MBB: Little East

Started by diiih00ps, January 25, 2005, 12:37:34 AM

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7express

Keene 84-68
I'll take Boston in an upset over RIC 73-68.

7express

Keened edges USM 74-67.
Tom Doyle lead the Owls with 19 points and Nate Howard added 12 points and 10 rebounds.  Jacob Littlefield lead the Huskies with a game high 24 while Cole Libby pulled down a game high 17 rebounds.  Both teams are off until after Christmas; USM goes down to Washington, DC to play Guilford a team from the ODAC out of Greensboro, NC on Monday, December 29; Owls have a home date set with Magicman's Plattsburgh State Cardinals on New Years Eve, December 31.

RIC clubs Boston 89-63.
Eric Alleyne lead the Anchormen with a game high 21 points while Chris Burton added 19; Karl Agenor lead the Beacons with 13.  The Anchormen turned a close game at halftime (1 point Beacons lead) into a rout by outscoring the Beacons 51-24 over the final 20 minutes.  Both teams are off until 2015; RIC has almost a month break as they don't return to action until January 8 vs. Tufts while the Beacons return January 6 vs. Framingham State.

43-16 LEC; 45-20 me.

Standings:
1) Keene 2-0 (8-0)
1) Western 1-0 (7-0)
1) Eastern 1-0 (8-1)
1) Dartmouth 1-0 (5-4)
5) RIC 1-1 (8-3)
6) Boston 0-2 (7-3)
6) USM 0-2 (3-5)
6) Plymouth 0-1 (3-6)

Schedule:

Saturday, January 3:
Plymouth @ Eastern 3 PM

Thursday, January 8:
Western @ Dartmouth 7:30 PM

Next game up:
Western @ Albertus.  The final game before Christmas, and it's a good one!

AllStar

#2942
Keene State's game against Southern Maine was not exactly a great showing for the Owls.  KSC led the whole game but had a chance to bury Southern Maine early on when they led 27-12.  They did not and let the Huskies back into the game several times before getting the win.  The Owls' 39% shooting was its worst so far this season, as was being outrebounded by USM 46-41.  The inability to make shots and put the Huskies away allowed USM to play their slow-down pace and keep it a game for 40 minutes.  Keene will need to play much better moving forward in the season (after the holiday break).

Sure is a big game between Western and Albertus, 7.  You would think a high-scoring game, wouldn't you?  It would be great if Western could give themselves and the conference a good boost with a good out-of-conference win heading into the break.

7express

Yah.  I'm seeing a game in the 80's or probably even 90's with possibilities of triple digits.  2 teams that like to run, love to shoot, and have no "D" whatsoever in their names equals a lot of points on the board.  Hopefully the scoreboard operator is ready.  I'm pretty busy tomorrow, but hope I'll be able to make it to New Haven for this game.

AllStar

Monday's game (last one until after Christmas when USM plays Guilford on the 29th)

Western Connecticut at No. 13 Albertus Magnus
Very good game to close out the first semester schedule for both teams, as well as the conference.  Western Connecticut (7-0) travels to New Haven to take on No. 13 Albertus Magnus (7-1) in a game that's sure to see points going on the board fast and furious.  The Colonials enter this contest off a 95-52 demolition of hapless Worcester State last Thursday.  Western held a massive 59-25 lead at halftime and led by as many as 45 in the second half.  Kendall Marquez came off the bench to score a team-leading 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor (6-of-8 from three).  Tony Seldon scored 16.  The Colonials shot 54% against the overmatched Lancers and made 12-of-25 threes.  Worcester posted ugly numbers across the board, as they shot just 29% from the floor, did not make a three (0-11) and committed 28 turnovers.  Western Connecticut has scored 81 or more points in 6 of 7 games.  The only time they scored less was in a 74-68 win at Framingham State.  13th-ranked Albertus Magnus brings a 7-1 record into this game, with their lone loss coming 84-75 at a now top ten team in Richard Stockton.  The Falcons have scored at least 86 points in each of their 7 wins this season, including their most recent 88-82 home victory over New Jersey City.  Eian Davis led with 23 points as Albertus Magnus had to come back from eight down early in the second half to beat the Gothic Knights.  Tavon Sledge added 20.  The Falcons as a team got to the line an absurd 40 times, making 31.  Defense would not be considered a strength for Albertus Magnus, as they have given up more than 80 points to the opponent in every game this season.  Overall, the Falcons have scored an average of 96 points per game this season, while allowing 84.  Western Connecticut has scored an average of 90 points per game, while giving up 70.  Albertus Magnus has won 44 straight games at home, the longest home winning streak in NCAA Men's Basketball at any level.   It appears their last home loss was December 6, 2011, 95-93 against Medgar Evers.  The last meeting between these two teams was in 2012-13, an 85-79 win for Albertus Magnus in Danbury (although that Western team went just 5-21).  The last meeting in New Haven came in 2011-12, a 107-88 win for the Falcons.

7express

My heart says Western but my head says Albertus.  I apparently already won the winners pool with my last minute selection of Western Connecticut, but would really like to go into 2015 with an 8-0 record and 2 excellent non-conference wins (Plattsburgh & Albertus) assuming they don't totally implode in LEC very well could be enough for them to make up for the rest of the brutal and horrific non conference schedule and get them into the NCAAs.  The Colonials with DaQuan Brooks got run out of this building 3 years ago (I think they started the game down like 18-2 or 22-2) and got run over by 20+ points.  This Western team doesn't have anybody close to the talent level Brooks had, but the some of the parts (the rest of the team) maybe better, and this could be an all-around better team than those Brooks team.  Brooks was talented no doubt, but you talk to the other coaches and you'd probably get an answer somewhere along the lines of "We'll let Brooks get his 30 points, hopefully it's not much more than 30, but make someone else on that team beat us at the end" and for the most part that's what happened as Mark Redding, Mike Jensen (when he was playing), Ryan Pelletier, Mike Kennedy (the 1 year he played) and Gary Robinson were inconsistent and in some games (most notably against Eastern & RIC) Brooks would be the only player in double figures!  If you put up this years squad against the 2011/12 Colonials (Brooks senior year and had we not gotten completely screwed by the Maine zebras up @ USM would've clinched the #1 seed in the LEC tournament and likely won it since IIRC they were undefeated at home that year) I think that 11/12 team would win the game by double figures, because they had the best individual player on the court, but play a 5, 7, 9, game series I say this years team probably ends up winning the series because they are all around better.  I.e. look at the NBA with the Spurs.  The Heat last year had the better player which won them 1 game, but the Spurs have overall a better team which won them the series.  Kendall Marquez, Bobby Bynum, Jerry Washington, Tre'von Perry aren't individually better than Brooks was, but put them on a team together where all 4 can get you 15+ points, and that's better than 1 player getting 35 and the other 3 combined going for 15.  As I said, this game will be high scoring and the scoreboard operator better be ready.  Teams will be running, and putting up points like they're going out of style!  Albertus is 2nd in division 3 (5th in all 3 NCAA divisions) in scoring offense (96.9 ppg), while Western is 9th (20th in all 3 divisions) in scoring offense (90.9 ppg).  Both teams are not very good on the defensive end of things however: The Falcons come in a dismal 393 out of 410 qualifying teams in opponents points per game with 84.4; the Colonials aren't much better as they come in tied at 220 in opponents points per game with 70.3.   The Falcons are slightly better on the glass as they average 43.7 rebounds per game (opponents average 44.4 per game for a negative .7 rebounding margin), while the Colonials average 36.3 rebounds per game with the opponents coming down with 39.4 a game for a negative 3.1 rebounding margin).  This game could come down to how successful the Colonials are shooting the 3 ball, because the 3 ball is the best equalizer in a game.  The Colonials are averaging 7.7 made a game (good for a tie for 84th), however they are successful on 40% of those 3 point attempts (tied for 42nd), despite hovering around the division 3 average in 3 point field goals attempted (135 good for a tie for 213) so when they shoot them, they often make them.  Compare that with the Falcons who are not much better in 3 point field goals attempted (tie for #198 with 140) but they only connect on 34.3% of those 3 pointers compared to Western's  40%).  The Colonials are also 4th in the NCAA in scoring margin, outscoring the opposition by 20.6 points per game (however that helps playing a cupcake laden schedule too), whereabouts the Falcons despite being 2nd behind Grinnell in scoring offense, are only 48th in scoring margin (+12.5) because they give up 80+ points on the defensive end.  Like AllStar I would definitely picked Western if this was at home, unlike AllStar I'll still back the Colonials.  Falcons haven't lost at home in over 3 years, all streaks are meant to be broken!  Western take this 104-96

WPI89

Good luck tonight Little East.  Wish the game was in Danbury - I am not trekking down to New Haven.  Look forward to the full report on this board.

First team to 90 wins?

7express

There could be 90 with 10 minutes left................................in the first half!


All kidding aside, I might go a bit safer and say first to 95 or even 100 wins, but 90 is a good estimate.  3 of the last 4 meetings the winner has finished with 103+ points and in 2 of those games the loser finished in the high 90's (96 & 99).

7express

Western up 57-56 halftime.  Officials are a complete joke every starter both sides 2 fouls.

AllStar

Quote from: 7express on December 15, 2014, 08:08:55 PM
Western up 57-56 halftime.  Officials are a complete joke every starter both sides 2 fouls.

Sure isn't new to see officials over their head in a big game!

magicman

Western hung with Albertus for a half and a little longer. Final score 110-92 in favor of Albertus.

7express

Quote from: magicman on December 15, 2014, 09:25:50 PM
Western hung with Albertus for a half and a little longer. Final score 110-92 in favor of Albertus.

An absolute travesty officiating wise.  Same as in Keene/Western in 2012 this was a game that was big, was goin to be played at a very fast tempo and the officials were absolutely not in control.  Why does CT have God awful officiating??  Gotta be the worst state for officials in basketball!  Both teams have plenty of people from the city, I wish in games like this the officials would take a look at the roster and say "this is gonna be like a game at the city park, and we'll just let them play."  Instead these clowns call hand checks 60 feet from the basket and let guys get mugged underneath.  No consistency at all and that's what's frusterating.

lildave678

#2952
I'll post this on both boards as I'll have some commentary about squads...

In General:
Very entertaining game. Had the pleasure of watching the first half with 7 before finishing the game with a former soccer teammate. While the refs absolutely did over-call (is that a word?) the game I'm not sure they had much of a choice. Unless you had the cream of the crop as far as New England officials where they get most everything right, in a game with so much pace and energy they had to keep it under control. Was every call correct? Far from it, but they consistently had their mark on the game. If they really LET them play like we would have liked, who knows what might have happened in terms of emotions. I'll start with my Falcons...

Albertus:
Tale of two halves comes down to Big Vic being in the game the whole 2nd half. While Western missed some shots in the 2nd half, him protecting the rim altered more shots than anyone in the gym can count. Only giving up 35 in the 2nd half was awesome to see and I hope they have more defensive halves/games like that.

On the stat sheet Vic dominated with another 30 point 15 board performance (31 points to be exact). Had 8 more blocks as well. As long as he's on the court, Albertus is as good as anyone. Sledge had 25 and controlled most of the game. Looked like he was battling cramps or shin splints but gutted it out and was the go to guy down the stretch. This was my first time seeing him live and it was like de ja vu from when I first saw Eian. Not sure who wins in a race between the two but from one end to the other Sledge consistently was a one man press breaker, going base line to base line like no one was there. The rest of the cast was there usual supportive selves - Lemar with another double double, Jennings added 16 with only 2 trey's and we won by 18 without much from Eian. He only played 15 minutes in the game due to foul trouble and sitting for an extended period of time after he was apart of a double tech.

On the surface I'm surprised Mitch played so many guys in the first half as it seemed like he was starting to shorten his bench as the season grew on but I guess he didn't have much choice with all the fouls. What was a huge surprise, and I think other Falcon fans will agree, was the play of Freshman big Marshall James. He came in once Vic got his 2nd and contributed 8 points and looked like he belonged. Had a nice touch around the rim with 2 reverse layups and knocked down two baseline jumpers. I like that he had the confidence to take and make the shots. If he can keep getting some meaningful minutes he can easily be the safety net for some Big Vic foul trouble.

It's taken me until game 9 to realize Tieron Jackson isn't on the team. Reason I noticed this was it was literally Tavon or Eian bringing the ball up. While that's fine as normally at least 1 is in the game, if there's ever a combination of bad events (an injury and foul trouble, both foul trouble, etc) I'm not sure who comes off the bench to handle the ball. I imagine Julian could do so, but obviously he's not a true point.

Western:
Athletic team that kept pace until the very end. As 7 said in his preview, there's no one on the team as talented as Daquan Brooks but there's more to the pie as a whole. While I think in the long run that that's a good thing, I personally think it hurt them in this game. I'd actually like 7's opinion on this, or any other viewer of the game...Midway through the 2nd half when the lead got stretched out to 12-15 it seemed like Western didn't have a go to guy to get a bucket and stop the bleeding. They got some shots to fall here and there to keep the score in that range but to me it seemed like it was every player just taking turns shooting a contested jumper or going into the lane to get stuffed by Vic. There wasn't one player they could clear out, or run a play for and let him get a bucket.

Not much interior presence either. Think 7 said the tallest was 6'5 or 6'6. They held their own in terms of 2nd chance points and generally getting into the paint with penetration but no one could guard Vic, and no offense goes through the post. Against bigger teams and against good perimeter defending teams (which we are not) they will struggle. However, not many bigs are as talent as Vic either.

All in all it was good to see Western competitive again. Good to see these 2 in state teams playing against each other again. Albertus won't see much of a test from here on out besides the rematch(es) with JWU so hopefully they can take a lot from this game. As I have a bunch of friends who are West Conn alum I always root for them when they don't play Albertus. I hope they can take the Little East!

7express

It will work out in the long haul, but they went like 6 minutes without recording a single field goal, which saw them up 3 (69-66), to down 17 (70-87) with 7+ minutes left so by that time was too late to mount much of a charge (closest they got rest of way was 10), so it would've been nice to have Brooks there to stop the bleeding.

7express

Albertus hands Western their first loss 110-92.
Victor Ljuldjuraj had a game high 31 points and a game high 15 rebounds to lead the Falcons who also got 25 points from Tavon Sledge and 12 points & 12 rebounds from Lemar Larsen.  Colonials were lead by Bobby Bynum and Jerry Washington who each had 16.  A Bobby Bynum 3 pointer with 16:42 to play gave Western a 69-66 lead; they wouldn't hit another field goal until Luis Briddter jump shot at 8:12 which made the score 87-72 Albertus.  As said previous, the game was close up until that point was 10 points in the first half which Western overcame relatively quickly, but that 21-1 run in 8:30 minutes for Albertus really took the wind out of the Colonials sails.  They still fought valiantly, and got it to 10 with 4 minutes to play, but against a team as talented as the Falcons are, you can't get down by 17 late in the second and expect to come back and win, no matter how bad the Falcons defense maybe.   Both teams are off until 2015, Western is @ punching bag WNEU on January 3, Albertus takes on GNAC punching bag Rivier on January 6.  The Raiders lost by 49 to probably the worst team in the LEC (Plymouth) and by 13 to USCAA opponent Maine-Augusta, I shudder to think what the Falcons will do to them.  :-X

43-17 LEC; 45-21 me.

Conference is off until the 29th when USM takes on Guilford at Catholic University tournament down in the Nation's capital.  York (PA) vs. the host Cardinals is the other game in the tournament.