It was an action-packed weekend of The Basketball Tournament, with a few upsets and close matchups across the bracket.
On the Northeast side of the bracket, Siena and Iona’s alumni teams were the two mid-major teams, and unfortunately neither survived the weekend.
No. 9 Saints Alive
Saints Alive’s exit from the TBT wasn’t pretty at all. They lost by 17 to Team Fancy in the first round and their slow start was a strong reason for their quick exit from the tournament. Siena’s alumni team was down by 17 points after the first quarter. Team Fancy shot for 59.8 percent from the floor in a quick start that Saints Alive could not match. The Saints’ 28.6 percent shooting created a difficult that was hard to stop, especially with a six-man squad.
They improved over the next three quarters but the numbers advantage proved to help Team Fancy. All nine players scored for the squad as they eliminated Saints Alive, 85-68.
Despite the loss, Ryan Rossiter had a monster game. He scored 26 points while collecting 17 rebounds.
#TBT2018 | #8 Team Fancy 85, #9 @Team_Saints_ 68 (FINAL)
— Siena Saints (@SienaSaints) July 22, 2018
Valiant effort from our short handed @SienaMBB alumni squad in their @thetournament debut. Hope to see them back in the event again next year! #SienaSaints #MarchOn #TeamSaintsAlive pic.twitter.com/CKVJFjHpiE
No. 5 Gaelnation
Gaelnation had an absolute shootout in the first round. They defeated Sideline Cancer, 100-88, in a game dominated by their starters, all of whom scored in double figures. Sean Armand led the team with 24 points, while David Laury had 18, A.J. English added 15, Scott Machado had 16, and Steven Burtt added 19.
In the second round, Gaelnation took a close loss to Armored Athlete, 75-73. Three-point shooting was a key factor for the loss. The Gaels shot 32 threes, only to make 11 of them.
They led 40-25 at halftime, but their cold shooting in the second half allowed Armored Athlete to outscore Gaelnation 50-33 during the last two quarters of the game. To make things worse, a foul call and free throw lifted Armored Athlete to the Elam Ending target score, which ended the game.
Sean Armand led the Gaels with 20 points.
HIGHLIGHTS: @TheRealJG45's big double-double and a huge third quarter fueled the @ArmoredAthlete win over Gael Nation to advance to the Super 16! #TBT2018 pic.twitter.com/cQ0ryYPQBZ
— TBT (@thetournament) July 22, 2018
As the matchups for the TBT Super 16 finalizes, Gael Force (Saint Mary’s) and Ram Nation (VCU) are the only mid-major alumni teams left, though Team Fredette (no explanation needed) is still alive as well.