The Ville Outlasts Sideline Cancer in TBT Thriller

The Louisville men's basketball alumni team is heading to the Louisville Regional final.

The Ville forward Montrezl Harrell hypes up the crowd at Freedom Hall / Jared Anderson - Louisville Report

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Facing Sideline Cancer in the second round of The Basketball Tournament, survive and advance was the name of the game for The Ville, coming out on top with a thrilling 71-69 victory Monday night at Freedom Hall.

Entering the Elam Ending with a 63-59 lead, Sideline Cancer - the third seed in the Louisville Regional - scored the period's first eight points, and 10 of the first 12 to put second-seeded the Ville on the brink of elimination.

However, needing just one basket, Sideline Cancer missed their final three shots of the night, allowing The Ville to fire off six straight points to come from behind and secure the win. Chris Jones made a difficult layup, David Johnson hit a midrange jumper, then Montrezl Harrell hit a pair of game-winning free throws.

With the win, the UofL men's basketball alumni team advances to the Round of 16 and regional championship. They'll take on the winner of Team Fredette/Team DRC, with tip-off is set for Wednesday, Jul. 24 at 7:00 p.m. EST.

Johnson led all scorers with 18 points, while former All-American Russ Smith had 16 points and Jones added 13 points. Harrell came within striking distance of a double-double with eight points and eight boards. Sideline Cancer had four players score in double figures, led by 15 from Jermaine Marrow.

The win came in spite of a cold shooting night from The Ville. They shot just 40.3 percent from the field, went 6-of-24 on three-pointers and 11-of-18 at the free throw line.

For The Ville, victory came mainly due to their defensive performance. They forced 15 turnovers, had 10 steals, and collected three blocks. While Sideline Cancer shot 45.0 percent overall, they were also held to 4-of-23 shooting performance from long range.

The Ville had a disjointed start out of the gates on both ends of the court, unable to find a rhythm both with their shots and their ball movement, and at the mercy of some hot early shooting from Sideline Cancer. In the first quarter, they connected on just five of their 15 shot attempts, committed as many assists as they did turnovers, and allowed their opponent to shoot 7-of-15 in the opening quarter.

While The Ville's defense still left some to be desired in the second quarter allowing Sideline Cancer to again go 7-of-15 here, they caught fire offensively. In the first four-plus minutes of the period, they connected on eight of their 12 shots, and were 10 of 18 in the second quarter overall. Smith poured in 12 points in this period alone, helping The Ville go from down four entering the second to up 25-19 at halftime.

Coming out of the locker room, not only did both teams turn up the defensive pressure, exhaustion - and offensive execution started to settle in as well. The Ville was just 9-of-24 from the field in the second half and 2-of-10 on three-point attempts, while Sideline Cancer was 8-of-22 overall and 0-8 from downtown.

(Photo of Montrezl Harrell: Jared Anderson - Louisville Report)

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