Best Virginia Grinds Out Round 2 Win Over D2
Charleston, WV - After leading Best Virginia in the first round win over WoCo Showtime, forward Kevin Jones again led all scorers with 13 points and six rebounds while guard Tarik Phillip scored 11, dished seven assists along with a pair of steals in a 63-51 win over D2 Wednesday night, advancing to the third round of The Basketball Tournament (TBT).
Phillip hit a three to put Best Virginia on the board, then linked up with Jones for an easy two before hitting a straightaway three to take the early five-point advantage. D2 quickly tied the game at eight but guard Jamel Morris buried a three off the left wing, capping off a 7-0 run and jumping out to a 15-8 lead. A stark contrast in round one.
Best Virginia guard Jamel Morris
Mike Lawrence/TBT
“We had a point of emphasis on that, that we don’t wanna play trailing from behind and trying to get back into the game,” said Phillip. “So, we came out and kind of punched first - that was the main thing.”
“I just think we had good energy to start the game from the beginning, we were in attack mode, we weren’t playing on our heels, and I think our good start kept us the lead throughout the game,” added Jones.
Best Virginia held a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter but cooled off in period two, shooting 3-15 from the field and opening the door for a scrappy D2 squad to dwindle the lead down to four at the break.
The Mountaineers were struggling to score, then with just over five minutes left in the third, D2 took their first lead before Nate Adrian took over the final five minutes of the quarter, scoring eight of his 11 points on the night and regaining a three-point lead.
“Nate, he was great,” said Best Virginia head coach James Long. Nate helps you win. He’s not going to blow you away. He does things sometimes where I’m sure to the common fan that looks like, 'what are you doing? What are you doing?' But he just wants to win more than anything."
Best Virginia forward Nate Adrian driving the baseline in the third quarter.
Mike Lawrence/TBT
Forward John Flowers buried a three off the rightwing to start the fourth quarter, and Tarik Phillip drilled a three off the left side before Jamel Morris hit a jumper to put Best Virginia up 11 with 6:20 remaining in the game.
Best Virginia led by nine when ELAM was announced. Kevin Jones scored the first four points on a pair of free throws, and a tough shot in the paint put the Mountaineers two buckets away from the win. Phillip buried his third three on the night, and Nate Adrian hit the game winner at the top of the key as Best Virginia knocked off D2 63-51.
“Our mindset was just to scrap no matter what. Whether it was pretty or ugly, a win is a win,” said Jones.
Best Virginia will meet Team23 at approximately 9:00 pm Wednesday on ESPN.
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