Boeheim's Army Rallies Past Golden Eagles
Boeheim’s Army topped the Golden Eagles 73-69 on Saturday in The Basketball Tournament quarterfinals. With the win, Boeheim’s Army advances to the semifinals, or the final four of the winner take all event. Next up for Boeheim’s Army is Florida TNT, a team filled with talented offensive players and has been among the most impressive teams of the tournament to date.
The win did not come easy, however. Boeheim’s Army did not lead until the Elam Ending was initiated. The Golden Eagles led by six after one quarter, seven at halftime and eight after three quarters. In fact, the Marquette alumni team led by as many as 11 in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, Boeheim’s Army was struggling to hit from the outside and having an awful day from the free throw line. The Syracuse alumni team was just 9-19 from the charity stripe on the afternoon.
Despite those struggles, Boeheim’s Army kept fighting back. It took its first lead early in the Elam Ending period, and controlled the rest of that session on its way to victory. Tyrese Rice, who led Boeheim’s Army with 20 points, scored the winning bucket on a floater in the lane to send the team to the semifinals. Boeheim’s Army outscored the Golden Eagles 23-11 in the fourth quarter overall.
Chris McCullough finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. DJ Kennedy had just three points, but contributed five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Malachi Richardson had nine points while Keifer Sykes added seven off the bench. CJ Fair helped off the bench as well, with six points and three boards. Tyler Lydon grabbed eight rebounds and dished out two assists.
Throughout the game, Boeheim’s Army proved to have a huge advantage inside. Boeheim’s Army won the rebounding battle 44-29 and outscored Golden Eagles 40-20 in the paint.
Dwight Buyucks led Golden Eagles with 22 points on 8-11 shooting including 4-6 from beyond the arc.
