While everyone was focused on the Men's and Women's Final Fours this weekend - South Carolina on the women's side and Connecticut on the men's side emerged as champions (UConn going back to back) - there was another player showcase over the weekend.
On Sunday, the HBCU All-Star Game took place from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, AZ, showcasing the best in basketball that the 107 HBCU's in the United States have to offer. In what was the third iteration of the game, Team Ben Wallace (Wallace, the Basketball Hall of Famer, attended Virginia Union) defeated Team Rick Mahorn (Mahorn was a graduate of Hampton University) by a score of 108-97. Dhashon Dyson, a 6 foot, 1 inch senior guard who attends Bethune-Cookman (Daytona Beach, FL) was named the game's Most Valuable Player, scoring 19 points. North Carolina Central's LaVelle Moton (Team Mahorn) and Texas Southern's Johnny Jones (Team Wallace) served as the head coaches.
Team Wallace made an impressive comeback after falling victim to an 18-2 Team Mahorn run in the first half and being down by as much as 11. Late in the first half, they turned up the defense on consecutive possessions, forcing two turnovers of Fred Cleveland Jr. that led to a transition layup and then a triple by the MVP Dyson. Quickly, Team Wallace had closed the gap from eight points to three in a matter of seconds, 48-45. Christian Wells, the son of former NBA veteran Bonzi Wells, halted the momentum with a driving finish, using a pump fake to get his defender in the air and drive the lane. Wells is a senior from LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, TN. At the conclusion of the half, Mississippi Valley State's Rayquan Brown hit a corner triple to cut Team Mahorn's halftime lead to three, 56-53.
Dyson hit a three at the beginning of the second half, but after he missed badly on another from the corner - hitting the side of the backboard - Cleveland Jr. pulled up a la Damian Lillard and hit from a few feet beyond the arc for his 15th point as Team Mahorn took a 61-56 lead. Cleveland Jr. drove right on the next possession and finished with a scoop layup. In just one minute, Team Mahorn had gone on a 7-0 spurt.
Team Wallace, befitting of their coach's name, played with high energy on the glass, blocked shots, and went after loose balls. With 15:36 remaining in the game, Brown hit another three as Team Wallace took their first lead since 12:50 remained in the first half. Brandon Davis, a senior from Southern University, used a stutter step to get by Wells and lay the ball off the glass that got Team Wallace back in front, 71-70, after a score from Team Mahorn. Brown hit yet another wing triple, and Tre Richardson, a senior guard from Elizabeth City State University (Elizabeth, NC) drove and scored on a scoop layup that was part of a stretch where Team Wallace made six consecutive field-goal attempts. They led 78-72 with 13 minutes to go.
Moments later, Grambling State's Tra'Michael Moton hit on a straight-away three-pointer, Team Wallace extending their lead to five at 81-76. Elizabeth City State's Richardson, a couple possessions later, hit a corner three on a 3-on-2 break. A foul at the other end led to a timeout with 9:56 on the clock, Team Wallace ahead 84-79.
Dyson, three minutes later, connected on a long distance triple that pushed the lead to nine, 92-83. On one ensuing possession, Winston Salem State's Jaylen Alston's rebounding effort down low (he had nine boards in the game) led to a put-back.
In what started as a rough game for their side, Team Wallace's second-chance opportunities, active defense, and the outside shooting of Dyson allowed them to take over the game and get the victory. As a group, they turned the ball over just six times and had 20 points off turnovers, They held Team Mahorn to just 41 second half points.
Dyson, the MVP of the game, made five-of-11 attempts from beyond the arc. To go along with his nine rebounds, Alston scored 16 points, and Alcorn State's Jeremiah Kendall put up 14. For Team Mahorn, Tennessee State's Christian Brown's 21 led them in scoring, while Cleveland Jr., who plays for LeVelle Moton at NC Central, scored 20 including six makes from three-point range.
The game, played at Global Credit Union Arena on the campus of Grand Canyon University, was a sellout with 7,211 fans in attendance.
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