The Ville Falls to La Familia in TBT Quarterfinals

The Louisville men's basketball alumni team's run in The Basketball Tournament has ended.

The Ville guard Russ Smith / Jared Anderson - Louisville Report

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball alumni team's run in The Basketball Tournament has come to an end in the quarterfinals.

Facing La Familia in The Basketball Tournament's version of the Battle of the Bluegrass, The Ville couldn't keep pace with the Kentucky men's basketball alumni team, falling 70-61 on Monday night in front of a record-breaking crowd at Freedom Hall.

Even with the majority of the 13,506 in attendance - a TBT single-game record, shattering the previous record of 7,202 set last year at Wichita - in favor of the Louisville alumni, The Ville couldn't get much right going offensively.

They shot just 31.0 percent from the floor, were only 4-of-21 on three-point attempts, and committed 16 turnovers. The main thing keeping them in the game was a 21-of-28 showing at the free throw line, and a 44-to-37 rebounding advantage.

On the other end of the floor, La Familia didn't have a great offensive night either, shooting just 41.9 percent, but lit it up from deep with a 12-of-34 showing on three-point shots.

Former All-American guard Russ Smith led The Ville in scoring with 22 points, while Chinanu Onuaku had 14 points and a whopping 22 rebounds - including a TBT record 13 in the first half. Nate Sestina also poured in 22 points for La Familia, mainly off of six three pointers, while Willie Cauley-Stein had 20 points and nine rebounds.

The Ville looked disjointed right out of the gates on both ends of the floor. They settled for too many early three-pointers and struggled to finish at the rim, causing them to miss their first seven shots of the game. Add in six first quarter turnovers - five of which were steals, and that gave La Familia a 16-10 advantage through the opening period.

The shot selection got a little better for The Ville in the second quarter, with them going 6-of-16 in the period after shooting 3-of-11 in the first. What kept them in the game was their first half defense, holding La Familia to 12-of-31, while also establishing more of a presence down low. The Louisville alum out-rebounded the Kentucky alum 14-to-7 in the second, and shot 5-of-10 inside the arc, helping cut down their deficit to 30-27 heading to halftime.

However, things quickly unraveled for The Ville when they returned from the locker room. La Familia went on a 10-2 run to starter the second half, and out-scored the home squad 26-to-11 in the quarter. 15 of the Kentucky alumni team's points in the period came from Sestina - all via the three ball.

Even after the disastrous third quarter that put their backs against the wall, The Ville didn't go down swinging. They were able to trim their 18-point deficit through three quarters down to as little as eight, and entered the Elam Ending trailing just 62-53.

Neither team could connect on their shots in the Elam Ending, with The Ville going 1-for-10 in the period while La Familia went 3-of-11. Still, the Kentucky alumni were able to get the eight points necessary to earn the win and eliminate the Louisville alumni.

(Photo of Russ Smith: Jared Anderson - Louisville Report)

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