The game will be a 9 p.m. tip-off and will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
The Spartans and Bucs ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the SoCon, respectively, in most every defensive category all season. UNCG ranked No. 6 nationally in scoring defense (63.1 PPG), and it showed tonight, holding the Terriers to their second-lowest total of the season for points (55).
For the Bucs, it’s the third-straight trip to the title game in the Steve Forbes tenure. The Bucs are 1-1 in title games under Forbes, losing 73-67 to Chattanooga in 2016, while defeating UNCG 79-74 in that epic final a year ago.
“As far as our group, we talked about building a defensive mentality from day one and we took some steps and grew a bit as a team defensively tonight,” UNCG head coach Wes Miler said.
“Our effort and energy on defense is what kept us in game when shots weren’t falling or we made a mistake. I am really proud of our seniors for bringing lots of energy and passion today. They gave us the lift that we needed.”
The Spartans had to hold off pesky guards Fletcher Magee and Storm Murphy to find their way back to Monday night’s title, surving three shots—two from Magee—on the final possession.
With the win, the Spartans improved to 26-7 overall, while Wofford finished out its 2017-18 with a 21-12 record. For the second-straight season, the Terriers’ season comes to an end in the Southern Conference semifinals to the top-seeded Spartans.
The Terriers dropped a 77-73 decision to UNCG last season. The Spartans swept all three meetings with the Terriers, including two by a combined five points. The 26 wins in a single season, and the 51 victories in a two-year span are both Spartan program records. The 26 wins this season eclipses last year’s NIT team, which went 25-10.
The game came to Alonso doing what he has done to Wofford time and time again over the past two seasons, which is hitting clutch shots. The junior from Malaga, Spain simply had ice water in his veins once again, and though he finished 5-for-15 from the field and only 3-for-10 from three-point range and 13 points, however, it was his third triple of the night with 20 seconds left that proved to be Wofford’s dagger, and eventually proved the game-winner.
“All I have to say is it was a really tough game. But I have to say my teammates were the ones that gave me confidence at all times,” said junior guard Francis Alonso. “Even though I wasn’t shooting the ball well, when you have great teammates that have your back, you feel at the end of a possession, shots are going to go in. I knew I was feeling good, I’ve been working a lot this summer and I’m really happy we pulled it off.”
Trailing 56-55 following a Mike Young timeout with 13 ticks remaining, the Terriers set up a play off a hand-off from Cameron Jackson in the corner, and Fletcher’s shot from the right corner was short, but he followed his own shot, tossing up a second shot from about 15 which was long.
That was when Murphy ran down the ball, and after pump-faking a UNCG defender, let a shot go from the right elbow that was short and clanged off front iron as the buzzer sounded. A heartbreaking end for Young’s Terriers, which will enter the 2018-19 season as one of the SoCon’s favorites, with just one senior on its roster.
Meanwhile, the Bucs would hold Furman to season-lows in most every offensive category, as it ground out a 63-52 win in the evening’s second semifinal. Furman found themselves trailing 32-19 at the half, with the 19 total points accounting for a season-low. ETSU, winners of 52 games in the past two seasons, improved to 25-8 heading into tomorrow night’s title matchup.
The Paladins were held to a meager 4-for-26 (15.4%) shooting from three-point range. The Bucs were locked in defensively, posting a 15-4 advantage on points off 13 Paladin turnovers in the contest.
The Bucs’ lead would grow to as much as 23 points (50-27) midway through the half before Furman started to trim the lead.
Southern Conference Player of the Year Desonta Bradford (20 pts), Freshman of the Year Bo Hodges (6 pts, 4 asts) and Devontavius Payne (12 pts) were at the forefront of the ETSU successful semifinal. Among the the more exciting moments in the contest were a pair of highlight were a pair of highlight-reel dunks from Bradford and David Burrell.
Bradford’s came off a timeout from Payne on a designed play, while Burrell’s helped get him out of Steve Forbes’ proverbial doghouse, after being issed a technical foul after thundering home a dunk following an ETSU steal and run out, which came well after referee Billy Dunlap whistled the play dead.
But Burrell redeemed himself shortly thereafter, catching a deflected Hodge’s pass by Furman’s Clay Mounce, and hanging in the air for the slam--a raw display of his sheer athleticism. It probably brought back memories of a particular dunk from Calvin Talford in the early 1990s. The Burrell acrobatic act was a microcosm of the type of evening it was for Richey’s Paladins, who shot it at better than 58% in last night’s 97-73 win over Western Carolina.
To give you an idea of how stingy the Bucs were, the 31.7% shooting clip was Furman’s worst since Dec. 22, 2015.
For Furman it was the end of an era for four seniors that have helped rebuild a tradition long-lost in Greenville, but it was Daniel Fowler, Devin Sibley, John Davis III and Geoff Beans that helped re-establish a foundation that had eroded. In the three-seasons prior to the quartet’s arrival, the Paladins had just 34 combined wins.
In four years, the 76 wins during that span are the second-most in school history, including back-to-back 23-win campaigns, which could could increase should the Paladins entertain any postseason invites. For now, the Paladins complete the season with a 23-10 mark, tying two other teams for the most wins in a single season in program history. The 65 wins in a three-year span are a school record.
Jordan Lyons was Furman’s lone player in double figures, scoring 17 points. The sophomore will now be one of those asked to carry the baton in the future as head coach Bob Richey tries to continue to build a winning culture in Greenville.
“These four seniors we have are the best role models and leaders, on and off the court, that I could have for my first two years here at Furman,” Lyons said. “They all bought in the day they got here and this class is legendary. No one can ever take away what they’ve done and how they’ve changed this program.
”What they’ve done for me is something I can use to keep the standard at where it needs to be for my last two years. I’m forever thankful for them. Basketball is fun, but it’s only temporary. The relationships that I’ve built with these four will last a lifetime.”
While the story tonight was about the Bucs and Spartans, for the Terriers and Paladins, the sheer impact of tough defeats for different reasons was palpable.
That’s what March Madness is. Furman rebuilds without its four pillars in 2018-19, while Wofford tries to erase the bitter taste from its mouth and looks to come back loaded next season. Both the Terriers and Paladins will now await postseason bids. Mid-Major Madness will break any updates on whether invitations are accepted for either, while tracking all the championship coverage Monday evening.
Tomorrow’s championship will have a bit of an international flavor, with UNCG’s Alonso (Spain), and Jordy Kuiper (Holland), and ETSU’s Mladen Armus (Serbia). Only two made this summer's Soccer World Cup in Russia--Sorry Jordy. The Serbian sensation Armus enters the title game off a double-double of 10 points and 12 boards.
Stay tuned to my blog as midmajormadness.com for all the championship coverage.
No comments:
Post a Comment