Harrell, The Ville Blow Out La Familia in Game Two

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball alumni team was able to get some manner of revenge on Monday.
Taking on "La Familia" in game two of their best-of-three opening round series in The Basketball Tournament, "The Ville" was able to bounce back from their game one loss to the Kentucky alumni team, this time cruising to an 82-62 blowout win on Monday at Freedom Hall.
The Ville earns their first ever win against La Familia, as they were previously 0-2 against them - which included a 72-68 loss on Saturday at Memorial Coliseum in the game one. The victory sets up a winner-take-all game three, which will be at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington this Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. EST.
The winning effort by The Ville was carried almost exclusively by Montrezl Harrell. The forward finished with 35 points on 14-of-16 shooting, along with eight rebounds and a pair of assists. Guards David Johnson and Alex Matthews each had 15 points as well for the UofL alumni team, while La Familia was led by a 19-point effort from Andrew Harrison.
The UofL alumni controlled the painted area, shooting 31-of-62 overall (plus 9-of-27 on three-point tries), tallying 40 points in the paint and winning the rebounding battle 43-to-30. They also provided stout defense down low, holding La Familia to only 20-of-59 shooting - including an 8-of-25 showing on threes.
Both teams struggled to establish a rhythm in the first quarter of action. The Ville ended the first period shooting just 4-of-11 from the floor and 1-of-6 on three-point tries, while La Familia was only 4-of-13 overall - but 3-of-6 on threes. That three-point discrepancy helped give the road squad a narrow 11-9 advantage through one.
But just like how the second quarter in game one belonged to the UK alumni, the UofL alumni took over in similar fashion during the second quarter of game two.
The Ville continued to play stifling defense, holding La Familia to just 3-of-12 shooting in the period. Meanwhile, powered primarily by Harrell and a concerted effort to attack the paint and not settle for threes, the home team shot 10-of-16 in the second quarter - using it to outscore their visitors 24-7 and take a 36-22 lead into halftime.
This trend continued once the two teams came from out of the locker room as well. While La Familia found a little bit of a groove, they still only shot 8-of-24 in the third and fourth quarters. On the other end, The Ville went 13-of-25 over that span, stretching their lead out to 74-49 entering the Elam Ending.
While the UK alumni were able to get 13 points during the Elam Ending, it was not nearly enough to storm all the way back. Trey Lewis connected on a three, Matthews did the same, then Harrell ended the showdown on a layup.
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(Photo of Chris Coffey, Jae'Lyn Withers: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. Also an avid video gamer, a bourbon enthusiast, and fierce dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic