University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Zoo Crew to Face Happy Valley Hoopers Wednesday in the Regional Final
7/24/2024 2:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
THE OPENING TIP
• Zoo Crew, the second seed in the Pittsburgh Region, is set to play fifth seed Happy Valley Hoopers in the Pittsburgh Regional championship game Wednesday, July 24 at 7 p.m. ET.
• In their first-round game, No. 2 Zoo Crew defeated No. 7 Million Dollarz, 98-95, before taking down Best Virginia 91-79.
• No. 5 Happy Valley Hoopers first beat the Dubois Dream 88-77, followed by the upset of No. 1 UConn alumni Stars of Storrs 94-83 in the round of 32.
• Tickets start at $17.00. To purchase, click HERE.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Mike Young is averaging 23.5 ppg, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.
• Nike Sibande is averaging 21.0 ppg, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.5 steals.
• Against Million Dollarz, forward Mike Young led the Zoo Crew with 24 points, shooting 11-for-16 from the floor and 2-for-5 from behind the arc, while guard Nike Sibande came in second with 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field, 3-for-5 from deep and 4-for-4 from the foul line.
• Jamel Artis dropped 15 points, shooting 6-for-10 from the field, and hit the game winning free throw for the Zoo Crew.
• Artis will miss the final game tonight after suffering an injury late in the fourth quarter against Best Virginia.
• Greg Elliott and Lamar Patterson look to take on a larger role with the injury of Artis. Elliott has played a combined 10 minutes and has scored four points with a rebound, an assist and a block in two games. Patterson is averaging 5.5 points per game and 1.5 rebounds per game
• Using their offense to defeat Million Dollarz Worth of Game, the Zoo Crew shot 59.4% from the field, 43.8% from 3-point range and 8-for-10 from the free throw line.
• In the round of 32, Zoo Crew's offensive efficiency against Best Virginia included a pair of triples in the opening quarter from Ryan Luther, while guard Sibande led all players at the break with 14 points. Nelly Cummings added 17, helping the team finish with 30 field goals and nine turnovers.
• In the first round against Dubois Dream, guard Sam Sessoms led Happy Valley with 20 points, while forward Greg Lee added 17. Guards Myreon Jones (16 points) and Curtis Jones (15 points) also reached double figures.
• The Penn State's alumni hoops squad took down the top-seed in their region, the Stars of Storrs, in a 94-83 upset win. Lee (22 points), Sessoms (18), Jones (16), and John Harrar (15) all reached double digits in scoring, as the team took a 49-31 lead into the locker room at halftime.
SPOTLIGHTS
• Mike Young of the Zoo Crew scored 24 points in the round of 64 against Million Dollarz, followed by a 23-point performance to help take down Best Virginia. Alongside him, Nike Sibande scored 21 points in each of the team's first two games.
• Greg Lee nailed seven of Happy Valley's 15 made threes on just 10 attempts behind the arc to go along with his seven rebounds against the UConn alumni.
• Sam Sessoms dropped two back-to-back high scoring double digit games against the Dubois Dream (20) and the Stars of Storrs (18).
