Patriot League Notebook
by Steve Sheridan
Non-League Report Cards
The non-league performance of a team can tell you much about the character of the squad and its ability to contend for a league title. For the eight teams of the Patriot League, this non-league season was certainly no different. Bucknell, which had the best start to the season of any team, would have been in the top spot even before its huge upset of then-tenth ranked Pittsburgh – and the win certainly didn’t lower the Bison any. Army, meanwhile, continues to dwell in the Patriot League cellar after another disastrous non-league slate. For Bucknell, Army and all the teams between, however, the games already played will only serve as motivation for what is to come.
Bucknell Bison (9-4 non-league record): A+
Coming into this season, everyone was choosing Bucknell as the early favorite for the Patriot League title. As the team heads into the Patriot League schedule, the Bison have done absolutely nothing to make people think twice. Bucknell went 9-4 against non-league foes, including the biggest upset in school history, a 69-66 victory over nationally-ranked Pittsburgh, as well as a quality win at Saint Joseph’s. The team’s four losses did not come against bad teams, either, losing to the top team in the Ivy League (Princeton) as well as Big 12 member Iowa State, among others. Playing a quality non-league schedule, Bucknell has positioned itself well in its quest for a Patriot League title.
The Bison have been led all season by the trio of Kevin Bettencourt, Charles Lee and Chris McNaughton. Bettencourt leads the team in scoring (13.9 ppg), Lee is first on the squad in rebounds (6.4 rpg) and third in points (11.9 ppg), while McNaughton’s steady presence in the paint gives the team 13.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. All three players have started every game so far this season, and the two juniors and one sophomore are showing poise beyond their years on the court for head coach Pat Flannery. The excellence of Bucknell can be directly related to the quality play of these three players, which poses a big problem for any potential opponent: if you try to stop one of them, the other two will beat you. So far this season, few teams have been able to beat Bucknell.
Holy Cross Crusaders (8-4 non-league record): A
The Crusaders, like Bucknell, put together a very solid non-league schedule, and could have ended up with a 10-2 or 11-1 record instead of 8-4. The team had solid wins against Boston University and Rhode Island, but the team’s best games may have come in losses. The Crusaders had a comeback fall just short in a three-point loss to Princeton, almost conquered America East power Vermont, and gave undefeated Boston College its toughest test so far this season, falling 63-60 in overtime. Holy Cross actually outscored BC from the floor, but the Eagles held a wide free throw margin to escape with a win. Despite the number in the loss column, however, the Crusaders gained some valuable experience that will certainly serve them well as it looks to return to the top of the league after a one-year absence.
When Jave Meade graduated after last season, many Crusader fans wondered if any player would be able to step up and fill Meade’s shoes. As it turns out, no player was able to do that – but three Holy Cross guards have combined to fill the position just fine. Guards Kevin Hamilton, Keith Simmons and Torey Thomas have combined to score 34.5 points per game, dish out 105 assists and make 92 steals, leading the Crusaders to a solid non-league mark. Hamilton leads the team in scoring (13.8 ppg), but Simmons gives the team a huge spark off the bench, averaging 10.7 ppg while hitting nearly half of his shots (48 percent). The guard trio has helped to make up for a lackluster inside game, which has seen flashes of excellent from Nate Lufkin and John Hurley but has yet to develop any consistency. If the inside game develops, then Holy Cross could be even more dangerous.
American Eagles (7-5 non-league record): B
The Eagles began the season flying high, winning five of their first seven games, before losing three of their last four non-league contests. The team’s best win so far this season came against Vermont in a 67-64 victory, but the end of the slate wasn’t as promising. The team hung tough with Maryland before losing by 21 points, fought hard before finally succumbing to Missouri by 13, and in between suffered a disappointing loss to then-2-7 La Salle. The Eagles will have to learn how to play every game like they did against Missouri and Maryland and not like they did against La Salle and Niagara if it is to reach the Patriot League title game once again.
The game plan for American’s opponents is simple: stop Andre Ingram. The sophomore has averaged a team- and Patriot League-high 17.2 ppg so far this season, with many of those points coming from beyond the three-point arc. Besides Ingram, senior Jason Thomas has averaged 11.7 ppg and has shown signs of being able to take over a game. The duo has provided much of the offense for the Eagles this season – only one game this year has seen a player other than Ingram or Thomas lead the Eagles in scoring. The Eagles’ main problem is depth: the team relies very heavily on its five starters, and it will remain to be seen if the starting five will be able to hold up throughout an entire season. Either that, or some American bench players will have to step up their production to help the squad succeed.
Lehigh Mountain Hawks (7-6 non-league record): B-
Lehigh had itself a very up-and-down non-league slate, performing well at home but faltering badly on the road. The Mountain Hawks began the season with two tough losses to Penn State and Long Island – both on the road – and the team went another four games before picking up a victory away from Stabler Arena. The team didn’t have a very strenuous non-league schedule, with no real eye-popping wins, but the team won four of its six home contests. If Lehigh is to compete in the Patriot League this season, however, it will have to learn how to win on the road – and fast.
The Mountain Hawks are built very similar to American, with two scoring guards at the top of the pile, three other reliable starters, and not much else. Jose Olivero leads the team with 12.4 ppg, while junior transfer Joe Knight has been a much-needed offensive presence for head coach Billy Taylor, averaging 11.7 ppg and leading the team in steals and assists. Outside of Olivero and Knight, however, the offensive production has been very inconsistent, with very little production from the bench. No Mountain Hawk reserve averages more than 3.8 ppg, a statistic that makes it hard on the Lehigh starters to carry the game. Taylor will need to see much more production from the bench and his taller tandem of Jason Mgebroff and Earl Nurse in future league contests.
Colgate Raiders (4-8 non-league record): C+
The name of the game is inconsistency in Hamilton, N.Y., this season. For example: coming off the team’s best game of the season, in which Colgate managed to hang with the Syracuse Orange for three-fourths of the contest and showed signs of excellence, the team lost four of its next five games as it finished its non-league schedule at 4-8. The team’s overtime loss to Harvard has typified the season to this point, a game in which Colgate fought back to tie the game at the end of regulation, only to falter in the extra session. Despite the lackluster play, Colgate could still be a dangerous team as Patriot League play rolls around – if only it could find a way to play steadily.
The story of the Raiders so far this season has been the play of sophomore guard Jon Simon. Simon leads the team in scoring with 14.2 ppg, giving Raiders fans hope that there may be life after Mark Linebaugh after all. Andrew Zidar (13.5 ppg) and Alvin Reed (12.1 ppg) also have picked up the offensive slack, and along with surprising freshman Kyle Roemer have combined to form the nucleus of Colgate’s attack. Coach Emmett Davis is still looking to find that elusive effective fifth starter, after center Marc Daniels hurt himself early in the season. The Raiders’ problem is not scoring, however, but keeping the opponent from doing likewise – Colgate ranks sixth in the league by allowing 69.9 ppg.
Lafayette Leopards (4-8 non-league record): C
The Leopards were another team that put together a challenging non-league schedule and, while the wins and losses may not look good, the team gained some experience that is crucial for the inexperienced Leopards. Coming into a season in which all five starters departed Easton, Lafayette used games against teams such as nationally-ranked Louisville and Georgia Tech to improve its game headed into league play. The team also almost knocked off Princeton earlier in the season, losing by just two points, which shows that this young team may be on the way to better things this season and beyond. Until then, however, the wins might not come as frequently as they used to.
Senior Sean Knitter is the only Leopard player averaging in double figures in non-league play, scoring 11.1 ppg. Knitter has surprisingly not started a game this season for the Leopards, as head coach Fran O’Hanlon chooses to go with Jamie Hughes to begin games. Hughes has had minimal impact despite being a towering center, although forward Jamaal Douglas has stepped up his play under the glass, averaging eight rebounds per game. Freshman Bilal Abdullah has also been an emerging player for the Leopards, ranking second on the team with 9.8 ppg. The key to the team may be sophomore guard Marcus Harley, who is fourth on the team in scoring despite taking 21 more shots than any other Leopard. Harley will have to be more efficient on the offensive end for Lafayette as the season winds up.
Navy Midshipmen (4-8 non-league record): C-
In his first year as head coach of the Midshipmen, Billy Lange is attempting to establish a high-paced, up-tempo style of basketball in Annapolis. The offensive end has seen some improvement (Navy leads the league with over 70 ppg), but unfortunately for Lange, his style has yet to produce many wins — mainly because the Middies are not playing much defense. Navy gives up over 78 points per game – last in the Patriot League – and the result is a 4-8 record that saw Navy lose to a Division III team (Gettysburg) for the second time in three seasons. Playing an easy schedule populated heavily with military academies, Navy has not had many opportunities to play defense against quality teams, which may come back to haunt the Middies in league play.
As noted above, Navy has a very high-powered offense, with a league-best four players averaging in double figures. Laramie Mergerson leads the team in points (12.5 ppg) and rebounds (7.4 rpg, tops in the league), providing some senior leadership on the offensive end. David Hooper (11.5 ppg), Corey Johnson (10.8 ppg) and Matt Fannin (10.4 ppg) are all also averaging over 10 points per game. Lange is still trying to find his ideal starting lineup, however, as Navy has already had 10 different players start a game this season. It’s not starting the game but finishing it, however, that has hurt the Middies, as the team has been outscored by almost 100 in the second half of games. Navy, with its offense fully set, must find a way to stop their opponents from scoring if it is to have any chance in the Patriot League this season.
Army Black Knights (2-10 non-league record): F
When your team has yet to defeat a Division I opponent this season, things are not pretty. Thus is the situation in West Point, where the team has the lowest RPI in all of Division I (according to collegerpi.com) and yet still struggles to compete. Army came out very strong in its highest profile game of the season against Notre Dame, but the offense disintegrated after an initial spurt and the Black Knights fell to the Irish, 71-52. At this point in the season, Army has yet to prove that it can play a full 40 minutes of basketball against any D-I basketball team, and until that day comes things will be very rough for the Black Knights.
As occurred last season, the team’s major problem is scoring points. The team averages a mere 59.4 points per contest as the freshman and sophomore-laden squad attempts to learn how to compete at the collegiate level. The main bright spot for Army up to this point in the season is the play of sophomore Matt Bell, who ranks second in the league in scoring (14.9 ppg). Bell has been the major offensive weapon this season for the Knights, and combined with Colin Harris (10.7 ppg) accounts for much of Army’s offense. Army has many role players who have contributed occasionally, including Travis Owsley and Cory Sinning, but those players will have to step it up big time for the Black Knights to come close to competing this league season.
Other League Notes
Navy Ship Continues To Sink With Loss of Mergerson
Not much is going right in Annapolis as of late, and things got worse after news that senior forward Laramie Mergerson will miss a minimum of three weeks after breaking his left hand in practice Sunday. Mergerson leads the Middies in scoring and rebounding, and ranks eighth and second in the league in the respective categories. The Duncanville, Texas, native joins center Carlton Baldwin on the Navy injured list, giving another blow to Navy’s already slim chances in Patriot League play.
Bucknell Gets Some National Recognition After Huge Upset
Bucknell, fresh off its upset of top-10 Pittsburgh, received four votes in the latest Associated Press poll, giving the team an unofficial rank of 35th. The Bison were also ranked in the Mid-Major poll for the first time ever; they achieved a rank of 24, according to a poll released last Monday. Fellow Patriot League team Holy Cross also received votes in the poll, but right now the Bison are clearly the top team in the league.
Weekly Awards
Player of the Week
Joe Knight, Lehigh
In his last three games, Knight averaged 12.7 points and 3.7 assists as the Mountain Hawks won two out of three games. In Lehigh’s first Patriot League contest of the year, Knight scored all 14 of his points in the second half, including the game-winning three-pointer with 12 seconds left. The High Point transfer is second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.7 points per contest.
Rookie of the Week
Greg Sprink, Navy
Sprink scored a career-high 22 points in Navy’s Patriot League opener against Lafayette. The Cardiff, Calif., native was impressive in the loss, hitting six three-pointers, which matched the highest total for a Midshipman since David Hooper knocked down six in February of 2003.
Team Recaps (in order of Patriot League record)
Bucknell Bison (1-0 Patriot League, 10-4 overall)
The Bison are on a huge roll, and neither one of the country’s nor the league’s best teams could slow them down. In the biggest win in the history of the program, Bucknell led for most of the game and held off the previously unbeaten Pittsburgh Panthers, 69-66. The Bison led by as many as 12 points in the second half and withstood a Pitt comeback that included a 14-1 run midway through the second 20 minutes. With 23.3 seconds left, Kevin Bettencourt hit two go-ahead free throws to give the Bison the lead for the final time, and Charles Lee hit two insurance free throws with two seconds left. Chris McNaughton led Bucknell in scoring with 17 points, while Lee added 14 points and Bettencourt contributed 13. Both teams were hot on the offensive end, both shooting over 51 percent from the field, but Bucknell’s 87.5 percent shooting (14-of-16) from the free throw line put the visitors over the top, especially down the stretch when the pressure was greatest.
Then, in a battle of the Patriot League’s top two teams, Bucknell extended its winning streak to seven games and began the league season on the right foot with a 59-43 win over Holy Cross. Almost 4,000 people (3,897, a building record) packed Sojka Pavilion for the league opener for both teams and witnessed a strong showing by the home team. The Bison used an 11-0 run midway through the first half to break open a double-digit lead and headed into the break up by 12 points. Holy Cross shrunk the lead to just one with 11:14 left thanks to a 10-0 run, but Bucknell showed why it is the favorite to take home the league crown this season, responding with a 10-0 run of its own over the next 6:32 to regain its comfortable lead. Once again, the Bucknell trio of Bettencourt, Lee and McNaughton anchored the offensive attack, combining for 38 points. More important, however, Bucknell used some excellent defense to stifle the Crusader offense, allowing only one Crusader to score in double figures and keeping the team as a whole to 28 percent shooting.
The next stop on the Bucknell stampede is Hamilton, where the Bison will face off with Colgate on Wednesday evening, followed by a Saturday afternoon contest at home against Army. Bucknell went into Cotterell Court last season with a lot of momentum, only to be cut down by Colgate, and so the Bison must not overlook the Raiders or any other team looking to take down the streaking squad.
Lehigh Mountain Hawks (1-0, 7-7)
After winning its first road game of the season against Towson, Lehigh made it two in a row on the road last Sunday against Wagner, winning 59-45. Lehigh led the game from the very beginning and didn’t look back, holding Wagner without a field goal for the first 3:57 of an interesting first half. The visiting Mountain Hawks went into halftime leading by only six points, despite shooting 12-of-29 from the field and holding the Seahawks to 5-of-23 shooting. Wagner stayed in the game by hitting 10 free throws to Lehigh’s one. The second half was played much like the first, with Lehigh hitting shots and Wagner not, resulting in the Mountain Hawk victory. Jason Mgebroff led the visitors with 13 points and Joe Knight added 10 as Lehigh didn’t need a big offensive performance to win the game.
The team looked to get back over the .500 mark in its next game against Cornell, but the team lacked finishing on both the offensive and defensive ends in the second half and fell to the Big Red, 55-45. Neither team got anything going offensively in the first half, as the teams went into the locker rooms with a score of 19-15 in favor of Lehigh. The key to the game was Cornell’s three-point shooting, which was non-existent (0-for-9) in the first half but was perfect (6-for-6) in the second half. That shooting helped the Big Red shoot over 50 percent in the second half, while Lehigh shot just 30 percent over the final 20 minutes. Knight led the team with 14 points, but the Mountain Hawk bench contributed only seven points compared to 22 for Cornell.
Knight then took the cause into his own hands in the team’s league-opener against American, hitting the go-ahead three-pointer with 25 seconds to lift Lehigh to a 56-53 victory over the Eagles. In winning its fourth consecutive contest and fifth in six games against American, Knight capped an intense game that saw neither team lead by more than six points. Both teams shot the ball poorly in the first half, with Lehigh taking a one-point lead into the break. American came out strong in the second half, scoring the initial basket and securing the lead for most of the half, but Knight, who didn’t score in the first 20 minutes, scored 12 of his 14 second-half points in the final 4:28 of the game. Jose Olivero, who hit the Patriot League championship-winning shot the last time these two teams played, was the only other Mountain Hawk in double figures with 10, while the Lehigh bench was once again non-existent, scoring only eight points. But thanks to Knight’s heroics, that didn’t matter.
Lehigh returns to league action on Wednesday against interstate rival and fellow 1-0 team Lafayette, and then goes on the road Saturday afternoon to take on Navy.
Colgate Raiders (1-0, 5-8)
The Raiders had nine days to prepare for their Patriot League opener against Army, looking for revenge against the Black Knight team that inexplicably swept the season series against Colgate last season. Colgate gained some measure of revenge, opening the league season with a victory over Army, 60-56. The Raiders came out strong in the first half, shooting an even 50 percent from the field, but both offenses sputtered in the second half. The two teams combined to hit three field goals in the final 5:10 of the game after Army had battled back to cut the Raider lead to one point. An Andrew Zidar lay-up with 19 seconds left finally sealed the ugly win for Colgate, which always seems to play down to the level of its competition against Army. Jon Simon led Colgate in scoring with 17 points, while Zidar and Kyle Roemer each added eight points, as Colgate got off to a good start (record-wise, at least) in the Patriot League season.
Lafayette Leopards (1-0, 5-8)
Last Sunday, Sean Knitter, Bilal Abdullah and Marcus Harley all chipped in 11 points as the Leopards outlasted Columbia, 65-62. Lafayette came out of the gate very slowly, falling behind by as many as 13 in the first half before a 15-4 run at the end of the half capped by a Ted Detmer three-pointer closed the Leopard deficit to only two at the break. The second half saw Lafayette jump out early, but Columbia would not go away. The two teams went back and forth for the final 7:15 of the contest, with Knitter finally giving Lafayette the lead for good with an offensive rebound and lay-up with 26.4 seconds left. After a missed three-pointer by Columbia, Lafayette’s Jamaal Hilliard insured the win with two late free throws. The key to the win, however, was the Leopard bench, which contributed 29 points – led by Knitter’s 11.
In its final preparation for the beginning of league play, the Leopards fell behind early and could never fully recover against Saint Francis (NY), losing by a score of 79-64. After Jamie Hughes scored the opening basket for Lafayette, Saint Francis went on a 16-1 run that put Lafayette behind the eight ball early. The Leopards hit only two field goals in the first 11-plus minutes of the contest, contrasting greatly with the Terriers’ 59 percent first-half shooting. The host Terriers increased the lead to as much as 28 at one point early in the second half, leading to an easy victory. Freshman Paul Cummins was the lone bright spot for Lafayette in the loss, scoring 17 points. The Leopards were greatly hampered by injury for this game, as both Pat Betley and Andrei Capusan missed the game due to injury, and Jamaal Douglas played little after sustaining an injury in the first half.
Douglas rebounded from his injury-plagued game in a big way in the team’s league-opening game against Navy, scoring 18 points and hauling in 17 rebounds (both career highs) to lead his team to a 90-80 victory on Saturday. Lafayette controlled the first 20 minutes of play, leading by as much as 12 before Navy tied the game headed into the half. The Leopards seemed to have a hard time putting away the Midshipmen for much of the second stanza before finally taking a double-digit lead with 5:50 left and keeping the lead above single digits for the rest of the way. Douglas’ 18 points led five Leopards in double figures, including Capusan, who returned from injury to score 16 points in 20 minutes of play. Abdullah added 15 and Knitter 12 off the bench for Lafayette, which got an amazing 55 bench points from just four players (Capusan, Knitter, Abdullah and Hilliard).
Lafayette has two tough league tests coming up this week, beginning with a road match-up with intrastate rival Lehigh on Wednesday evening. The team then follows that game up with a Saturday afternoon road contest at American. These two games will be an early sign as to what Lafayette can expect from itself this season.
Holy Cross Crusaders (0-1, 8-5)
In the Crusaders’ first game of the week, the team didn’t put together a very good performance yet still found a way to defeat Rhode Island, 51-50. In a game that was ugly on both sides, Holy Cross found a way to win despite giving Rhode Island plenty of chances to snatch the game away. The first half saw neither team assume an advantage, with both squads shooting around 38 percent from the floor and each making 11 field goals. The Crusaders began to assert themselves in the second half, taking a 10-point lead with 7:08 remaining. The Rams fought back to get within two at the 5:08 mark, but a combination of bad Rhode Island shooting and solid Crusader defense held the Rams without a field goal for the remainder of the contest. Holy Cross was not much better, however, going the final 4:01 without sinking a field goal. But somehow the Crusaders escaped with a victory, led by 12 points from Kevin Hamilton and 11 from Torey Thomas.
Coming off the victory, Holy Cross came home and made it two in a row with an easy win over Dartmouth, 73-52. The purple men outscored their Big Green counterparts 16-5 to open things in the first half, taking a lead that they would never relinquish. After a few attempts, Dartmouth got the Crusader lead down to three with 14:53 left in the second half, but a three-pointer by Thomas and two field goals by Lufkin helped to crush any hopes of a second-half comeback for the Big Green. Hamilton scored 10 of his game-high 16 points in the first half to lead the Crusaders, complemented by Thomas scoring 10 of his 15 points in the second stanza. Center Nate Lufkin also had a good game with 12 points, as Holy Cross outscored Dartmouth 32-12 in the paint.
Having won four of its last five games, Holy Cross then stepped on the court with the hottest team in the Patriot League and put together its worst shooting performance of the season in a 59-43 loss. The Crusaders shot a mere 28 percent from the field for the game, including 5-of-22 (23 percent) from beyond the arc. Despite those stats, it was not just the poor shooting that killed Holy Cross, but also its inability to get to the free throw line. The Crusaders made 10-of-12 shots from the charity stripe, but in contrast Bucknell hit 26-of-37 free throw attempts – it had more attempts in the first half than HC had in the entire game. Hamilton tried to keep his team in the game, scoring 17 points on 5-of-15 shooting, but no other Crusader player scored more than seven points (Keith Simmons) for the game. Nate Lufkin also fouled out despite playing only 17 minutes – another sign that Holy Cross’ physical play came back to hurt them in this one.
Coming off the tough loss to Bucknell, Holy Cross hopes to rebound on Wednesday when it travels to West Point to take on Army. Then on Saturday afternoon the Crusaders welcome Colgate to the Hart Center, having defeated the Raiders in each of the last two seasons in Worcester.
American Eagles (0-1, 7-6)
The Eagles split their last two games headed into league play, coming from behind to defeat Delaware and falling to Missouri. Against the Fightin’ Blue Hens, American allowed Delaware to jump out to a quick lead and keep it for all of the first half, leading by five points headed into the break. But the visitors came back thanks to an 11-0 run in the middle of the second half. After Delaware threatened again, the Eagles once again went on a quick run to put some immediate distance between the two teams, securing the 64-58 win. Andre Ingram scored 13 of his team-high 20 points in the first half, while Patrick Okpwae and Matej Cresnik combined to score 23 points in the second stanza to help the Eagle eek out a victory. Delaware’s downfall in this game can be attributed to its reliance on the three-pointer, as the team attempted exactly half (29) of its shots from beyond the arc, yet only connected on nine of them.
American then went into league play on a down note after falling to Missouri, 64-51. The first half saw the Eagle hang tough with the Tigers for most of the first 20 minutes, before an 11-0 run in the final 2:11 of the period gave Mizzou a more comfortable lead. The lead ballooned to as much as 16 in the second half, but American kept to their game plan and cut the lead to six on two occasions, the last coming at the 8:39 mark. Ingram once again had a strong first half for the Eagles, scoring 13 of his 19 points before halftime, while Linas Lekavicius had a solid outing with 11 points and seven rebounds. The problem, however, continued to be the Eagle bench, which was outscored by its Tiger counterparts 26-6. The lack of bench production may be the reason why Ingram, who played all 40 minutes in order to provide offense, continues to taper off near the end of the game.
Against Lehigh, Ingram led all scorers with 19 points and Raimondas Petrauskas added 11 off the bench, but in the end it was still not enough to overcome Joe Knight and the Mountain Hawks, falling 56-53. Neither team shot the ball particularly well in either half, but Lehigh’s slightly higher percentage was almost counteracted by American’s ability to get to the free throw line. The Eagles went 17-of-21 from the charity stripe, while Lehigh only hit 8-of-17 free throw attempts. Despite the proficiency from the line, American was unable to shake off the Mountain Hawks and eventually Lehigh’s ability to hang around gave them the victory. American also had a big advantage on the boards against Lehigh (43-26), but that may have come because the Eagles hit only one field goal in the final 7:43 of the game, which eventually led to American’s downfall.
American finished up its non-league schedule for the season on Monday evening, defeating Yale, 69-65. The Eagles stormed out of the gate, building up a 22-point halftime lead, but saw the Bulldogs storm back to almost take the game. But American hit its free throws down the stretch and made some key shots to take the victory. The Eagles hope to keep their momentum going when they travel to Navy on Wednesday for their second league game. On Saturday, American comes back home to welcome Lafayette to Bender Arena in another league contest.
Navy Midshipmen (0-1, 4-9)
The Midshipmen continue to fall in the wrong direction after a pair of losses last week, first to Air Force and then to Lafayette. Against Air Force on Monday, Navy shot an even 50 percent from the field and still found itself outscored by 23 points, losing 69-46. Despite the good shooting, Navy apparently forgot to play defense, allowing Air Force to shoot 69 percent in the second half and 60 percent overall. With the solid shooting, the Falcons were able to slow down the pace and allowed Navy only 34 shots, a season low. The team went into the contest without Matt Fannin and reserve Kelvin Boatner because they both violated an unspecified team rule, but senior George O’Garro contributed 12 points and a team-high five rebounds in his largest role of the season. Laramie Mergerson once again led the team in points, scoring 13 for the game.
Against Lafayette, Navy made more field goals and three-pointers than the Leopards, but the free-throw line was very unkind for the Middies in their league-opening loss, 90-80. Navy was dominated physically by Lafayette, being out-rebounded by 10 and allowing the Leopards to attempt 44 free throws. The home team made 36 of those attempts from the charity stripe, while in comparison Navy only had 23 free-throw attempts for the entire game – less than Lafayette connected on in the second half. Despite the large disparity, Navy stayed with Lafayette and held its last lead with 12:14 left. The Midshipmen, however, lost their scoring touch from the field as the clock wound down. Freshman Greg Sprink exhibited his improved play once again, scoring a game-high 22 points in only 24 minutes of play, but he and the Middies could not possibly keep up with all the Lafayette points being scored at the free throw line.
Army Black Knights (0-1, 2-11)
The only team that could keep Navy from the cellar of the Patriot League is the Army Black Knights, who lost all three of their games last week to extend their losing streak to five games. In the team’s first game against Cornell, forward Luke Slater didn’t miss a shot all night from either the field or the line on the way to a team-high 15 points, but the team couldn’t get off enough shots on the offensive end on the way to a 58-51 loss. Despite having a higher shooting percentage than the Big Red, Army attempted 13 fewer shots than Cornell and couldn’t hold its first-half lead. The Black Knights hit only three field goals in the final 10 minutes of the game as Cornell took the lead and held off Army down the stretch. Jimmy Sewell was the only other Army player in double figures with 10 points.
Army went up against another Ivy League team on Tuesday and let a close game slip away in the second half, losing to Columbia by a score of 75-59. Army led the game for only 1:38 as the Lions broke open a one-point game with an 11-0 run spanning the halftime break, and the lead never shrunk below eight points for the remainder of the game. After a good first half that saw Army shoot 50 percent from the field, the team hit only 11-of-29 shots in the second half as Columbia finally began to pull away from the hapless Black Knights. Columbia also had a big advantage over Army on the boards, out-rebounding the home team by 16, forcing Army to rely on guards Matt Bell and Travis Owsley, who combined for 23 points in the loss.
After sweeping the season series with Colgate last season, Army could not rekindle the magic on Cotterell Court on Saturday, falling to Colgate, 60-56. The Black Knight bench scored 32 points – eight more than the team’s five starters – but it was not enough to overcome a balanced Raider attack. Colgate held an 11-point lead with 15:01 left in the second half, but a Colin Harris jumper dwindled the lead down to one with five minutes left in the game. Unfortunately for the Black Knights, however, they were unable to regain the lead after hitting only one field goal over the game’s final five minutes. Army’s defense also bewildered Colgate for much of the second half as well, keeping Colgate to just two field goals over the final 7:53, but Army was unable to fully capitalize on its solid defense.
Lost chances have been a constant theme for Army this season. The team has two more chances – although they are small ones – to win its first Division I game of the season on Wednesday and Saturday, when the Black Knights face off with Holy Cross and Bucknell, respectively.
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