Willie Cauley-Stein's block party fuels La Familia's comeback against The Nawf

Former SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Willie Cauley-Stein, was serving up blocks like it was 2015 on Sunday afternoon in Rupp Arena.

During La Familia’s 81-64 victory over The Nawf in the second round of The Basketball Tournament’s Lexington Regional, it was Cauley-Stein who provided the fuel necessary to charge ahead in the second half. La Familia, Kentucky’s alumni squad, got off to a slow start in the first half against The Nawf, trailing 34-31 at the break, but the former Wildcats locked in on defense in the second half in large part due to Cauley-Stein’s rim protection.

The seven-footer finished with seven blocks for La Familia in the win, including the highlight of the game when he shut down a would-be poster attempt from The Nawf’s Kendall Lewis that had the entire Rupp Arena crowd on its feet and yelling to the rafters.

“We’re in Kentucky, you got a Kentucky legend about to block you. What are you gonna do, pass it?’ Cauley-Stein said postgame. “I would go get it too. I respect him for trying.”

We admire Cauley-Stein for showing Lewis some love, but we imagine he’d like to have this one back…

Why would anyone try to dunk on Willie Cauley-Stein???

😱😱😱pic.twitter.com/2QtrL3D6LT

— KSR (@KSRonX) July 21, 2024

From the beginning of the second half to the Elam Ending, La Familia’s defensive attitude flipped. After a 5-13 start from deep for The Nawf, they were held to a 1-10 mark in the second half. They scored just 30 points in the second half while La Familia poured in 50. In the end, The Nawf shot a mere 28.9 percent overall from the field.

“It started with the effort,” Head coach Tyler Ulis said of his team’s defensive performance. “Once they started giving the effort defensively, getting those loose balls, stopping them guys from getting offensive rebounds, it’s contagious. Willie started to block shots, flying around, getting steals. Then the offense comes easy.”

It was an all-around team effort on defense in the second half, but it started with Cauley-Stein setting the tone early. Once the defense was settled in, the offense took control.

“Willie’s the X-Factor for us because he can do some many things defensively,” Ulis added. “He was a big reason why we changed our energy in the second half. He got some blocks, switching out on guards, switching out on the guy who was really attacking the lane. So Willie did a lot of great things today and he got us going.”

It wasn’t just roaming the paint that allowed Cauley-Stein to make an impact though. He finished with eight points, seven rebounds, and two assists in addition to his seven blocks. As one of the taller players in this entire tournament, he has an advantage down low that he used to his benefit on Sunday. That, along with the energy he injects into his teammates and the crowd, helped change the game entirely.

“That’s a big part of my job here,” Cauley-Stein said. “I did it and turned it around, that’s all we needed right there.”

Thanks to his efforts, La Familis remains alive in the winner-takes-all, $1 million grand prize event. Next up is a showdown with Herd That, the top seed in the Lexington Regional, set for Tuesday night at 9:00 p.m. EST back in Rupp Arena. Tickets can be purchased here.

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