2 days ago
Indy-area underdogs upset Indiana basketball alumni in 2025 TBT first round
INDIANAPOLIS — Walking into Hinkle Fieldhouse for the first round of The Basketball Tournament (TBT) Saturday felt like a road game for Indianapolis natives Jesse Bingham II (Warren Central) and Kobe Webster (Park Tudor).
Back in Indy as members of team Fail Harder, the locals were greeted by an overwhelming crimson crowd there to support Assembly Ball, a team of Indiana basketball alums.
Fail Harder were the lower seed, without big-name college stars or former NBA players, but the group of underdogs controlled the game earning an 89-76 win. Fail Harder advances to face All Good Dawgs, the Butler basketball alumni, at 8 p.m. Monday.
Darius Adams (UIndy) led Fail Harder with 21 points and nine assists. Bingham II scored nine points on 4 for 4 shooting. Webster added 12 points, four assists, four steals and two rebounds. Aljami Durham led Assembly Ball with 23 points. Q.J. Peterson added 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.
"A packed crowd of IU fans, but it's great being at home and being able to put on a performance like that," Webster said. "Even though it was mainly a home game for the IU fans, it felt great to play in front of my people," Bingham II said. You see a lot of familiar faces in the crowd, and to come out with the win in the cherry on top."
Here are three takeaways.
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Winning the $1 million prize money is the ultimate goal, but seeing former teammate Race Thompson was a great experience for Durham.
"Just seeing Race roll into Assembly Hall with a suitcase was a special moment," Durham said. "I hadn't seen Race in a long time. I've been a part of Race's journey since I came to college. It was special seeing him. Seeing him healthy and doing well, it was a special moment for me.
"Seeing all the smiles as soon as you walk into the gym, I lit up," added Thompson. "You see all the people you haven't seen. I hadn't seen Juwan (Morgan) in a year. I hadn't seen Al in two years. We keep up though. ... We all travel across the world doing our own thing. It felt good seeing the guys' faces."
Thompson finished with nine points, one rebound, an assist and a steal. Troy Williams had two points and a rebound and was 1 for 6 in 11 minutes. Jordan Hulls drew cheers when he checked into the game but played only four minutes and grabbed a rebound.
Assembly Ball led 39-37 after two quarters, but Fail Harder took control of the game outscoring their opponents 30-19 in the third. Adams scored 16 of his 21 points in the third on 4 for 4 shooting from the field and 6 for 6 shooting from the free throw line. Djimon Henson added eight points in the quarter. Fail Harder shot 10 for 13 from the field and 7 for 7 in the third.
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Former Marian center Reginald Kissoonlal played with an edge. He's not afraid to mix it up on the court and he does everything with 100% effort.
Kissoonlal helped Fail Harder erase an 11-point first quarter deficit with an impressive display of outside shooting. The 7-footer made three 3-pointers in four possessions, helping his team close the quarter on a 15-6 run. At one point, he blocked Williams shot and yelled at him. Williams engaged and the two were assessed technical fouls. Kissoonlal wasn't shy about chatting with fans, either.
Kissoonlal added the Elam Ender with an easy layup, squashing Assembly Ball's comeback attempt.
