TOPEKA — Kansas alumni team JHX Hoops had led for just one minute and 23 seconds in two games against Kansas State’s Purple Reign by the time the clock turned off on Wednesday night at Lee Arena.
But with the Elam Ending in play, there’s always a chance in The Basketball Tournament.
JHX rallied from down 14 points in the game, and eight points entering the Elam Ending, to win 84-80 and force a rubber match set for Friday at 8 p.m. at Bramlage Coliseum to wrap up the best-of-three series.
“If you want an honest answer, there was a few moments out there where you’re like, ‘Damn, like this might be it in two days,'” JHX guard Zeke Mayo said. “But like Sherron (Collins, head coach) said, man, we just got a group of guys that don’t quit. And so it showed tonight on that floor. We’re just excited for another opportunity.”
Frank Mason III, who led all KU alumni with 23 points, tipped in his own missed floater for the game-winning bucket: “I don’t usually end up in that position, but I’m happy it happened that way,” he said of the putback. Billy Preston contributed 18 points of his own, including a key pull-up jumper in the Elam Ending, with nine rebounds.
“I think the guys really believed in each other and we came out with the victory,” Mason said.
The KU alumni had drawn agonizingly close on a series of occasions but hadn’t quite been able to get over the hump. JHX trailed 30-27 midway through the second quarter and five minutes later went into the break with a 14-point deficit. The former Jayhawks reduced it all the way to four late in the third quarter, only to fall behind by 13 again in the early stages of the fourth.
That didn’t stop them from making things interesting at last in the Elam Ending, where they forced an 80-80 tie after a layup by Mason and 3-pointer by Mayo.
“He’s taking makeable shots,” Collins said of Mayo, who had been erratic from beyond the arc. “It’s our job as coaches to encourage him to keep shooting those shots because they will go in. And then he hit a big one we needed to win.”
With Michael Beasley (16 points, eight rebounds) occupying less of a central role and inhibited by a leg injury late in the game, Xavier Sneed scored 27 for Purple Reign, but 20 of those came in the first half.
JHX Hoops, which did not lead for the entirety of Tuesday, began Wednesday with a tough layup from Mason, although Sneed immediately put Purple Reign ahead with a pair of early 3-pointers.
The KU alumni went ahead again at 7-6 with Preston before conceding an 11-2 run with additional 3s from Sneed, Beasley and Shaun Williams that put the former Wildcats in control early.
As the first quarter drew to a close, JHX’s Andrew Orr cut to the rim for an open bucket, and a turnover by Mario Chalmers threatened to result in an open layup before a chase-down block by Kevin Young that took a deflection out off Purple Reign. Mason missed a contested shot with two seconds remaining, and the KU alumni went to the break trailing 22-17.
JHX had a chance to draw within one point early in the second quarter after Beasley got called for an illegal screen, but Young immediately threw away an inbounds pass to Beasley, who made two free throws to put Purple Reign back ahead by five. Austin Trice added a putback dunk to force a timeout by the KU alumni.
JHX fell behind 30-21, but cut its deficit to three on a 3-pointer by Preston as the KU-majority crowd in Lee Arena came to life. JHX regained possession on another offensive foul but then missed a pair of potential tying 3s.
All momentum evaporated in the minutes that followed as the teams exchanged fouls for a brutally slow-paced stretch. When the dust settled, Purple Reign still maintained its narrow advantage, and with just over two minutes left in the first half the K-State alumni took their largest lead at 10 points on a 3-pointer by Williams.
Then Sneed and Brandon Childress connected from deep in the final minute of the half to help Purple Reign take a 47-33 lead into halftime.
For the second night in a row, JHX committed double-digit turnovers in the first half.
The KU alumni scored seven straight early in the third quarter thanks to renewed defensive intensity, but then Mayo missed a pair of solid looks from beyond the arc that could have cut the margin to four and instead Beasley scored from the corner on a second-chance opportunity to make it 52-42.
“We started getting turnovers and stops, and then we was able to turn it,” Collins said. “So I didn’t think, honestly, not tonight, I didn’t think it was over.”
Jamari Traylor contributed a couple of free throws and a putback, then Mayo and Mason converted on hard-fought drives to the rim and suddenly the margin was a mere four points.
JHX quieted down somewhat in the final minutes of the third quarter but still trailed just 65-58 entering the final period after a late one-handed putback by Preston.
Preston endured a rough stretch early in the fourth quarter when Sneed drained a step-back 3 over him, he missed a left-handed layup at the other end and then he fouled a Wildcat after a miss beyond the arc, which led to another 3 for DaJuan Gordon.
Purple Reign entered the Elam Ending ahead 75-67 after a steal and floater by Preston.
Jacob Hanna, back playing at his former home arena, forced a turnover and set up Mason for a quick 3-pointer. Beasley and Andrew Orr traded buckets. Mason added a free throw after a foul, but Orr missed two of his own.
Mayo’s left-corner 3 got JHX as close as 79-78, but he got whistled for a foul on Childress, who made a free throw to put the KSU alumni within a possession of victory. However, Childress missed a potential game-winning shot, and Mason soon evened the score with a left-handed layup.
Mason had a chance to win with an off-balance 3 and missed. JHX retained possession, only to come up empty on another opportunity.
Williams and Preston were each short on 3-pointers. Then Hanna missed a free throw and the two squads remained stuck on 80.
Preston was able to rattle in a jumper with the ensuing possession, and Trice missed at the rim before Mason sent JHX Hoops to Game 3 on Friday.
“We got to hit first and play from up, or keep the game close like we did today,” JHX general manager Tyshawn Taylor said.
