It might not seem like it, but gutting out that win was pretty huge last night. BG was 12-6 last year in conference play and finished third...you start out 0-2 and both losses at home and that you need to go 12-4 from there on out needing five road wins to get 12 wins...not that it can't be done or can't happen, but you don't want to be there.
Alas, down 14 it seemed pretty certain. Credit to BG for digging down and gutting it out. That's what you need to do. They got the game close, played tough down the stretch and got the W...and in this case winning mattered.
Having said that, you're not going to win a championship like that. First, the Kent loss was not a championship performance on any level, and you'd like to get to the point where maybe you have the 14 point lead over a team like Miami on your home floor.
Suffice it to say that the start has been far from what we hoped for.
Now, I think there are some positives and provided that you finish in the top 4 you're starting a new season at the Q...so there's time.
Obviously, the biggest positive is that Justin Turner has yet to return to form, meaning this team can get back to being what they were meant to be. He played 36 minutes last night...and finished with 16 on 5 of 11 2FG and 0-3 3FG. He made all 6 of his FTs and added 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Nothing wrong with that, but he can make an even larger impact than that, and when he does I think everyone else's role comes together.
This is especially important on defense. BG's defense over the first two games is 10th in the MAC. We're not going to consistently outscore defense that poor. BG has struggled to contain dribble drives and Turner is key to that. Caleb Fields is good but anyone would need help---that's how man-man defenses are designed. BG held Miami to 33% on shooting 2FGs, which sounds like a good start.
Another positive was Tayler Mattos, who had a really nice game and a first career double-double. I have felt like he has looked pretty decent for a guy getting his first serious D1 minutes and his continued growth as a scorer and rebounder would be really important.
Dylan Frye remains key. Even with a healthy Turner, Frye is needed to take advantage of defenses keying on JT. He was over 20 points last night for the first time since Dartmouth and shot 50% overall, so he was efficient.
Coach played last night's game like it was important. The rotation was very short...off the bench, Laster played only 14 minutes and Sierra played 12. No one else played more than 10...Diggs played 4.
So, a win was needed and earned. A long road rests ahead. BG has a winnable road game on Saturday at Ohio.
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