cats were 7-of-14, by far the best shooting quarter of the game.

Entering the final quarter with a five-point lead, The Ville saw that advantage whittled down to one, thanks to a back-to-back threes by the Gutter Cats right before the Elam Ending started.

(Photo of Chinanu Onuaku: Ben Soloman via TBT)

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