Hundreds of Ram fans made the trip to Charlotte to watch team Ram Nation’s group of mostly VCU alumni compete in this year’s TBT and with 0.4 seconds left to play, the VCU faithful were rewarded.
After trailing by 11 points to team Showtime at the half, Ram Nation rallied in the second, turning a tied game with just under five seconds to play into a punched ticket to the round of 32 thanks to a Jamie Skeen game-winning foul line jumper.
The two teams battled throughout the first half, exchanging leads before a late Showtime run gave the underdogs a somewhat comfortable halftime cushion. But Ram Nation stormed out of the gates in the second, turning it back into a game before regaining the lead late thanks to a Reggie Williams (VMI) fast break dunk.
Ram Nation looked to ice the game with under a minute to go, but two missed Eric Maynor free throws kept things within reach for Showtime. On the following possession, Showtime’s Lee Skinner (Wofford) was fouled on a three-point attempt. He would make all three.
With just 4.6 ticks left on the clock, Reggie Williams then inbounded the ball to Jamie Skeen in the halfcourt, Skeen’s defender attempting a steal that would prove unsuccessful, leaving an open lane to the free throw line for the 2011 VCU grad for the game-winning shot.
Showtime would inbound the ball with 0.2 to play on the next possession but their miracle heave would go on to bounce off the backcourt, punching Ram Nation’s ticket to the round of 32 in dramatic fashion.
Ram Nation will take on Primetime Players, a Pro Am champion team, Sunday at 4:15PM on ESPN3 with a ticket to Brooklyn and a “Super 16” birth on the line.
