Old Dominion shuts down Felder, defeats Oakland to win inaugural Vegas 16

Oakland star Kay Felder went big for his 21st birthday in Las Vegas, torching East Tennessee State for 29 points and a triple-double in the semifinals of the Vegas 16 on Tuesday at Mandalay Bay.

Like so many before who have celebrated that milestone in Sin City, the proverbial hangover caught up to him the next day.

Felder struggled for much of the night, and the Golden Grizzlies lost to Old Dominion 68-67 in the championship game of the inaugural event Wednesday night.

Felder started 2 of 8 from the field and had four turnovers in the first half as the Monarchs (25-13) opened a lead. He got going late and finished with 24 points and 11 assists, but dismissed the possibility that his early struggles had anything to do with a letdown after such a monumental Tuesday.

“Not at all,” he said. “Those guys on Old Dominion made tough shots and did a heck of a job rebounding the ball. At the end of the day, we still fought our butts off. We just came up short.”

Old Dominion coach Jeff Jones was pleased with the way his defense made the Golden Grizzlies star guard fight for his opportunities.

“We just tried to be solid,” Jones said. “As athletic and skilled as he is, you don’t shut him down. You just make him work. We tried to give plenty of help and then make sure we had a hand in his face every time he shot, but you always had that feeling he was getting ready to turn it on at any point. “

Felder had six points, three assists and two steals during a 14-0 run early in the second half as Oakland (23-12) tied the game with 12:13 to play.

The Golden Grizzlies couldn’t grab the lead, however, and Old Dominion answered with an 8-0 run and never again trailed. Oakland made it interesting in the final minute, but Felder couldn’t connect on a pass in the lane with the Golden Grizzlies trailing 66-64 in the closing seconds.

Trey Freeman came up with the loose ball and made two free throws before Felder answered with a meaningless 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Freeman, named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, had 24 points and six rebounds.

He said he took the matchup with Felder as a personal challenge, particularly after Felder’s heroics Tuesday.

“He’s a great player. You just want to compete. That’s all it is,” Freeman said. “Whenever there’s somebody great, you have to step up and play the best you can and don’t fear anyone, basically.”

Oakland coach Greg Kampe said Old Dominion’s ability to control tempo impacted his team.

“I don’t want to take anything away from them because they played great, and they won it, and they deserve it. But when that happens, it’s more him,” Kampe said of Felder’s early struggles. “He had 30 at Virginia, and you’re not going to play a better defensive team than that. The ball didn’t go in for him. What they did do is slowed the tempo down, and they had us completely out of sync.

“I was pleased with how we got out of it, but Freeman had a heck of a game. He made a lot of shots. Give him credit.”

Sophomore forward Brandan Stith had 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Monarchs.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj