Team Ram Nation found themselves locked in a battle this Sunday against the 10th-seeded Primetime Players in the round of 32 in this year’s TBT, but that’s when Eric Maynor happened.
Just as he had done throughout his career at VCU, the Fayetteville, NC native took over for the black and gold, posting game highs in points (28), rebounds (9) and assists (8) while helping lead Ram Nation to a 96-82 win and a trip to Brooklyn for this year’s TBT Super 16.
Maynor led VCU throughout the night, helping take an eight-point lead into halftime, but Primetime Players — a North Carolina based champion Pro Am team who had previously knocked off Middle Tennessee alumni team, Blue Zoo — opened the second half on a 12-0 run to take a quick second half lead. Once again Ram Nation battled back, seizing control behind a barrage of three-pointers (15 makes from deep on the night) to cruise to victory.
Maynor was joined by Brandon Rozzell (19 points) and Jamie Skeen (14) in the double-digit scoring club and got a strong performance off the bench from team Ram Nation newcomer, Jordan Burgess. Burgess scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds in just 15 minutes of action while acting as Ram Nation’s best perimeter defender in the win.
Jamal Shuler and Reggie Williams added nine points each while Larry Sanders blocked three shots to go with six point and five rebounds in his 12 minutes of action.
The win moves Ram Nation to the Super 16 for the second consecutive season. They’ll face a familiar foe there, taking on an NC Prodigal Sons team Ram Nation defeated in last season’s TBT first round, having to erase a 20-point deficit to do so.
Prodigal sons defeated Ole Miss alumni team “Ole Hotty Toddy” (the South Region No.3 seed) and Arkansas based Golden Boot Dynasty to advance to their first Super 16 trip for a rematch with Ram Nation.
That game will be played in Brooklyn, NY on the campus of LIU Brooklyn at 9PM on Friday, July 21 and will air live on ESPN2.
