WHEELING, W.Va. — Erik Stevenson did it on both ends of the floor.
Laying on the floor, Stevenson had just grabbed a crucial rebound as Best Virginia was on the verge of being upset. The top-seeded West Virginia alumni squad was losing 68-67 to the eight-seed Dubois Dream.
“Just keeping the team more riled up when we were down by three at the end and they only had to score one basket to win the game,” Best Virginia’s Kevin Jones said of his mindset before they rallied late. “Just knowing we’ve been in that position before when the other team needs to score one basket.”
With the winner needing 70 points to seal the victory, the Dream had possession and a chance to win. They would miss their chance with Kevin Jones aiding Stevenson to get the stop, as Stevenson went to the floor with the ball.
“Right when I see him going into KJ, I knew it was going to be short,” Stevenson said. “I knew it was going to be short and obviously I got the rebound.”
Stevenson would then return on the offensive end with a three-pointer, sending Best Virginia on to the second round with a 70-68 victory.
“When I released it, I said, ‘it has a chance to be a little long,’” Stevenson said. “When I workout I like to have back rim misses; at least I give it a chance. That was a back rim make.”
Best Virginia got off to a hot start in the first quarter thanks to hitting from beyond the arc. Their first three makes were from deep between Kevin Jones and Erik Stevenson as they opened up a 13-8 lead with 5:25 to play in the first quarter.
The hot shooting would subside for Best Virginia, while the Dream would keep things close the remainder of the game, led by the Weathers brothers.
Marcus Weathers scored 13 points in the first, going 5-for-7 from the field. His brother Michael added another six in the first quarter, and they ended the half with a combined 24 points as Best Virginia carried a 36-35 lead into halftime.
“I think tonight was worrisome because we were struggling with something, and I don’t know if we had an answer for it,” Best Virginia head coach James Long said.
The Dream were able to keep pace with Best Virginia as they struggled to take care of the ball. The Mountaineer alumni squad turned the ball over 10 times in the opening half, turning into 11 points for the Dream.
After trading three-pointers to start the second half, Best Virginia went on a 6-0 run to take their largest lead of the game with 4:36 to play in the quarter. Led by Jones, who scored four of his eight third-quarter points during the run, Best Virginia attempted to take control of the game.
They would be unsuccessful in that venture though, as the Weathers pair kept things within arm’s reach for the eight-seed as they trailed only by six heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, the Dream battled back, tying the game at 62–62, before Best Virginia called a timeout to take the game to the Elam Ending.
Jones finished the evening with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Stevenson finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Weathers brothers each scored 23 points with Marcus Weathers finishing with 13 rebounds. Best Virginia advances to face the winner of Herd That (Marshall) and Zoo Crew (Pitt) on Thursday evening.
