Rez Edges SJAM in Exhibition Play

.....we'll pick this one up with about 5:00 left in the ball game, and SJAM up 44-36.  The play was sloppy (attributable to the fact that both coaches were getting lots of players into the game).  By the 2:45ish mark, the teams have traded baskets and SJAM maintains a 50-42 advantage.

By this point, both clubs had their best players on the floor to finish the game.

Cue the Mike Pereira show --- and a bit of an implosion by the SJAM offense.

Pereira drilled a three-pointer with 2:30 to go to bring Rez within five (50-45).  He then promptly served up a block on the defensive end, and quickly knocked in another 2 going back the other way, making the score 50-47 SJAM.

With under 1:30 to play, SJAM fails to score again and on their ensuing possession, Rez's forward Andrew Mwangi is fouled in the paint --- converting 1-of-2 FTs to make things even more interesting (50-48).

In the final minute of play, after yet another SJAM miss on offense, Pereira drills his second three (and 10th point) of the fourth quarter to put Rez on top (51-50).

An SJAM travel and another shooting foul on Mwangi with under :30 to play (1-of-2 again) made it 52-50 Rez. 

The Highlanders race to the other end, where their drought continued with yet another offensive miss.  With :18 remaining, SJAM has to resort to playing the foul game ---- but had only committed 4 team fouls at this point.  Another eight seconds tick off during the process of committing those three fouls, and Rez heads to the line with a chance to ice the game; however, they missed the front-end of the one-and-one.

SJAM had one last shot at a tie or win, but with both Edem Ame and Ben Reyhani being closely guarded, Quinn Turner barely got away a three-point attempt that came up short.

After the final buzzer, a frustrated Ame slammed the ball down at mid-court (nearly hitting the ceiling) and then one of the SJAM assistant coaches had some words for the referee.  Although the game was over, he was assessed a technical foul (no shots - just noted in the game report).

Ben Reyhani pumped in 26 points for SJAM, while another 6 SJAM players hit the scoresheet with 2, 3, or 4 points.

For Resurrection, Tyler Schneider had 16, Mike Pereira 12, and Byron Ramirez 10.