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Username Post: Quinnipiac Payback        (Topic#6541)
LU65 
Sophomore
Posts: 133

Reg: 07-30-06
11-28-07 02:06 PM - Post#39115    

A 55-71 loss to the Bobcats a year ago (11/22/06 to be exact) sent the Mountain Hawks into a tailspin, losing 7 of their final 8 Division I OOC games in the 06-07 campaign. You may remember they entered play at Quinnipiac 2-3, losing three out West in the Basketball Travelers Classic in Eugene, Oregon but later beating Cornell and Sacred Heart leading up to the Quinnipiac game. Then came that faithful afternoon in New Hamden, CT where Lehigh fell asleep and was outscored in the second half by 14, keyed by a 7-0 Quinnipiac run. The Mountain Hawks went on to commit 18 turnovers which lead to 29 Quinnipiac points and were out-rebounded on the day: 28 to 38. Toss in allowing Quinnipiac 30 points in the paint to Lehigh's 12, and you have the makings of a sound defeat. Let's hope things don't go that way again tonight. Perhaps the only thing to be the same will be the dreadful attendance. Quinnipiac drew 567 fans a year ago; the big question seems to be, "Will we match it?"

We certainly come into the game a different team. We're a 3-3 club this year with a new coach and a team that seems to be gaining in its confidence each time out. Despite a couple of double digit losses to NCAA Play-off teams a year ago, I believe we have a legit chance to post a win tonight and in nearly all our remaining OOC games. As for tonight, we no longer have Jose Olivero and Kyle Neptune to lean on (they scored 31 of the team's 55 points against "Q" a year ago), but instead the balanced scoring threat of Hall (12.7), White (9.5), Carrington (9.0), Szalachowski (8.3), and Keefer (8.2). Let's hope we continue to protect the ball well (we presently lead the PL in Turnovers giving up just 12.5/game) and gain an edge in rebounding. Each will be needed to offset our league-worse field goal against (fga) mark of .457. Tonight, we only go up against the NEC's top scorer, DeMario Anderson, Quinnipiac's 6'4" Guard - a guy who just happened to pour in 29 and 25 against Maine and New Hampshire his last two times out.

See you at Stabler. It should be fun!




 
LU65 
Sophomore
Posts: 133

Reg: 07-30-06
11-29-07 04:05 PM - Post#39200    
    In response to LU65

I was one of the faithful on hand last night and can only say it was fun to watch. Of course, I'm not happy with the play of those in the paint, but a double-overtime game with 13 ties and 19 lead changes is, by definition, exciting. Throw in career scoring performances by Carrington (23 pts and having is way underneath the basket scoping in 7 of 10) and Hall (27 pts and "the man" every time you looked up - that is but once or twice from the free throw line), a three-pointer by White (first in his collegiate career) to send the game into a second OT, 10 blocked shots by the home team, and bruising in your face defense throughout and the fans got their money worth. Hey, there was even and $1 hot dogs - a Wednesday night special. Crowd control was not a problem. The 649 on hand were polite and actually got into the game a bit with chants of D-fense at all the appropriate times. Now, if only the 150+ (best guess) students on hand each brought a friend to the next game we'd have the makings of a true student section.

Back to the game.....scoring was not a problem for either team (hitting on a combined 65 out of 150 shots). Where the game was loss was under the boards and our inability to contain #33, a 6'9" / 255 lb. freshman center by the name of Ed Zajec. In 41 minutes of play, he had 17 points and 15 rebounds. Nine of those 'bounds were on the offensive glass resulting in countless put-backs. His 9 Offensive boards were one less than our entire team total of 10. We had no answer for him. Our 7' center, Gourlay, who sometimes looks like he'd rather be anywhere else than on the basketball court (maybe that's just the way he looks all the time, I don't know), was a non-factor netting 4 points and 3 rebounds (two just happen to come his way). The other glaring weakness that lead to our defeat last night was our inability to get to the line. It's rare to see the home team awarded 8 fewer chances from the charity stripe in a game that was so equally contested. To Q's credit, they hit 22 of 27 and put the game out of reach at the end of the 2nd OT.

There'll be more chances to impress and work out our problems in the days ahead leading up to PL play. CCSU is first up on Saturday, followed by: Stoney Brook, Harvard, Monmouth, Penn State, Columbia, and Princeton.

Let's hope our young coaching staff can find the answers. In the meantime, I hope the support builds for this young team that numbers 10 sophomores/freshmen, 3 juniors and one senior.


 
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