Davion Warren nets 32 points, game-winning FTs to lead Air Raiders to victory in TBT Tournament

After scoring 31 points on 11 baskets, Davion Warren stepped up to the free-throw line once more.

The No. 4-seeded Air Raiders were tied with the No. 5-seeded B1 Ballers 89-89 after Warren made his first free throw after a foul. In a basketball version of icing the kicker, B1 head coach Jerry Costello called timeout before he could take the second.

It didn’t matter.

Warren, calm as ever, drained his next free throw to give the Air Raiders 90 points, and a victory thanks to the Elam Ending — providing the Air Raiders their first-ever TBT win.

Thanks to TBT’s use of the “Elam Ending,” where teams are required to hit a target score after the clock is turned off late in the fourth quarter, Warren’s free throw sealed a 90-89 win over B1 in the first round of TBT at the Koch Arena in Wichita.

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The game-winner capped off a team-high 32-point performance from Warren, who added two rebounds and two assists.

“I really wasn’t stressing it,” Warren said of the free throws postgame. “I just did my routine, shot the ball, and if it went in, it went in. If it didn’t, I was ready to get a stop.”

Warren was a late addition to the Air Raiders after former Red Raider center Norense Odiase pulled out. In his only season with Tech in 2021-22, Warren averaged 9.4 points on 45 percent shooting, starting 33 games as the Red Raiders made the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.

The Air Raiders had little time to prepare for TBT, meaning Warren had acclimate quickly upon arrival. However, he settled in and received a starting spot alongside guards ShawnDre’ Jones and Ben Coupet Jr. and fellow forwards Tariq Owens and Justin Gray.

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“He plays offense, defense and everything else well,” Air Raiders coach Luke Adams said. “I don’t think he has a true weakness. He’s a great teammate and a great leader.”

Warren and Jones were relied on heavily, scoring a combined 64 of the Air Raiders’ 90 points.

Each scored 32, with Jones adding a team-high six 3-pointers. No other Air Raider hit double-digit points as Warren and Jones were constantly fed the ball when their team needed a basket.

Jones is one of the few non-Tech players on the Air Raiders, having spent four seasons at Richmond from 2013-17. He was teammates with Owens on the NBA G-League’s Northern Arizona Suns in 2019, which led to him joining the roster.

Jones is also a TBT veteran, having played in the last two TBTs on The Web, a team comprised of Richmond alumni. Now with a new team, he gave the Air Raiders much-needed shooting, draining a team-high 13 baskets on 22 attempts.

It wasn’t in Adams’ game plan to have Warren and Jones score the points for the Air Raiders. However, B1 routinely gave both the space to put up a shot and score.

“We just go out there and take whatever they give us,” said Jones, who now plays for the Motor City Cruise of the G-League. “They played a zone, so me and Davion got the chance to have a lot of open looks, and that’s good for us. We put in the work day in and day out, … so we get more confident to step up and make those, and the guys on our team are confident in us as well.”

The Air Raiders got off to a shaky start, facing a 14-7 deficit in the first quarter. But, they cut the deficit to one by quarter’s end and outscored B1 24-12 in the second to take a 47-36 lead into halftime.

The Air Raiders maintained their double-digit lead until the Elam Ending in the fourth. The Elam Ending’s target score adds eight to the winning team’s point total at the time it takes effect, which was set to 90.

After being up 82-75, B1 rallied to take an 87-86 lead. Warren then scored the Air Raiders’ final four points to send his team to the second round.

Having been thrown into adversity late in the game, Adams was “proud” of how his team responded.

“Unexpected things happen,” he said. “How you handle those moments and how you respond to it can turn the outcome of a game. I’m proud of these guys. We were the best team today.”

The Air Raiders will play either the No. 1-seeded AfterShocks or the No. 8-seeded We Are D3 in the second round of TBT set for 7 p.m. Saturday in Wichita. Having advanced out of the first round, they’re taking each game as an opportunity — a chance to win TBT’s $1 million prize for its champion, represent Texas Tech, and ultimately, spend time together as a team.

“For us, it’s another day to play and another day for us to be a team,” Adams said. “We’re excited for it. I have no idea who’s going to win, but it’s going to be a tough game no matter what. I do think it’s going to be a great atmosphere. This is a fun place.”

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Davion Warren nets 32 points to lead Air Raiders to victory in TBT Tournament