Boeheim’s Army (Syracuse Alumni) never trailed Tuesday night, using a dominant performance from Cole Swider and Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu to defeat Hall In (Seton Hall Alumni) 82-52 in Game 1 of their best-of-three first-round series at Walsh Gymnasium.
With the victory, Boeheim’s Army moved one win away from advancing to the Alumni Bracket semifinals and can clinch the series Thursday night when it returns home to Syracuse for Game 2 at The Oncenter.
Playing in front of a sold-out crowd making Hall In’s long-awaited TBT return, Syracuse quickly silenced the home fans by controlling the game from the opening tip. Akobundu-Ehiogu scored the game’s first basket on a put-back dunk before adding an early block on the defensive end, helping Boeheim’s Army establish the tone. Tyson Walker later connected with the Syracuse big man for an alley-oop that extended the lead to 15-8, and a buzzer-beating tip-in gave Boeheim’s Army a 21-15 advantage after the opening quarter.
Syracuse seized complete control in the second period. Akobundu-Ehiogu continued to dominate inside with another lob finish and multiple defensive stops, while Eric Devendorf knocked down a three-pointer to stretch the lead into double figures. Swider then caught fire late in the half, drilling consecutive three-pointers before finishing the period with a fadeaway buzzer-beater to cap a 14-point first half. Boeheim’s Army outscored Hall In 23-14 in the quarter to take a commanding 44-29 lead into halftime.
Hall In never mounted a serious comeback after the break. Syracuse forced several turnovers early in the third quarter and steadily extended its advantage, pushing the margin to 18 points midway through the period. Swider continued his offensive barrage, reaching 24 points by the end of the third quarter as Boeheim’s Army carried a comfortable 61-41 lead into the final frame.
Any hopes of a Hall In rally were quickly erased in the fourth quarter. The Seton Hall alumni attempted to speed the game up with full-court pressure, but Walker found Akobundu-Ehiogu for another alley-oop to stretch the lead to 27 points. When the Elam Ending was triggered, Boeheim’s Army led 74-45 with the target score set at 82 and needed little time to finish off the convincing 82-52 victory.
Swider led all scorers with 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-8 from three-point range, while adding five rebounds. Akobundu-Ehiogu dominated the paint with 17 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and a block while shooting 8-for-9 from the field. Elijah Hughes added 12 points, Ty Nichols scored nine points off the bench, and Walker finished with four assists against just one turnover.
Colby Rogers led Hall In with 19 points, knocking down five three-pointers, while Ant Nelson added 11 points and four assists. KC Ndefo grabbed 10 rebounds, but Hall In struggled offensively throughout the night, shooting just 32.8% from the field and 20.7% from beyond the arc.
Boeheim’s Army shot 50.8% from the floor, outrebounded Hall In 38-35 and controlled the paint from start to finish as it earned its largest margin of victory since the 2021 TBT championship game.
Game 2 is set for Thursday at 7 p.m. ET at The Oncenter in Syracuse on FS1. Boeheim’s Army can advance to the Alumni Bracket semifinals with a victory, while Hall In will need a win to force a decisive Game 3. Tickets for Thursday’s Game 2 can be purchased HERE.
