The Stars of Storrs lost the Syracuse Regional final game, 76-68, to We Are D3.
The Stars of Storrs got out to a hot start with a 14-3 start, anchored by back-to-back baskets for both Elijah Thomas and Kassim Nicholson.
We Are D3, behind two made baskets by Marcus Azor, surged back to cut it to a 3-point game, but would trail for the entire first half since DeAndre Daniels made a layup to break the scoreless tie. The Stars of Storrs went ahead 19-16 after the first eight minutes.
In the second quarter, the Stars of Storrs went on an 8-0 run that pushed their lead to 13 points.
Down 12 points, We Are D3 went on a 9-2 run behind a 13-point first half from Azor. The former UMass Dartmouth guard shot 5-8 from the field in the first half and grabbed three rebounds.
David Murray made a layup that cut the lead to two with 11 seconds left in the first half before Terry Larrier, who had just arrived on Tuesday, knocked down a jumper with three seconds left as the half came to a close.
Thomas got back to his Saturday self as he led the Stars of Storrs in scoring after the first half with 13 points on 5-7 shooting.
It was not a 3-point contest in the first half with the Stars of Storrs making just three from deep while We Are D3 only made one.
We Are D3 came out incredibly aggressive on defense and it paid off as they went on a 6-0 run to take a 2-point lead and force the Stars of Storrs to call a timeout.
That lead increased to 10 as part of a 26-5 run by We Are D3. By the end of the third quarter, We Are D3 led by seven points.
R.J. Cole, who had just joined the team the day before, knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the lead to two with under four minutes to play in the fourth quarter. We Are D3 then called a timeout to force an Elam Ending with a target score of 76.
The Stars of Storrs did not make a single field goal during the Elam Ending, with their only points coming from Cole at the free-throw line.
On a fast break, Samuel Peek passed the ball to Murray for a tear-drop shot that sealed the win for We Are D3.
Cole led the way for the Stars of Storrs with 15 points on 4-8 shooting. However, the best player on the floor for them was former Seton Hall guard Isaiah Whitehead, who had a 14-point, 11-assist double-double while also dishing out five assists.
Whitehead appeared to have injured his leg during the Elam Ending and came out of the game to receive attention from a medical trainer.
Thomas was not as much of a force on the glass but did get into double-figures with 14 points on 5-8 shooting.
Azor led the way for We Are D3 with 22 points, but it was leading scorer Ty Nichols who tore up the second half, scoring 18 points with 10 coming in the second half.
Murray, who sealed the win for We Are D3, finished with 14 points on 7-9 shooting.
Samuel Peek, who plays for the Motor City Cruise in the NBA G League, scored 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds, with the majority of his points coming from the free-throw line.
Overall, despite the Stars of Storrs shooting better, rebounding better and blocking more shots, We Are D3 prevailed because of their ability to force turnovers. The Stars of Storrs were clearly unaware of how pesky We Are D3 can be, as they had 17 turnovers, with 10 of them coming from steals by We Are D3.
The Stars of Storrs are done for the summer, as their run ends where it started.
Calhoun's Corner 