Stillwater Stars Erase 23-Point Deficit To Beat The Enchantment 84-83
The Stillwater Stars finished the game on an impressive 35-11 run to erase a 23-point deficit to beat The Enchantment, the New Mexico alumni team, 84-83 in the Elam Ending, in the opening round of the Wichita State Regional in the 2021 TBT.
“I can’t ever remember coming back from a deficit like that, but to piggyback off of what coach [Doug Gottlieb] said, it was probably one of the funnest moments I’ve had with this group and probably my career,” said Markel Brown. “Coming back from that, the Elam Ending is something special, it was fun. But what sparked the run was the energy from Michael Qualls and Brandon Averette. Michael Qualls putting that Arkansas defense on [The Enchantment], pressing, running around like crazy. And Brandon Averette stepped up big time at the end, made tough shots, making play after play. So, I think that’s what sparked the run and we was able to join in on that, me, Jeff and [Michael Qualls], it was special.”
Former NBA player, and Oklahoma State standout, Markel Brown was electric for the former Pokes with 18-points on 7-of-15 shooting, a welcomed sight for Cowboy fans. He started things off with a bang with a throwback to Lob Stilly from an alley-oop from Cezar Guerrero.
Brown currently plays for Hapoel Eilat out of Israel and averages 12.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in 2020-21.
2018 Cowboy grad Jeffrey Carroll had an outstanding game for the OSU alums as he also finished with 18-points on 5-of-13 shooting.
Carroll’s currently playing professional basketball in Italy. Carroll averaged 21.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game this past season.
The Stars jumped out to an early 17-10 lead but fell behind and finished the first quarter trailing 23-17. The Enchantment turned up the pressure in the second quarter as they pulled out to a 12-point lead, 51-39, going into halftime.
The Enchantment extended their lead up to 17 by the 6:00 mark of the third quarter on a 6-1 run, 57-40, before a 9-7 run by The Stars, 64-49.
After entering the fourth quarter trailing 72-53, Jeffrey Carroll score six of the first eight points of the fourth quarter on two-straight 3-pointers. The Stars closed the gap with an impressive 11-2 run, 74-67, before Enchantment called a timeout, their final of the game, with just under 6:00 minutes remaining in the fourth.
The Stars would stretch their run to 13-2 before Enchantment hit their first bucket since the seven-minute mark.
The Elam Ending went into effect at the 3:55 mark of the fourth quarterback and was set at 84, meaning the game clock was turned off and the team who hit the 84-point mark first would win the game.
The Stars cut their deficit down to just two points, 78-76, before a huge three by Enchantment bringing them to within just three points of the win, 81-76. Michael Qualls throughs down a breakaway dunk for the Stars, bringing the game to 81-80.
A foul sent JR Giddens to the free throw line, where he hit both shots to get Enchantment within just one, 83-80, but Qualls hit a layup to get the Stars to 82 and Jeffrey Carroll threw down a dunk to give the Stars an 84-83 win.
The Stars erased a 23-point deficit and finished the game on a 35-11 run. They’ll face the No. 1 seed Eberlein Drive on Sunday at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN3.