TRP's Mason and B2X's Williams shine in summer league play

BY MIKE PEDEN

Sabes-TRP Group held off a late run against B2X Monday night to win 110-107 in Howard Pulley Pro City Summer League action at the St. Paul Salvation Army gym.

The game could have been called a "Classical Gas" as MSU-Mankato player Jefferson Mason and Minnesota recruit Rodney Williams highlighted the evening with many slam dunks, including one where Williams glided to the basket.

The Mason-Williams highlight-style combination turned out to be just the appetizer.

The first quarter had nine ties and three lead changes with neither team getting any separation. Sabes-TRP then got on a 10-2 run to start the second and held a comfortable lead most of the night. Despite Williams' crowd-pleasing shots, he was held to just six points in the first half.

Two quarters and several Mason-Williams dunks later, B2X slowly chipped away at TRP's double-digit lead, including a four-point play off a missed free throw with 18 seconds to go in the fourth.

B2X capitalized off two miscues from former Iowa player Jermaine Davis, once when he stepped on the out-of-bounds line before getting a shot off, and the second time on a foul behind the three-point line with 5.5 seconds left.

B2X's Jamar Diggs made all three free throws to put his team just one point behind, 108-107.

With B2X forced to play foul and chase, TRP made the next two free throws with 4.4 seconds in the fourth to ensure that B2X could not capture the lead barring a four-point play opportunity.

B2X had one chance to sink a three and send the game to overtime, but the shot went wide left as time expired.

Davis led all players with 25 points for TRP. Williams was more productive in the second half, scoring 13 en route to a 19-point performance. Wofford's Cameron Rundles also scored 19 for B2X.

TRP's win means at least three teams will be tied at 2-2 in the standings heading into Wednesday's games, with TRP and B2X among them.