NAPERVILLE, IL- Velvet Johnson's jumper rimmed out as time expired and the Millsaps Majors dropped a hard-fought, double-overtime marathon to the North Central College Cardinals on Saturday night, 117-115 in the title game of the 2014 Chicago-Land Mariott Tip-Off Classic.
Miah Brooks had a monster game of 34 points and 17 rebounds to lead five Majors in double figures. Sam Perez had a triple-double with 14 points and a career-high 14 assists to go along with 10 rebounds to pace the Majors' offense, both players were named to the all-tournament team. Perez' triple-double is the first by a Major since the 2008-2009 season.
Millsaps adjusted nicely to the break-neck, high-octane pace that North Central loves to play. The Cardinals averaged 93 points per season last season and play a full-court press, fast break style. The Majors went on a 12-2 run midway through the first half to erase an early Cardinal lead to take a 23-17 lead of their own. After the Cardinals tied it up, Miah Brooks and Mahalia Crawford went to work. Each grabbed rebounds on key defensive stops and scored on the fast break on the other end as the Majors rebuilt a lead. Perez would make a layup at the end of the half, giving Millsaps a 52-44 lead after 20 minutes.
The Majors withstood an early run from North Central to start the second half. Millsaps had a composed fast break on Saturday and capitialized on their opportunities throughout the night. Beverly Holmes and Kala-Jewel Freeman each made bucks to extend the lead back out to eight, midway through the half. The Cardinals pressure continued to be relentless all night long and crept back into the game over a six-minute stretch. A key Johnson basket ended a scoring drought for the Majors as they led 84-81 with under four minutes to go. The Cardinals would tie the game on several occasions in the final moments, including one with just 10 seconds left. Neither team could score in the final seconds, and the game went to overtime tied at 91.
The teams would split 20 points in the first overtime, with Johnson's tying bucket with 60 seconds left serving as the first overtime's final basket. In the second overtime, four different Majors would foul out. North Central would take the lead from the foul line as the Majors got two key threes from Johnson to keep it a one score game. In the final seconds, Johnson was intentionally fouled, made one of two free throws and had the final jumper fall short. The 115 points ties an NCAA Division-III record for most points scored in a loss, tying the Wesleyan (GA) Wolves who lost 125-115 to Oglethorpe in 2001.
The loss drops Millsaps to 1-2 on the year. They will open up their home season on Monday when the LaGrange Panthers come to town. Tip is set for 530pm on Monday.
