Boeheim’s Army wasted no time putting itself in position to advance in The Basketball Tournament.
Behind a big night from Cole Swider and a strong interior showing from Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu, the Syracuse alumni team rolled past Hall In 82-52 on Tuesday night in game one of the first-round series. The win leaves Boeheim’s Army one victory from the second round, where it would meet the winner of the Louisville alumni team-Kentucky alumni team series. From there, TBT shifts to single-elimination.
Game two is set for Thursday at The OnCenter in Central New York, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Eastern. The opener was played in New Jersey.
The final margin never really felt like the result of one burst. Boeheim’s Army kept stacking small advantages and slowly stretched the game out from start to finish. It won each quarter, taking the first by six, the second by nine, the third by five and the fourth by 10.
Swider was the clear headliner. He scored a game-high 28 points on 10-for-15 shooting, knocked down four threes, grabbed eight rebounds and added two steals.
He never seemed rushed, never forced the issue and looked every bit like the kind of shooter who has spent time in the G-League and around NBA rosters. He also finished the first two quarters with buzzer-beaters.
Akobundu-Ehiogu may have been the biggest surprise of the night. He posted 17 points on 8-for-9 shooting, pulled down 11 rebounds and blocked one shot, though that number barely captures how disruptive he was around the rim. He changed multiple other attempts and helped Boeheim’s Army own the glass, which fed into a 14-2 edge in second-chance points at halftime.
The numbers told the rest of the story. Boeheim’s Army shot 51% from the field, forced 16 turnovers, outscored Hall In 38-20 in the paint and turned those giveaways into 24 points.
Elijah Hughes added 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting, including two threes. Erin Devendorf, back with Boeheim’s Army after a multi-year absence, scored seven points in six minutes off the bench.
Ty Nichols chipped in nine points, six assists and two steals in a reserve role. Buddy and Jimmy Boeheim had a rough shooting night, combining to go 2-for-12 for five points.
Wes Johnson did not play because of a conflict with Big 3, the three-on-three event, according to Syracuse.com’s Donna Ditota. Ditota also reported that Johnson “will likely be in Syracuse on Thursday” according to Boeheim’s Army GM Shaun Belbey.
Hall In was missing its centerpiece, guard Isaiah Whitehead, because of injury. His status for game two on Thursday is not known.
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