Well, one part of the streak ended at Anderson Arena today
Heading into tonight's game, BG had lost 9 straight DI games--the last 8 by more than 10 points. Oh, and those aren't games against the ACC or the Big 10--they are all MAC games, with one game against the Sun Belt.
Well, the D1 losing streak hit 10 games today. But, we did keep the margin under 10...so we got that going for us.
If you read here (and the statistics clearly indicate that you do not), you know that I like Coach Dakich. I hope he brings our program back. But, I also like to say that you cannot hide from the results, and here is a fact...
The game environment in Anderson Arena today was positively morgue-like. The official attendance was 1,100 people. I'd be surprised if that many were there. Granted, Furman is hardly a marquee opponent. However, on a Sunday afternoon with no competition, you'd think you'd at least have some sign of life--2K, 2.5, something.
This is where we are. On a 10-game D1 losing streak in front of 1,100 fans in our own gym.
As for the game, Furman won 63-59. They are 4-1, with three pretty low key wins early in the year. We followed our normal trend...fall behind, and then rally, only to run out of gas in the home stretch.
In the first half, our offense was positively putrid. We shot 34.8%, and scored 20 points. Contributing factors were Dusan playing a full 1o minutes with no points and two turnovers and no other visible contribution, and six minutes from Marc Larson and Brian Guerin with roughly similar lines. Samarco (10 points) and Marschall (7 points on 3-6 FG, and several agonizing misses very close to the rim) had most of the scoring. Lefeld had the rest. We also had 11 turnovers. At the half, we were down 29-20.
The second half was similar for a long time. Eight minutes in, Furman was up 11, wiith BG never getting closer than 5. With 6:52 left, Furman still led by 10. Then, BG began to run. Marschall scored in the paint on consecutive possessions, and then Samarco added 2 FTs and a shot in the lane to get the lead down to 2 with 4:16 left.
With 2:35 a Marschall tip in tied the game. Sadly, that was as far as it would go, as Furman outscored us 5-2 from there on in.
We had our chances. Down 1, Ryne Hamblet got himself in trouble in the lane and threw the ball away. From there on in, we missed shots and FTs, and Furman held us off to win.
Martin Samarco scored 27 on only one trey. This guy is an absolute warrior. He brings it every time down the floor. I love to watch him play. (He had 9 boards, too). Marschall also had 14 points, though he fouled out again. Lefeld had 8, and that right there is 49 of our 59 points.
Optimists say we are young, and that this team will come back and improve. Pessimists are really just waiting to see actual evidence of improvement.
I can only assume that Coach is trying to figure out what kind of combinations he has, but his pattern of PT distribution looks strange to the untrained eye. Guys play one night, and then don't see the court the next day. Dusan gets inexplicable minutes, as does Brian Guerin.
I don't know what this team is going to do, but I am going to need to see evidence of a turnaround before I believe it. In the meantime, the only chance to improve is the next game. Welcome South Alabama for a Thanksgiving weekend intimate gathering this Saturday. They won 23 games last year.
addendum: on the attendance. We were given two tickets from someone standing near the ticket window, but I got a look at the prices. You are going to have attendance problems when you charge $11 for an adult ticket and $9 for a youth ticket (general admission) to watch that.
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