Disappointing loss rounds out Legends Classic

Well, it was certainly a disappointing result today at Calihan Hall.  Of all the games this season,  I really thought we had a shot at winning this one when we carried the lead into the second half.  It was certainly our most complete effort of the season (we even made some shots), and it would have been great to see the guys get rewarded with a victory.  As it was, it was another defeat.

I did think we played well, and I don't think the season is without hope.  But, it would have been nice to get that one.

There were a couple key points.  The most important was when an intentional foul was called on Cam Black for swinging his elbows on a rebound.  It was controversial.  I didn't look to me like he was throwing any elbows, but it was in the middle of a bunch of guys.  Coach said he didn't think it warranted it, but that it is a point of emphasis for the officials this year, and they called it, and watched replays before confirming the call.

Anyway, BG was up 4 when it happened, and after they nailed the FTs they had the ball and got a layup and the game was tied for the first time in about five minutes, and I just think it put Albany back in the game.

The other key possession was the last one.  Albany kept BG in the game by having a dreadful night at the line, culminating in missing the front end of 1-1s twice in the last minute.  The second time BG was down by 1 point and Jakubowski got the rebound and BG had about 11 seconds to get a shot.  At this point, a basket of any kind wins the game.

As it happened, BG moved the ball around the perimeter and then Dee Brown took a very long 3 and missed everything, and Albany had the win.  We didn't have a time out, so we were running off instinct.  It just seemed like we didn't try very hard to get the ball inside, and it looked like we thought we needed a 3.  Now, maybe that isn't true, but however you look at it, we had a shot to win and did not get off a high percentage shot.

Let's take a closer look.  First, the game flow.  As you can see, we avoided falling into a hole in the first few minutes and battled Albany pretty close the whole way.  They had an 8-point lead late in the first half but BG roared back and ended up just down 1.  As you can see, the second half was close the entire way.

College Basketball Stats

Now, looking at the stats, this is a lot more of what BG looks for.

First the game ended in the 50s.

In a related story, Albany shot 34% from the field and 24% on the 3-pointers.  They were a 3-point heavy team, and Coach specifically mentioned our ability to guard the perimeter in the 2-3 zone as a key to the game.

BG actually shot better than normal, 43% from the field and 57% on 2FG.  We shot 19% on 3s, continuing a season-long trend.

It was a 61 possession game with both teams getting about .9 points per possession which again is something that gives us a shot at winning.

Albany hit only 4-11 free throws, keeping us in the game.  Of course, we shot 5-10.  We only committed 14 fouls against the 27 that we had against Detroit.

What eventually cost us the game was rebounding. As you can see in the chart below, Albany got way too many offensive boards, giving them second chances when our defense forced them to miss, and in a game that ended up on a knife's edge, that was the key difference.

The other, of course, was that while BG had one more FG, Albany had 4 more 3s.

NCAA Basketball Stats

Individually, Cam Black had a double-double.  He looks like a good player.  He didn't lose his composure after the foul call and he is getting tougher on the inside.  He is still a little inconsistent but he is also a freshman.  I assure you of this.  We have not had a C like this before.

Scott Thomas had 13 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in another very complete performance.  Dee Brown added 12.

If you tried to chart playing minutes for our guys, you would find some wild variations.  Jakubowski only played a little against Niagara, but tonight he got most of the minutes and Crawford didn't play very much.  I am only assuming that we are trying to find some kind of mix and combination that works for us.

Coach said after the game that we played better each night in Detroit, and I think that was true.  He says we will get there.  I hope that's true.  Luke Kraus was getting a lot of minutes, and today he played 3 and Erger got 9.

Anyway, here's to assuming there is a rhyme and reason to all that.  We have a pretty tough assignment next Saturday, but we do get to come back with some winnable games.  I think it would do this team wonders to get a win and some confidence, because it has been pretty discouraging to date.