MBB: Centennial Conference

[centfan]

anybody see the gettysburg/ursinus game? the conference is bunched up in the middle, as usual. it seems again, maybe more than usual, that any team can beat any other on a given night. i am interested to see what happens with the f&m/muhlenberg game.

[Gabriel]

Centfan,

I watched the second half of the Ursinus/Gettysburg game on line.  Bears led by 6 (33-27) at the break and were playing well.  The second half can best be described as a pathetic performance by the Bears.  They couldn't do anything right offensively and suddenly forgot how to defend back door cuts.  Made Brooks look like an All American.  Wonderling held Zurn in check most of the game---but he got away for a couple of back door layups at the end (8 points total). The Bears defense was decent until the last quarter when Getty pulled ahead executing their back door Princeton offense.  Getty shot 25-48 (52%) from the field but only because many shots were layups.  The were 0 for 8 from three and only 11 for 22 from the line. 

Ward played only 21 minutes----foul trouble again---while scoring only 9 points.  This seems to be the case every game lately.  Freshman Mark Wonderling was the Bears best player last night.  Derek Brooks played very well for Getty.  A home loss against a team they should have beaten doesn't bode well for their playoff hopes.  A couple of good freshmen but right now but the Bears are not talented enough to be a force.

[centfan]

Thanks Gabriel for the in depth report. Wonderling seems like he loves to play "D"...Guarding Zurn is not easy. 

[diplomatjunkie]

Nail biter tonight with F & M vs. Muhlenberg, but F & M held on.  The first half of the game was kind of surreal, with hardly any fouls called, and F & M had a significant lead.  It started in the second half, M'berg had the game within 3 points.  G. Rob looked angry with the defense in the second half, and the offense went cold for a little while, unable to make any shots.  There was some pressing from M'berg, but M'berg looked a little worse for the wear.  Two players were holding their sides during the play, and one was cramping, my guess from exertion. 

I don't think the box score reflects the game Brewer had tonight.  He made some back door plays, and chased down Killing a big chunk of the evening.   The bigs from M'berg were pushing and shoving all night, glad to see F & M kept their cool.  Hayk took an elbow to the nose, and then was pushed to the floor.  I must have missed something, because the foul was on Hayk, yet his opponent stormed down the court, clearly angry.  Hayk took the man-handling well, with a 25 point game, but his opponent fouled out shortly after. 

I am glad I made the trip to see this game.

[njf1003]

I don't think the box score reflects the game Brewer had tonight.  He made some back door plays, and chased down Killing a big chunk of the evening. 

I was watching the broadcast online, and one of the rare times the ball was in the screen, I saw one of those back door plays and it was just kind of What just happenedish?

Also now
Gyokchyan scoring last 5 games-- 40-4-37-3-25
at least the next one is at winless Washington....
and he's only 3 away from 1,000.

[diplomatjunkie]

Yes, it was.  M'berg left him alone at the 3 point line and he dropped a 3 pointer, in similar manner.  At the end of the game, Brewer gave the signal that he was taking it up the middle, and M'berg had him double teamed. 

[onetinsoldier]

Fun game last night at the Mule barn.  As i thought, any criticism of Hayk "disappearing" is unfair.  If stat sheets told stories, i'd be winning at 90% clips in sports betting.  but as always there are more to the numbers.  The team around Hayk just isnt constructed to allow him to freelance.  Thus he's pigeond holed into a true forward position down low, and good opponents will play zone in an attempt to neutralize him.  Finally last night, when he was needed most, he hit two dagger 3's to ice the game. 

[onetinsoldier]

Now as for the team as a whole, there is a lot to like about this F&M team.  They seem to be well-coached, smart players whose defense is going to cause fits for anyone they face.  It would be unfair for me to compare this team to any of the past four years.  With Milligan, F&M pretty much had the best player on the floor of any game they played the last two season.  And as an athletic point, the game ran through him.  Max has the unenviable task of replacing him, but i like the way he plays.  Good distributor, finds the backdoor cuts well.

[Reserved Seat]

It seems like Killing creates a lot of contact hoping the fouls get called his way.  He's extremely quick with the dribble, and the team creates a lot of picks for him to scoot around.  He's a very talented scorer but seems to exaggerate injuries every time I see him play.

[Reserved Seat]

Disappointing performance by F&M.  The team showed little intensity and little interest.  The Shoremen played like this was the game of the year.
A lot of questionable calls and non-calls went Washington's way, but with more effort from F&M it shouldn't have matter.  Lee looked like the only player intent upon playing aggressively.  F&M dominated the boards 32-20, had a few more turnovers(20-14), and less steals(9-6).  F&M seemed lethargic getting up and down the court.  McShane played well for the Shoremen, and Poarch kept F&M's defense running all over the court.

[diplomatjunkie]

I am sorry to hear your assessment, Reserved Seat.  I missed the game, and was wondering how they lost to a team that hasn't won a game.  How disappointing.

[onetinsoldier]

After reading Saturday's headline, i have to wonder if D3hoops.com is more about the personal grudges of the site's writers than it is about the student athlete.  No headline should read F&M falls to winless team.  It is insulting to Washington College, plain and simple.  If you want to say Winless Washington upsets F&M, sobeit.  Its a big story that deserves to be mentioned on the site's homepage.  But that headline completely discounts the work of the Shoremen.

[Pat Coleman]

Well, unfortunately in this case for F&M fans, F&M is the more recognizable team and the more surprising part of the story. Usually being more recognizable is a positive, just not this time.

Also, just from a layout standpoint, the headline you suggest would be a challenge because Winless and Washington would have to be on separate lines because of the space available. Then I would really want to throw in "College" because there are two "Washington" schools in Division III alone. We're locked in by space and the headline size is fixed, but also, F&M losing is more notable than Washington College getting its first win, with all apologies to Washington College.

[centfan]

I agree that mentioning Washington in the title of the article would have been  better.
I am not sure it is big news though. F&M has lost several out of conference games and has won 5 games in the conference by 5 or less points. They are not a dominant or feared team this year. I think they need more from their several role players. It will be interesting to see what happens as the season moves forward.

[onetinsoldier]

I agree that mentioning Washington in the title of the article would have been  better.
I am not sure it is big news though. F&M has lost several out of conference games and has won 5 games in the conference by 5 or less points. They are not a dominant or feared team this year. I think they need more from their several role players. It will be interesting to see what happens as the season moves forward.

The novelty of a winless team beating a ranked team (deserving or otherwise), is news.  But the novelty has two sides, and it is always better to be positive than negative