Jimmer’s late 3s not enough as Team Fredette falls in TBT semifinals

Jimmer Fredette was scuffling, by his standards, having scored nine points in the first half and only two more in the third quarter.

The Basketball Tournament’s leading scorer heated up in the fourth quarter, nailing several trademark deep 3-pointers and scoring 13 points in the frame, but Team Fredette couldn’t get enough stops and fell one game short of the $2 million championship game, losing 80-76 to Eberlein Drive.

Jimmer pulled a pair of his deep 3s during a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter, then hit another to tie it 67-67 with about six minutes left.

But Eberlein Drive — led by former NBA players Jeremy Evans, Lou Amundson and James Michael McAdoo — got up 73-69 when Elam Ending kicked in. That’s when the game clock is shut off on the first dead ball under four minutes and 7 points are added to the leading team’s score to create a target score, and first team to that target score wins.

Ra’Shad James hit a 3 for Team Fredette and Brandon Davies scored in the paint to keep them in it, but the stops weren’t there and McAdoo ended the game grabbing an offensive rebound and dunking it home to hit the 80-point target.

Davies had a stellar first half that included a steal, a behind-the-back dribble to start a coast-to-coast drive that ended with a eurostep dunk. He also hit a 3 and faked several players on another drive and dunk.

Jimmer will now go back to China to finish the final year of his current contract there. He said before TBT that he hoped to showcase his talent to get back to the NBA after his contract was up.