Well for the second consecutive Saturday, the Keydets get a full-fledged team effort, force the tempo, create turnovers, rush shuts, and win the inside to defeat El Cid for the second time this year. The platoon system was in full effect and it seemed to me like the Eleby/Brown/Chap/Tim/Weethee squad was the most effective. That group combined for 58 points, and we had a fatigued 11-player Bulldog team on the run the entire game.
Julian Eleby was arguably the man of the match with 15 points, ten coming off free throws late when it mattered most in a game plagued by a Cameron Hall-record sixty foul calls.. Again we get completely balanced scoring so there really wasn't a guy that stood out. Phil returned to his shooting ways, going 3 of 4 from the field for 8 points, 5 rejections (passing Tim Allmond for fourth all-time in school history), and 6 boards. BB had 12 points and three steals, though he did turn the ball over four times, forgivable for our makeshift-makeshift-point guard.
Jordan returned from a couple of abysmal performances but still needs some fine-tuning. He had 10 on 3 of 6 shooting (2 of 3 from three), but missed a couple of makeable layups which further decreased the spread. His post play still isn't where we need it to be. Trey, who had a terrible game against Chattanooga (0 points and six turnovers) rebounded for an 11-point performance and played some good defense. Marshall came back and had 15 on 4 of 8 shooting. Solid performances all around and great shooting too: 43% from the field, our best since the Furman game. Free throw shooting still sub-par, but much of that comes from the hapless Phil who still cannot get in the right mental state to hit freebies. He was 2 of 7 today and now under 39% on the year. But excluding him we shot 69% on FTs. Below average, yes, but there's still room for improvement. Need to devote more time for those in practice.
Key stat of the game: actually, there were two. First, we forced El Cid into 21 turnovers which resulted in 25 points. You could tell they didn't have the athletes to keep up with our traps and double-teams in the corner. Second, we shot 36% from behind the arc, our best percentage since, once again, the Furman game. Citadel, by comparison, hit only 6 of 20 shots from distance. That's twelve points right there they don't get.
The one disappointing stat was the rebounding. We were outrebounded 42-32, and gave up 16 on the offensive glass which gave the Dawgs 16 second-chance points. And their FT shooting kept them in the game, too: 27 of 35. And only nine assists is a bit depressing. But, we forced 15 steals and swatted six shots which is what we needed.
One down, four to go. A date with Western Carolina, who lost by six to a 2-8 Samford team, looms on Thursday. I like our chances but looking at the big picture we really need to sweep this homestand if the Keydets want to secure a tournament bye. Despite being 4-6 in the league we stand firmly in sixth place, right at the cutoff. Can we beat WCU? Sure. Can we beat Furman? Sure. Can we beat Wofford, or UNCG? Sure. Can we beat all four of these teams? I don't know. Even so, there are still two road games after that and a rematch against Chattanooga. 7-1 over the last eight seems necessary. 5-3 seems realistic. 4-4 is not acceptable. But it's one game at a time. For now, we celebrate.
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