St. Peter’s Defeats Marist in MAAC Action

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – A strong defensive effort was the headline as St. Peter’s defeated Marist 61-49 at the Yanitelli Center. The win improves the Peacocks to 7-7 (2-2 MAAC) while Marist falls to 10-12 (1-2 MAAC).

The key, as noted, was defense.  Marist is basically a perimeter team. “With their dribble drive, they try to get mismatches with ball screens, cuts and handoffs,” St. Peter’s coach John Dunne said. “They do not have a true post game, so we didn’t want them to spread us out.  We were willing to give up a few threes.”

Marist shot 5 of 14 beyond the arc. Overall the Red Foxes were 15 of 42. Marist trailed 27-21 at the break, but in the first ten minutes of the second had managed only two field goals as St. Peter’s enjoyed a comfortable double-digit lead.

Execution and balance were also keys for Dunne’s club, seeing how they ran their offense and their inside/outside approach. Ryan Bacon (12 points, eight rebounds) established himself inside, while Nick Leon (a game-high 16 points) was effective on the perimeter and did a good job running the team from the lead guard spot. “Ryan had a good game against Marist last year, so he came in with confidence,” Dunne said. “If he didn’t miss a few easy ones early he could have had a monster game.”
All things considered, it was a solid win over a team that has lost several heart-breakers and was coming off a victory over Manhattan on Saturday. “They (Marist) are going to beat some people,” Dunne said. “I was pleased with our defensive intensity the first 32 minutes. The last eight, we let up a bit.” In those final eight, Marist never got the deficit under double figures.

Notes

• The Red Foxes were paced by Sam Prescott, a freshman guard who came off the bench to score 14 points. Devin Price, another freshman guard, added 12 points.
• Marist has no seniors in the starting lineup and went with a starting five of three freshmen and two juniors.
• Among those in attendance was Nick Mariniello, coach at Hudson Catholic, a school two blocks from St.Peter’s. Wesley Jenkins of St. Peter’s and RJ Hall of Marist both played for a few of Mariniello’s state champions at Bloomfield (NJ) Tech High School.
• Marist entered the game shooting 61 percent from the line. So much for tendencies, as they hit a perfect 14 of 14 for the night.

UConn women Romp in Big East Opener

NEWARK, N.J. – Big East Conference women’s play began on Saturday with an eye-opening score. The UConn Huskies, defending Big East and national champions romped over Seton Hall 81-24 at the Prudential Center. In a game whose result undoubtedly sent chills among the rest of the conference, the Huskies went on a 17-0 run after the score was tied at two and never looked back. The three keys to the game:

1. Talent – UConn is absolutely loaded. With eleven players dressed the most minutes (23) went to Tina Charles and Meghan Gardler, the least to Jacquie Fernandes, who logged 11. Going to the bench there did not seem to be much of a drop-off in skills. Coach Geno Auriemma also has the luxury of two solid point guards. Sophomore Tiffany Hayes is more of your half court set floor leader while junior Lorin Dixon is a high-octane transition type. Some teams are fortunate having one proven lead guard; UConn has two.

2. Pick your poison – The exact phrase used by Seton Hall coach Phyllis Mangina. UConn, with Charles posting and Maya Moore penetrating, is a force inside. Mangina opted to give the Huskies the outside shot. They knocked down 6 of 18 from three but also hit a succession of mid range jumpers from fifteen feet. On the afternoon, UConn shot 57 percent (38 of 67).

3. Scoring woes – Throughout the pre-conference schedule Seton Hall had trouble scoring and turning the ball over. They committed 28 turnovers, despite the fact UConn did not press. In addition the Pirates shot 17 percent from the floor (9 of 52).  “When you do not shoot well against an opponent like UConn the problem magnifies,” Mangina said. “you have to shoot very well to have any chance of beating them.” Or of being in the game. The Pirates actually shot better from three-point range (4 for 21 for 19 percent) than inside the arc (5 for 31 for 16 percent).

Notes

• Seton Hall did not have a player in double figures and was led by junior guard Ebonie Williams with 9 points.
• UConn pit four players in double figures and was led by Charles’ 19 points 8 rebounds. “Since last March (Charles) has just lifted her game to another level,” Mangina said of the 6-4 Husky center.
• UConn improved to 12-0, their “closest” game being a 12-point win over number two Stanford just before Christmas.
• The Hall falls to 8-6 and Syracuse is next on Tuesday. “There are things to learn from this game but we have to put it behind us,” Mangina said. “In the Big East you need a big ego and a short memory.”
• UConn Coach Geno Auriemma, on facing a team UConn has defeated 25 straight times: “Our kids do not realize the history of the series. What we do every game is simply prepare for the opponent at hand. We focus on each team and get ready in the same manner.”
• Attendance was 4,166, as roughly eight busloads of UConn fans made it for the afternoon meeting.

A Look Back at the Jimmy V Classic

NEW YORK – Here is a look at what we learned at the Jimmy V Classic.

Scores:

Georgetown 72 Butler 65
Indiana 74 Pitt 64

1. Greg Monroe has to see the ball, frequently if possible. The opening minutes of the meeting with Butler saw Monroe get the ball around the neighborhood of the three-point arc. There’s little the 6-10 sophomore can do from that vantage point. As the half progressed he started to get looks on the low blocks. In the second half, and especially in the stretch, the ball went through Monroe. Coach John Thompson III said, “We are not concerned how many shots someone gets. We want to play the game the right way.” Agreed, but in a game as this its best to utilize your talent in the post. Monroe shot 9-of-20. Maybe one or two were ill-advised. Other than that, the shots were in the framework of the offense. He led the Hoyas with 24 points and also opened things up for Austin Freeman, who had 18 points (including four treys). Forcing the ball inside is one thing. Including Monroe on the blocks as a focal point of the offense is another – and more desired.

2. Indiana will play hard. No surprise in that given the man on the bench. Tom Crean is still cleaning up the mess Kelvin Sampson left in Bloomington. There are many nights this Big Ten season where Indiana will be on the short side talent-wise, but not in the area of work ethic. The Hoosiers will defend, expend the effort and come extremely well prepared. That’s no surprise given what Crean did with Tom Izzo at Michigan State and as head coach at Marquette.

3. Georgetown’s defense is their strong point. They came into the game allowing opponents .83 points per possession. On this night Butler “rang up” a .90, indicative of another strong effort on D. As Thompson III said, “Against a team like Butler you can try to stop what they do a good part of the game, but you can’t do it all game.”
Matt Howard, a 6-9 junior, projected as Horizon League pre-season Player of the Year, can attest to the Hoyas’ defensive emphasis. Howard scored nine points but was 1-of-9 from the floor. He didn’t get a decent uncontested look all night.

4. There will be nights like this for Pitt. The Panthers entered the game 7-1 with only a loss to highly-ranked Texas as a blemish. They struggled offensively against Indiana in going down to defeat. Jamie Dixon lost a great deal from last year’s Elite Eight team so there will be nights when they surprise, or disappoint. Ashson Gibbs, a sophomore guard, had a solid night with 25 points. Again 6-9 freshman Dante Taylor came off the bench for a nice 12-point, five-rebound effort. Pitt will fall back a bit on the Big East order. “Caveat emptor” – let the buyer beware, the Panthers should not be considered an easy or guaranteed win by anybody.

5. We can’t say or praise enough the outstanding work of the V foundation in supporting cancer research. As Dick Vitale says, “Lets make cancer a disease for the history books.”

Seton Hall Romps over NJIT for Fifth Win

NEWARK, N.J. – At halftime Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez gave his team an option, “Give a good second half effort and prepare normally for Hartford (the next opponent) or face two brutal days of practice.” The Pirates opted for the former en route to a 93-53 victory over NJIT at the Prudential Center on Monday.

The first half saw a 43-27 advantage for the Pirates. The game had been close for a good part of the half and a late run allowed the Hall to take the double-digit lead into the locker room. The second half saw the Hall take charge from the start. Their quickness, size (especially), depth and overall talent were too much for the Highlanders, who have two wins on the young season.

“I’ve been involved in 40-point losses where you just wanted to leave and go home,” NJIT mentor Jim Engles said. “Tonight I can say I was proud of our effort. We prepared well and played well for a while.”

NJIT did not have a defensive answer for the likes of forward Herb Pope (game-high 22 points and 11 boards) and Jeremy Hazell on the perimeter (21 points). To add to the Highlanders’ problems was Jamel Jackson, who came off the bench for the Hall to sink 5 treys (15 points). “(Jackson’s) shooting is a good sign for conference teams like Syracuse and Louisville who zone you,” Gonzalez said.

Eugene Harvey added 10 points but was benched for a stretch after three early turnovers. “He’s a senior and is the type that can get down on himself,” Gonzalez said of Harvey, who logged 18 minutes. “One of the challenges of coaching is working in talented young kids with talented seniors.”

The Hall, 5-0 with a nice win at Cornell included, has shown there is ample talent. With Keon Lawrence and Memphis transfer Jeff Robinson (soon to be eligible) still waiting in the wings.

Isaiah Wilkerson led NJIT with 14 points while Chris Flores added 10.

Notes

• NJIT plays a few home games at the Rock and is slated for a few this season. On this night the Highlanders wore the visiting red.
• Engles felt the experience taught the young players what is necessary to compete and get better. “We want to be at the point come (Great West) conference play where we learn our game plan, go out, execute and compete.” Engles also noted he was not really down about the loss. “Hey,” he said,” we are not a Big East club. If I was in the Big East then I would be really upset.”
• NJ Senator Richard Codey , an avid basketball fan and youth coach, was in attendance as he is at almost all Hall games. Codey added his insight, noting “free throw shooting (15 of 23) has to improve or we will pay in a close game.”

NIT Season Tip-Off: Five Things we Learned

NEW YORK  – Five things we learned, in between Thanksgiving, at the NIT Season Tip-Off.

1. Duke will battle you in the paint. The image of Duke for the past few years has been the motion offense featuring precision cuts, quick pin point passes and the availability of open looks. Now, some added height gives Coach Mike Krzyzewski a few big men able to battle inside. Against Arizona State, a 64-53 Blue Devil semifinal victory, Duke enjoyed a 35-28 edge on offensive rebounding percentage (OREB PCT = OREB / OREB + opponents Def. Reb). In the championship the UConn frontcourt posed a formidable problem with their rebounding and shot-blocking skills. Duke won the battle of the boards handily with a 46-31 offensive rebounding percentage advantage. Brian Zoubek and Lance Thomas inflicted damage on the offensive glass with 7 and 5 offensive rebounds, respectively.  That edge was the decisive margin in the 68-59 Duke win. A game where the Blue Devils shot 28 percent from the field and had only eight second half field goals.

2. LSU needs work – a lot of it. The Tigers were swept away by the UConn transition game in an 81-55 semifinal loss. In addition the Huskies blocked 13 shots. Simply, it was not a night for Tiger faithful to remember. The players and coach Trent Johnson promised LSU would come out more focused in the consolation. They kept their word, building a nine-point first half lead with five minutes left in the half. At the break they led Arizona State by seven. In the second held LSU went into a complete meltdown, getting outscored 44-18. The Tigers managed five second half field goals while Arizona state shot 15 of 22 (68 percent). Once ASU drew even and pulled away the Tigers seemed to fall into a funk. They lost movement on their zone offense and collapsed on the defensive end. Only a last-second trey kept them from a second consecutive 20-point loss as they fell 71-52.

To their credit, LSU did play a good first half in the consolation. But the game is 40 minutes. Not helping matters is the loss of Bo Spencer. The LSU point guard injured his ankle near the end of the UConn game and sat out the consolation. Spencer is day-to-day and Johnson hopes he is back before long. Spencer’s return will help but not solve everything.

3. Arizona State can do damage in the Pac-10. The Sun Devils posed problems and battled against Duke before falling. In the consolation they showed resolve in the first half and fire power in the second in the romp over LSU. Lead guard Derek Glasser can hit the three and displayed an ability to gain access to the paint. Eric Boateng struggled up front against Duke but showed the resiliency to post an impressive 17-point, eight-rebound effort in the third place game. Herb Sendek’s club does a nice job with a patient offense that dictates a slow to moderate tempo. On defense they employ a zone that appears passive but is effective. Many prognosticators pegged Sendek’s team near the bottom of the conference. Given the start of some of the more highly regarded members and the way they played in New York there’s no reason to believe the Sun Devils won’t make some noise on the “left coast”.

4. UConn has a few big men who can get out and run the floor like deer. Against LSU the Huskies turned the game into a track meet and simply ran away from the SEC reps. Gavin Edwards, Charles Okwandu and Alex Oriakhi also showed they know how to defend, blocking 13 LSU shots. What UConn needs is a consistent effort. Their earlier rounds before New York were less than impressive showings. They looked light a highlight film against LSU but were soundly beaten on the offensive boards in the final, a deciding factor, in the loss to Duke. With the aforementioned big men, Kemba Walker at the point, Jerome Dyson a deft penetrator and Stanley Robinson, who can do damage in the paint and on the wing, there is a lot of talent on UConn, a lot of ways they can beat you and a Hall of Fame coach on the bench. This is a team certain to be heard from come March.

5. Coach K may not be sending a holiday greeting to Doug Gottlieb. After the final, the Duke mentor was asked to comment on the ESPN analyst’s comment that “Duke is alarmingly unathletic”. Krzyzewski simply said, ”Well (Gottlieb) is an expert on what it feels like being ‘alarmingly unathletic’.” Krzyzewski did admit, “We are not as athletic as UConn but we do have a number of athletic players on our team.” Enough to capture the NIT Season Tip-Off.

NJIT edges Wagner for second win

NEWARK, N.J. – About a half hour after the Wagner-NJIT game the nets were up and the men’s volleyball team was stretching to begin practice. The score, 56-51, was still on the scoreboard. You can’t blame the scoreboard operator at Fleisher Center for keeping the final tally on display. It favored the home school and marked the second win of the young season for NJIT.
The game was closely contested throughout. Wagner entered 0-2 but had a strong inside presence in 6-7 Michael Orock, who finished with a game-high 22 points and 14 rebounds. The perimeter was another story. “That was a defensive priority for us,” NJIT coach Jim Engles said. “We were willing to give up something inside but didn’t want to give up the perimeter.” Wagner shot 3 of 22 (14 percent) from beyond the arc. For the game the Seahawks barely cracked 30 percent going 19 of 62 from the floor.
The Highlanders were supported by the play of Isaiah Wilkerson with a team-high 17 points and 13 boards and Chris Flores, who added a dozen points. In the stretch NJIT’s Jheryl Wilson, who finished with eight points, hit a big trey to give NJIT a seven-point lead, a lead they took into the final minute and wouldn’t relinquish.
“ Last year we had several games like this late in the year,” Engles said. “We just didn’t know how to win and finish it off. Now we have two wins. The mindset has changed. We can walk on the floor in a number of our games knowing we can give a good 40-minute effort and have a chance to win.”
Deane said his Wagner club, “was outhustled and they were just tougher than us.” He was pleased with Orock’s work in the paint but not upset with the outside shooting per se. “We didn’t shoot a good percentage but we had looks,” Dean said. “Chris (Martin) had look and so did some of our other players.” Martin, a 6-foot freshman, had 13 points but shot 2 of 10 from three.
“We are young and will get better offensively,” Deans said. “Even our seniors are young in terms of playing experience and knowing their roles.”
• NJIT committed 17 turnovers. That figure wasn’t a concern for Engles because the Highlanders forced 17 Wagner turnovers. NJIT entered the game averaging 12 turnovers per outing, a marked improvement over last year. “This year we have better ball handlers,” Engles said. “We have guys who can handle and dribble the ball. We are a lot better in taking care of the ball.”
• The upgrade in talent at NJIT is evident in Wilkerson. Last year the 6-4 sophomore had to play the point by default. There was no one else. This season Wilkerson is more comfortable at a more natural four spot. “If he was 6-10 he could be a lottery pick,” Engles said. “He works incredibly hard. He is a 6-4 version of the (DuJuan) Blair kid who played for Pitt.”
• Among those in attendance was former FDU coach Tom Green. He’s spending the season visiting different practices and watching games. One of his favorite coaches is Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni, whose practices he’s visited 6 times. Green also plans to get back in coaching. “Outside of teaching school a year,” Green said, “I have coached 37 years and want to get back.” Here’s hoping it is soon. And with a school that appreciates his fine work.

Orange Delight: Syracuse Runs to Coaches vs. Cancer Title

NEW YORK – Entering the Coaches vs. Cancer final respective coaches Roy Williams of North Carolina and Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim were in agreement it would a game of spurts. It turned out to be that way and Syracuse had a definitive run that allowed the Orange to post an 87-71 victory in the championship.

Trailing 39-37 at the break Syracuse went on a transition-fueled 22-3 run over the initial 8 minutes of the second half to regain the lead and pull away. “They were hitting their shots we were not,” North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. “We were committing turnovers and began to get frustrated.” During the course of those frenzied 8 minutes, North Carolina actually had more air balls (3) than made field goals (1).

North Carolina made a run to make it a three-possession game midway through the final half. Syracuse responded and pulled away. The Tar Heels, who enjoy a fast pace, struggled in transition against the Orange. UNC was guilty of 19 turnovers on the evening. The Orange guard combination of Andy Rautins (11 points, 7 assists, 7 steals ), Scoop Jardine (6 points and 4 assists) and Brandon Triche (11 points) ran the break, hit the open shots and distributed the ball. Beneficiaries of those passes included Wes Johnson (a game-high 25 points) and Arinze Onauku (15 points), the latter of who established a strong inside game.

The play in the paint was a Syracuse strong point both nights. As Boeheim pointed out after the semifinal win, last year’s team was guard-oriented. This year, there are some good big men, so some of the emphasis has changed.

North Carolina knows. The Tar Heels won the rebounding battle 42-37. Ed Davis led UNC with 16 points and 10 boards. But Deon Thompson , who scored 11 for UNC, shot 3 of 8 from the floor and was affected on a number of occasions by Syracuse’s size. In the end result North Carolina had no answer for Johnson who added a team high 8 rebounds.

“We couldn’t guard Johnson,” Williams said. “He’s quick , can shoot the threes and is tough inside. We couldn’t handle him.”

That was a major reason the Tar Heels went down to defeat.

• In the consolation, Ohio State edged California 76-60. Evan Turner of OSU and Cal’s fine guard Jerome Randle shared scoring honors with 26 points. Turner had the dubious triple double against UNC (23 points, 11 boards and 10 turnovers). Following that contest he was emphatic on cutting down on the number. Turner had four turnovers against California, which went a long way toward Thad Matta’s team exiting New York with a split.
• California was minus wing Theo Robertson, who was injured and listed day-to-day but never played. The 6-6 Robertson is an 18 PPG scorer and a three-point threat.  As a result Mike Montgomery’s club saw zones both days. Syracuse plays the 2-3 as its signature defense. Operating on less than 24 hours rest and with Robertson out, Ohio State opted to zone.With Robertson out the Golden bears may see a lot more zone. They received solid performances from Randle both nights (he had 25 against Syracuse). In the end, the big men need work and need to establish themselves inside. Ohio state blocked 11 shots and Syracuse (9) as the Golden Bears struggled with both opponents size.
• Given the traditions of the schools UNC and Syracuse had not met since the 1987 East Regional Finals at Meadowlands Arena. Syracuse with a freshman Derrick Coleman upset the Tar Heels to punch their Final Four ticket. A common thread from that game and Friday was a Triche. Brandon Triche’s uncle Howard Triche played on that Syracuse team in ’87.
  Interestingly, California and Syracuse had what their first-ever basketball meeting in the semis.
• Attendance exceeded 15,000 both nights. The national draw especially of North Carolina and Syracuse was a huge factor. Vocal, orange-clad Syracuse following made it look like a Big East Tournament game in March.

All-Tournament Team:
Andy Rautins (SU)
Evan Turner(OSU)
Jerome Randle(Cal)
Marcus Ginyard(UNC)
Wes Johnson (SU) MVP

Quotable

• “He doesn’t force. He takes good shots, rebounds and is a good defensive player. He lets the game come to him.” – Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim on Wesley Johnson, the Orange forward who earned MVP honors.
• Boeheim on his guards: “Andy (Rautins), Brandon (Triche), Scoop (Jardine)… a lot of people were worried about our guards coming into the season. They are all very good and will only get better.”

On The Baseline

With football season in full force, North Carolina was the only school that sent cheerleaders. For the UNC group it was an easy stop en route to Boston College where they cheered their Tar Heels (to victory) on Saturday.

Still zoning after all these years

NEW YORK – At Syracuse some things, like winning and cold winters, never change. The past three-plus decades of Syracuse basketball have seen several constants: Jim Boeheim roaming the sidelines and adding victories, almost annual tournament play and an adherence to a philosophy of 2-3 zone defense. Boeheim has heard the critics suggest he play man-to-man more often or against certain teams. A career with over 800 wins attests to the fact he knows what is best.

Syracuse utilized that patented 2-3 to register a 95-73 triumph over California in the Coaches vs, Cancer semifinals at Madison square Garden. The Orange were set to face North Carolina, who with stood a late run to defeat Ohio State 77-73 in the second semifinal.

“Their size and zone cause you problems,” Cal coach Mike Montgomery said. “But not to the extent I expected.”

Montgomery was without the injured Theo Robertson, an 18 PPG scorer and three-point threat, but refused to use that as an excuse. “We have players ready to step up,” he said. Senior guard Jerome Randle led the way with a game-high 25 points. But no one else on the Golden Bears posed a serious threat.

All too often Cal struggled to get the ball inside. If they did, the big men saw collapsing defenders. And all too often Cal settled for a trey – one that missed. “Our 2-3 is designed to stop three-point shhoters,” Boeheim said. It did just that as Cal shot 6 for 20 beyond the arc for the game.

Offensively the Orange received good guard play from Scoop Jardine (22 points, six assists) and Andy Rautins (eight points, four assists). Boeheim emphasized that the Orange are getting acclimated from being guard-oriented (last year) to the present team with solid inside threats, as Arinze Onuaku (12 points) and Wesley Johnson (17 points, six blocks). Those big men are making an impact on both ends of the floor as Montgomery noted, “(Syracuse) blocked nine of our shots. I can’t remember the last time that happened.”

St. Peter’s defeats Monmouth in predawn meeting

JERSEY CITY , N.J. – Prior to Tuesday’s 6 a.m. game, as part of the ESPN marathon, both Monmouth coach Dave Calloway and John Dunne of St. Peter’s were concerned about the early start. Dunne was especially apprehensive when he entered his team locker room. “The team was listening to music and seemed full of energy,” Dunne said. “It was 5 o’clock in the morning and I was concerned that they wouldn’t be able to sustain that energy.” Dunne’s fears were soon alleviated. St. Peter’s basically dominated from tip to buzzer, defeating Monmouth 58-34.
Forget the early start. Both teams came out strong with late season style intensity. St. Peter’s man-to-man defense was very effective and allowed the Peacocks to pull away to a 27-16 halftime lead. They contested perimeter shots and made it tough inside for 6-8 Travis Taylor, Monmouth’s main threat in the paint. The first half the Hawks shot 4 of 22 (18 percent ) from the floor.
The second half did not fare much better for the visitors. They were never able to get a significant run going. The defense turned in another notable 20 minutes as the Peacocks earned their initial win of the season. Taylor led all scorers with 12 points. Wesley Jenkins led a balanced St. Peter’s attack with 10 points. Monmouth finished shooting 10 of 47 (21 percent) from the field.
Notes

• Monmouth opened its new arena with a win over Isiah Thomas’ Florida International on Friday. On Sunday they dropped a home contest to Seton Hall. “We had emotional games (counting St. Peter’s) in five days, “ Calloway said. “That’s not to discredit St. Peter’s. Their defense was just outstanding.”

• MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor was in attendance. Just after the game Ensor was off to Albany to catch Siena-Northeastern at noon. Ensor had to be pleased as the MAAC had 3 wins during the marathon. Besides St. Peter’s and Siena, Niagara earned a win over Drexel.
• SID Dan Drutz of St. Peter’s reported 27 credential requests. Among them were representatives of both New York and NJ papers and outlets.
• Burt Shoobs, FDU’s PA announcer and basketball fanatic, was in attendance. Burt said the night before he announced his 691st consecutive FDU (he works both men’s and women’s ) game. For this game he arrived at Yanitelli Center at 4:40 am. “To beat the crowd,” he said.
• St. Peter’s students had all-night activities in the Yanitelli bubble. Included were music, kick ball and wiffle ball tournaments followed by a buffet breakfast at 4 am. “I woke up at three thirty unable to sleep,” Jenkins said. “It was noise from the bubble.”
• Pre-game preparations were altered. Instead of pasta and potato carbo loading, both teams opted for bagels as a pre-game meal. Monmouth held a 6 a.m. practice on Monday to get acclimated. The Hawks came up the morning of the game with their bus departing campus (50 miles from Jersey City) at 3:15 a.m.
• Dunne was concerned how his team would respond after the tough loss to Seton Hall on Friday. “I’m proud of my kids,” Dunne said. “Our substitutes allowed us to rest the starters and we established our game inside/out as it should be.”
• St. Peter’s received solid contributions off the bench from freshman guard Steven Samuels (9 points) while Jamin Shumate, another first-year player, also did a nice job.
• Calloway would play another 6 a.m. game like this in a minute. “In our league (NEC) we get national exposure when you get to the NCAA tournament,” he said. “Here we are in November on national TV. The positives of a game like this far outweigh the negatives.”
• Appropriately, the first basket of the game was on an inside move by (Ryan) Bacon of St. Peter’s.
• While some players opted to rest after the game, Bacon was off to a 9:30 class and a quiz.

On The Baseline

• Monmouth had a great pep band (right behind us). But hearing My Sharona blast your eardrums at 7:10 am was tough.
• Both team had a pep band and cheerleaders. Monmouth brought 24 cheerleaders. The Monmouth squad cheered their women’s game at 7 the night before , then boarded the bus from West Long Branch at 4:30. And did a fine job.
• Monmouth had a good, vocal following of students. They did break an unwritten code by booing the St. Peter’s cheerleaders when they took the floor and chanting, “you are ugly.” Apparently the “basketball gods” took notice.
• Leaving Yanitelli Center at 8:30 after post-game interviews, the St. Peter’s campus was noticeably quiet, a contrast from the previous few hours.

Seton Hall and Rutgers open with victories

NEWARK and PISCATAWAY, N.J. – A few observations and notes from two Big East openers this weekend.

On Friday Seton Hall edged St. Peter’s 52-50 at the Prudential Center on Eugene Harvey’s running one-hand trey at the buzzer. On one side the Hall did not play their best. This is not to discredit St. Peter’s, a club that competed and came in with a mindset of winning, not just keeping it close. And a number of the areas Seton Hall struggled were due to St. Peter’s effectiveness.
In a 66-possession contest the numbers for offensive efficiency:

St. Peter’s  77
Seton Hall  80

• To their credit, St. Peter’s was not rattled, they aimed for a half court setting and dictated the tempo. Wesley Jenkins led St. Peter’s with 16 points and hit a jumper that put the Peacocks ahead with 3 seconds to go.
• Jeremy Hazell did not score until he hit a free throw with 5:57 remaining – in the game!  Hazell finished with 2 points, both from the line as he was 0-10 from the field. “St. Peter’s did a good job on Jeremy (Hazell),” Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez said. “They switched and made someone was right on him.” As a shooter he has the green light. After missing the first few, however, he began firing fall-always from three-point land.  St. Peter’s did the job on defense, but some of Hazell’s attempts were ill advised.
• Herb Pope is the real deal. The New Mexico State transfer gave the Hall another inside presence and a solid stat line : 6 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists an 4 blocks in 35 minutes.
• Harvey did not start for Seton Hall. Gonzalez noted that the senior guard missed several practices with a thigh injury so Jordan Theodore got the nod. Coaches tell you it’s not who starts but who finishes. Harvey was a huge factor with a team-high 16 points and the game-winner.
• Keon Lawrence was on the Pirate bench in street clothes. Gonzalez would not comment on the Lawrence situation and suspension except to say it was under review and “(Lawrence) is still part of our family.

On Saturday at the RAC, Rutgers defeated Marist 74-67. It was not Groundhog Day, though it was a year to the day Rutgers barely edged the Red Foxes. This victory was more of a dictating the pace variety, though Marist made a late run to trim a 16-point deficit to seven. Rutgers coach Fred Hill commented that he opted for a quicker pace and their MAAC opponents complied. In a 71-possession game the offensive efficiency:

Rutgers 104
Marist 94

• Mike Rosario led the way with 17 points but the good news , to paraphrase the Beatles, he ‘ got by with some help from his friends’. Patrick Jackson, a sophomore, who scored all of 10 points last year added 15. Gregory Echenique established himself against the smaller Marist frontcourt with 13 points and 10 boards. Having a complementary scorer or two on a consistent basis can only help. Rosario even noted a few added scorers strengthens the attack and takes some double team and defensive pressure off him.
• Rutgers had assists on 19 of their 27 field goals. Mike Coburn led with seven while James Beatty had four. These figures show that Rutgers not only distributed the ball but spread it around generously.
• Marist’s inside game was negated by Rutgers’ nine blocks. Hamady Ndaye came off the bench to inset energy while rejecting six shots, Echenique added three.
• Chucky Martin has a number of new faces in his rotation. Notable was 6-7 freshman swingman Rob Johnson. The game leader with 18 points, Johnson can do damage in the paint and operate on the perimeter as well.
• Another bright note for Rutgers: they committed only 11 turnovers for an excellent 16% turnover rate. And that is for an uptempo opener in November.