Boeheim's Army Survives Against Heartfire
Boeheim's Army held off Heartfire 68-62 to advance to the third round of The Basketball Tournament. Chris McCullough sealed the victory with an 18-foot jumper. Boeheim's Army will next face Always A Brave, a team of Bradley basketball alums. That game tips at 9:00 p.m. eastern on Wednesday, July 28th and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Keifer Sykes led Boeheim's Army with 17 points in 19 minutes on 5-9 shooting including 3-5 from beyond the arc. DJ Kennedy was the only other Boeheim's Army player in double figures. He finished with 10 points on 4-7 shooting, eight rebounds, two assists and three steals.
Boeheim's Army jumped out to an early lead and controlled the second quarter to take momentum into halftime with a 38-26 lead. Heartfire, however, dominated the third quarter to trim the lead to just two entering the fourth. The game remained tight throughout the fourth, with Boeheim's Army taking a 59-58 lead when the Elam Ending was implemented. The target score was 67.
Jared Wilson-Frame immediately hit three pointer to give Heartfire a 61-59 lead with 3:45 left. That is when Boeheim's Army took over fueled by DJ Kennedy. Kennedy assisted on a Tyrese Rice three, got a steal on the next Heartfire possession, and then scored on a put back dunk to give Boeheim's Army a 64-61 lead. McCullough would score the next two Boeheim's Army buckets to preserve the win.
Eric Devendorf gave Boeheim's Army a spark off the bench with six points and six rebounds in 13 minutes of action. McCullough finished with nine points while CJ Fair had seven points and four rebounds.
Boeheim's Army held Heartfire to just 38% shooting including 8-26 from the perimeter. Boeheim's Army shot 44% from the floor, won the rebounding battle 35-30 and outscored Heartfire in bench points 34-19.
