MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[Bishopleftiesdad]

OWU beats defiance 77-63.

[woosterbooster]

Today, anyway, Hanover looked like the better team.

Neither Wooster's offense or defense was up to their norm, and Hanover had plenty to do with that.  The Scots got little going inside, either from their post players or on penetration.  Hardly any transition.  Their offense was usually limited to mid-range jumpers or partially-defended threes.  At the other end, their defense wasn't terrible, but not good enough to beat a pretty decent team.

One real bright spot was, at long last, the return of the shooting touch of Alex Lalonde.  Despite being called LaDomme all game by the Hanover announce, he drained 3-4 threes.

Wooster played nine players.  Three of the names were mispronounced.  Three of the four names that could possibly be mispronounced, were.  FANelly.  LaDomme.  Kiper instead of Kipfer.  He finally corrected himself on that one after hearing the P.A. guy say it properly.  Nearly all of people that do these games are lazy as all hell.  If you can't find out how to correctly pronounce the players' names, you don't belong behind the mic.

[Gregory Sager]

Final:  Hanover 70  Wooster 57

Wooster lost this game for several reasons:
-Shot only 39% from the floor
-Had 17 turnovers in the game
-Wooster shot only 4 free throws in the entire game while Hanover shot 32
-Scots did not drive the lane enough and fouled late but the officiating was still very lopsided

Wooster is now 3-1.  Next game is at home vs. Ohio Wesleyan

I'm very surprised by the result of this game, because Hanover's starting PG, senior Tim Bass, recently left the team for unknown reasons. He's been the leading scorer of the Panthers for the past two seasons as well as their primary playmaker.

[smedindy]

Addition by subtraction?

Did Hanover use student announcers?

[Gregory Sager]

Addition by subtraction?

That was my first thought as well, but Hanover went 19-9, 13-5 last season and 18-9, 14-4 the season before ... so, as the leader of those teams, Bass must've been doing something right.

[smedindy]

Right. Though sometimes teams rally for a while due to adversity. And perhaps the confluence of adversity AND "it's Wooster, we gotta give it everything we've got and more" paid off.

I am loathe to think the "Ewing effect" is a real thing, but...

(I also find it funny that Wooster fans complain about home cookin' officials... )

[smedindy]

We forgot to mention Wittenberg blasted Otterbein a few days ago for win #1. So, hooray?

[David Collinge]

Well, the combination of 39% shooting, including 5 for 17 from your go-to guy, and 17 turnovers, and just 4 free throws, is not a winning combination almost regardless of who does or doesn't suit up for the other team.

[woosterbooster]

Did Hanover use student announcers?

No.  The camera was on him during the pregame.  Just one guy, looked to be in his fifties, maybe sixties.

[Pat Coleman]

Same guy has been calling games at Hanover for as long as there have been online broadcasts.

Wooster Booster -- I'm not a big fan of the name-calling and, frankly, abusive language you use in your posts. I'm going to delete more of them if I see them (and I saw the first version of your surviving post before you edited it last night). Larry Duke isn't on the board but that doesn't mean you can call him names.

Not the way you want to start the basketball season.

[sac]

Same guy has been calling games at Hanover for as long as there have been online broadcasts.

Wooster Booster -- I'm not a big fan of the name-calling and, frankly, abusive language you use in your posts. I'm going to delete more of them if I see them (and I saw the first version of your surviving post before you edited it last night). Larry Duke isn't on the board but that doesn't mean you can call him names.

Not the way you want to start the basketball season.

Good thing the audio and video were working.

[Bishopleftiesdad]

NCAC has 3 teams in the D3 Hoops top 25 poll:
http://www.d3hoops.com/top25/index
10. Wooster
14. Ohio Wesleyan
18. Depauw

[David Collinge]

Halftime: OWU 43, Wooster 37. Wooster already has 10 turnovers leading to 14 OWU points, and the Bishops are +15 from the arc (6 of 15/40% vs. just 1 of 8 for Wooster.) The battle of the POY candidates is tilting toward Claude Gray, who has 15 points and is 3 of 3 from the arc. Xavier Brown has 11 but also 2 fouls.

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All OWU early in the second. 67-46, 14:10. OWU overall shooting 57% and 52% from the arc. On fire.

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Lead was as high as 26 with 12:15 left. Wooster is now trying to get back in the game, down 76-58 with 10:13 to go. Can they maintain the comeback?

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Scots on a 20-4 run, down 78-68, timeout OWU with 8:16 left. I imaging Timken is rockin'.

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OWU seems to have stabilized, as the lead has drifted between 8 and 11 for the last several minutes. Now 85-75, 5:09 left.

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aaaaaaaaaaand, it's 89-82 with 2:10 left, and there's been 2:10 left for a very long time. Probably Live Stats has become Dead Stats. Maybe I've missed a miracle, but I kinda doubt it.

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Then again....switched to radio, and I find it is 89-87 with 30-some-odd seconds left, OWU ball.

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Gray hits two FTs, 91-87. Gray has 33.
Spencer Williams gets fouled, with shoot the bonus. 0:22. Hits one, hits both. 91-89.
Bishops beat the press, Orr fouled with 0:15 and will attempts his first two free throws. Missed the first...it's a one-possession game. Made the second, 92-89.
Pannell misses a 3, Gray rebounds and OWU survives 92-89.

[smedindy]

Wooster overrated? OWU underrated?

[sigma one]

In Springfield, the final:  Wabash 52, Wittenberg 50.  Regardless of Witt's slow start this year, a good win for Wabash on the road in the NCAC.