Carmen’s Crew’s The Basketball Tournament title defense got off on the right foot on Saturday.
Led by the duo of forward Scott Thomas and guard Jamel Morris, No. 1 Carmen’s Crew took down No. 8 GoTime Green Machine 78-67 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to kick off the team’s journey for a second consecutive The Basketball Tournament championship. Thomas produced 20 points while hitting four triples, and Morris added 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including the game-ending layup.
JAMEL MORRIS WINS IT FOR CARMENS CREW!!!
— TBT (@thetournament) July 20, 2025
THE REIGNING CHAMPS SURVIVE THE UPSET SCARE pic.twitter.com/egdI2aH8YR
It was a back-and-forth affair from the jump, as the lead changed hands nine times and neither team led by more than three points during the first quarter. Thomas — who played his college career at Bowling Green — led Carmen’s Crew during the frame, scoring eight points while hitting a pair of threes.
But, a last-second layup from Davon Hayes gave GoTime Green Machine a 21-19 lead to end the first quarter.
Morris quickly responded, hitting back-to-back triples to open the second quarter, lifting the Ohio State alumni team to a 25-21 lead. Morris’ barrage set the tone for the quarter for Carmen’s Crew, which hit five three-pointers during the frame to jump ahead of GoTo Green Machine 42-36 at halftime.
Scott and Morris combined to connect on six threes in the opening half, tallying 15 and 11 points respectively across the first two quarters.
Carmen’s Crew opened the second half on an 11-4 run, sparked by a trio of consecutive threes from Chris Crawford and Erick Neal. Carmen’s Crew outscored GoTime Green Machine 24-17 in the frame to take a 66-53 lead into the final quarter.
But, Carmen's Crew gave GoTime Green Machine an unnecessary momentum boost at the end of the quarter in the form of a foul on a three-point attempt at the buzzer, after which Carson Newsome hit a trio of free throws to cut the lead to 13.
GoTime Green Machine quickly countered Carmen's Crew to open the fourth quarter, going on an 8-0 run to cut the lead down to 66-61. Ultimately, GoTime Green Machine made it 69-63 before the Elam Ending target score was set at 77 points, after the fourth quarter clock dwindled below four minutes.
Despite the rising momentum for GoTime Green Machine, Carmen's Crew had little issue reaching the Elam Ending target score and holding on for the win.
GoTime Green Machine's Courtney Stockard led all scorers with 22 points.
Keyshawn Woods, the lone Ohio State alumnus to log minutes for Carmen's Crew in their first game of the tournament, produced seven points, four rebounds and four assists in the win. The other three former Ohio State players on Carmen’s Crew’s roster – William Buford, Trevor Thompson and Kaleb Wesson – did not play against GoTime Green Machine.
Carmen’s Crew will continue its TBT run on Monday at 6 p.m., when it plays the winner of Saturday’s first-round game between Locked In Elite and Fort Wayne Champs. The game will be streamed on YouTube.
