(Game highlights)
WHEELING, W.Va. — With teams’ rosters often in flux leading up to the start of The Basketball Tournament, it’s not uncommon for players to be added in the final hours before the event begins.
That was again the case this year for Best Virginia, which brought a pair of players on following a July 15 game in the Alumni Basketball League that featured five of the team’s TBT players.
Fortunately for Best Virginia, one of those two players happened to be guard Erik Stevenson, who had just finished playing for the San Antonio Spurs in Las Vegas as part of NBA Summer League.
With Best Virginia staring elimination squarely in the face Tuesday night at WesBanco Arena, Stevenson delivered in a big way by drilling a three-pointer off the wing for the final points in a 70-68 victory over DuBois Dream.
“This is why I’m texting Erik when he’s in Las Vegas asking him if he can play TBT,” Best Virginia head coach James Long said.
With the win, Best Virginia moves on to face Herd That in a second-round matchup Thursday.
Top seed Best Virginia thought it held a 63-62 lead entering the Elam Ending in which 8 points are added to the winning team’s score, which then becomes the target score for both teams.
However, during a timeout what was originally ruled a three by Teyvon Myers that made it 58-54 with 6:28 remaining was instead changed to a two-point basket, thus taking away a point from Best Virginia and changing the score to a 62-all tie.
“It changes the theory a little bit,” Long said. “Do you have to call timeout at 62-62? I might not have done it. I didn’t know about the discrepancy, but they came and told us.”
Stevenson opened the scoring during the Elam Ending portion to give BV a 65-62 lead, though Michael Weathers answered with a driving basket and twin brother Marcus Weathers followed with two free throws to give the No. 8 seed a one-point lead.
Nathan Adrian’s layup allowed Best Virginia to go back in front, though two Michael Weathers free throws in response made it a short-lived advantage.
Needing a triple to reach the desired 70 points and move on, Best Virginia failed to execute the offensive how it desired, and its possession ended with Kevin Jones missing a shot in the paint.
DuBois Dream then had its first opportunity to win, but Michael Weathers couldn’t score over Jones, and a jump ball off the ensuing rebound allowed Best Virginia to get the ball back.
Long’s team took full advantage when Jones found Stevenson on the wing, and the leading scorer off last season’s West Virginia team put home his attempt from the perimeter.
Upon ending the game, Stevenson pointed in the crowd to Bob Huggins, who was on hand and seated 10 rows behind Best Virginia’s bench.
“People can say what they want, but that’s my guy,” Stevenson said. “I love him to death. He changed my life. It was great to see him up here. That’s my dude — period.”
Best Virginia struggled to get stops early, with DuBois Dream making 9-of-14 field-goal attempts in the opening quarter to lead, 22-20. The quality offensive execution was keyed by the Weathers brothers, who were responsible for all but one field goal and three of their team’s points through 9 minutes, including 13 points from Marcus Weathers.
Jones, who has gone public in saying his fourth TBT will be his last, was instrumental in keeping the game close throughout the first half. He scored Best Virginia’s first 5 points of the second quarter, and after a conventional three-point play from DuBois Dream’s Trey Moses broke a 29-all tie, John Flowers connected from behind the arc to get Best Virginia even at 32.
Jones scored from close range for the final points of the half to send Best Virginia to the break leading 36-35.
“In this kind of tournament, you see guys hang around,” Jones said. “There’s a lot of talent on each team. I told them before the game it would be a game of runs and you can’t get too up or too down. We had a couple plays we’d like to take back, especially me personally on a couple turnovers.”
At the intermission, Jones had 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting. The remainder of the team’s roster combined to make only 9-of-26 shots through two quarters.
“We have to stop this retirement talk. He’s aging like fine wine,” Long said.
Jones accounted for consecutive third-quarter field goals to up BV’s lead to 44-38, and Myers’ layup with 2:10 left in the third quarter left DuBois Dream facing a 50-42 deficit. Although DD got to within four late in the third, Stevenson beat the buzzer with a midrange jumper to send Best Virginia to the fourth with a 52-46 advantage.
Chase Harler opened the fourth-quarter scoring for another eight-point margin, though DuBois Dream got threes from Albert Varacallo III and Jake Biss to pull to within two. From that point on, it was a one possession game the rest of the way except for when Kedrian Johnson’s second-chance basket gave Best Virginia. 59-54 lead, only for it to be immediately answered by a Michael Weathers jumper.
That helped set the stage for the frantic finish, with Stevenson scoring from the perimeter to ensure Best Virginia wouldn’t be one-and-done in TBT for the first time.
“When I released it, I thought it had a chance to be a little long,” Stevenson said. “When I’m working out I like to have back rim misses because at least I give it a chance. That was a back rim make.”
Jones finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds and made 10-of-14 shots. Stevenson was the only other double-figure scorer for Best Virginia with 16 points. He also added 11 boards. Myers scored nine to go with a game-high seven assists.
Michael Weathers and Marcus Weathers tied for game-high scoring honors with 23 points each. Marcus Weathers also led all players with 13 rebounds, although Best Virginia won the battle of the boards, 42-35.
Best Virginia, which improved to 7-3 all time in TBT, committed 16 of the game’s 25 turnovers.
“It’s them figuring each other out,” Long said. “I’m never big on harping about turnovers because if I’m like, ‘stop turning the ball over’, they’d just turn it over more. This is something new. It’s like anything else and a quarterback and wide receiver figuring out timing. I expected that, but maybe not 16. All you’re trying to do in TBT is get better from first half to second half.”
Best Virginia postgame press conference (TBT Rd. 1)