Another nice Falcon Win
Falcons beat what appears to be a decent Bradley team in Anderson Arena today, cruising to a 16 point victory, with second half leads much higher than that in the second half.
A very good defensive effort by BG, which appears to be the team's hallmark. Just as Cedric Banks of UIC was completely shut down (no FG's), Marcellus Sommerville, who was averaging in the mid-20's was held to 11 points and only 1 FG on seven shots. Where UIC went 0-15 from beyond the arc, BG held Bradley to 1-11. And, with 7'0 C Patrick O'Bryant underneath, Bradley wasn't able to capitalize on BG overplaying the perimeter.
Bradley shot only 38.5% in the first half, and 43.8% for the game. That tells the whole story from their side. A stifling, hustling, surprisingly deep Falcon team just shut then down. Their leading scoring was a guy off the bench.
BG had contributions from a number of guys.
*Josh Almanson continued All-MAC caliber play with 22 points and six boards in the post, even after getting stuffed by O'Bryant early. Josh mixes 3 trey's into the mix.
*John "the Human Scab" Floyd flopped, dove, and scrapped his way into the heart of Falcon fans. This guy will be a fan favorite. He is a solid ball handler, breaks pressure, and had 8 assists in the game.
*Floyd's emergence has allowed Stephen Wright to play 2, and he is more suited to that. 16 points on 7-11 shooting, and a big contribution during a key run I will cover in a minute.
*And don't forget Reimold, who had 19 points, 3-6 from beyond the arc, 9 boards and a block, and lots of hustle and strong play.
*Fitch contributed 22 strong minutes...steady, handling the ball, playing D. Classic unselfish role player. Austin Montgomery threw in 12 solid minutes, and Cory Eyink had 8 points in 18 minutes. He is playing with a great deal of energy this season.
The team is doing well. Its a lot more fun to watch.
Here was the key sequence. We're up 10 early in the second half, but Bradley chips it to 4 with Sommerville's only FG of the night. Their bench is up, and they can feel the momentum coming on. From here...
17:24 Stephen Wright drills a 3. BG Up 7.
16:36 Stephen Wright gets a steal and a layup and BG up 9.
Bradley then chips it back to 5. Again, a run could be coming on.
15:07 Stephen Wright Lay up BG Up 7.
14:57 Coach Les gets T'd. Reimold hits both, and BG up 9.
14:30 Stephen Wright old school 3 point play, BG up 12.
The game never got closer than 12 again. After a quiet first half, Stephen Wright took over the game at a key point. From the 44-39 score, BG goes on a 21-6 run, and its all over.
A fine effort for a 2-1 club. Tough assignment at Detroit next Saturday, but its a one game at a time proposition. If we can pull it off, its another sign this thing is happening. If we don't, its not the end of the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment