Boeheim’s Army is still alive in The Basketball Tournament after holding off Hall In, 81-76, on Thursday at the Oncenter. The win sends the Syracuse alumni squad into Sunday’s quarterfinal matchup against La Familia, the Kentucky alumni team, in Kentucky.
It wasn’t a clean shooting night for either side early. The first half opened slowly, with both teams struggling to find anything from the outside.
Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu gave Boeheim’s Army its first six points, and every one of them came at the rim on dunks. The 3-point issues that showed up in the first game carried over here, but Elijah Hughes finally broke through with a long-range make midway through the second quarter.
Cole Swider then got his first field goal, and Buddy Boeheim buried his first 3 right before halftime to send Boeheim’s Army into the break up 32-28.
The game kept swinging after halftime. Hughes started to settle in from deep, while Hall In got a lift from Ant Nelson and Colby Rogers, who helped cut what had been a 13-point Orange lead down to just two.
Boeheim’s Army answered in the fourth, where Buddy Boeheim scored eight quick points and Swider knocked down a 3 to stretch the lead back to nine. Under the Elam ending format, Boeheim’s Army needed eight points before Hall In could reach 17.
Tyson Walker closed it out with a free throw.
Turnovers told a big part of the story. Boeheim’s Army took better care of the ball, finished with fewer giveaways, and scored nine more points off turnovers.
It also won the fast-break battle, 5-0. Walker, the former Michigan State guard, steadied things at point guard and finished with nine assists.
Akobundu-Ehiogu was again a major presence on both ends. He opened the scoring for Boeheim’s Army and finished with 14 points and five rebounds. His impact wasn’t limited to finishing at the basket, either; he was tough to handle when the guards attacked and came up with a key block that sparked a fast break and helped push the lead to five with five minutes left.
Swider’s night was much quieter than his first outing. After exploding for 28 points in game one on Tuesday, he shot 4-for-12 from the field on Thursday and had a harder time defensively, often needing to work in the paint. Even so, he drew a couple fouls, hit all of his free throws, and made two important shots in the fourth quarter.
Boeheim’s Army now heads to the Bluegrass State for a single-elimination meeting with La Familia on Sunday. The winner advances to the alumni final and the tournament semifinal.
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