By: Matthew Ryan
In game two of the 2022 Danny Rumph Classic, Blue Magic pulled off an upset in front of a star-studded crowd, defeating 8EYE 63-57 in overtime.
NBA players like Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, Atlanta Hawks wing De’Andre Hunter, and forwards Markieff (free agent) and Marcus Morris (Los Angeles Clippers) were in attendance.
8EYE, led by New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, had control the majority of the first half, leading by six at the break, but only mustered five points in the third quarter, giving Blue Magic a one-point lead heading into the final frame. Blue Magic led for most of the fourth quarter, but a Brunson triple with 23.8 seconds remaining sent the game to overtime.
In the closing minutes of overtime, Temple graduate Scootie Randall (6 points, 6 rebounds) delivered a dime to Vernon Goodridge, from La Salle, for a bucket. Then Randall (9 points, 6 rebounds) made a layup to virtually ice things. Brandon Austin (17 points) took home Player of the Game honors. AJ English chipped in 9 points.
Brunson, who scored a game-high 28 points, played his college ball at Villanova, winning two national championships — 2016 and 2018 — and was named the National Player of the Year as a junior in 2018. Joining him in double figures for 8EYE was former Wildcat Darrun Hilliard, who scored 10 points. Temple grad Khalif Wyatt added 8 points for 8EYE.
