This game was without a doubt the most impressive win of the season to date. In some of the darkest moments our players shine bright and play a tough game, full of hustle and heart, and come together to beat a team that was taller, stronger, and had more starpower. This may be the win we needed to kickstart a big run in the SoCon. There is still a ways to go, but the team keeps getting better.
Of course when I say darkest moments I reference the fact that QJ earlier this week decided to leave the school indefinitely on a "medical furlough", as reported by VMIKeydets.com. Initially I heard through word of mouth that he had simply thrown in the towel and left the Corps for good, but there's more to it than that. QJ is dealing with some personal problems and we can only hope he uses this time off to get his mind right. Although I thought the flow of the game was better without him, I feel bad for QJ and would like to see him return to the school, if only to finish his education. He desperately wants to win, but simply hasn't thrived in this offense.
But as for the cadets who did play, it was an outstanding effort. Leading the way was Fred Iruafemi, who had the best game of his college career: 16 points on 8 of 12 shooting, 9 rebounds, 3 assist, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. The guy was just everywhere. He also made three consecutive shots, two beautiful jumpshots from fifteen feet, and another layup which gave us the lead for good at 70-68. Game ball goes to the freshman.
Trey also had a quiet 16, hitting two three's and eight FTs. He also had six boards and five steals, a common trend against an ETSU team that turned the ball over 25 times thanks to relentless backcourt trapping and pressure defense. The other double-figure scorers were Brian (15 points and 4 of 9 from distance), and Phil, who netted 10 plus 7 rebounds and four blocks. He could've had more if he were worth anything at the free throw line, which seems to be his only Achilles' heel this season. There are other things he needs to work on but his defensive and rebounding prowess were crucial.
Tim Marshall once again struggled from the field, going 0 of 8 from three-point range and 0 of 9 overall. It should be noted that he finished with 6 points, going 6 of 7 from the line...clearly most of his teammates need work in this area. As a team we shot 22-37 (<60%) from the charity stripe which was the only thing preventing us from running the Bucs out of the gym.
Speaking of the Bucs, notice what happened to Jalen Riley? Last time against us he went off for 32 points on 11 of 17 shooting. This time? Try 13 points on 3 of 8 shooting, and he fouled out late in the second half. We completely took him out of the game and in doing so neutralized Wilson and Harris. Rembert scored 19 but needed as many shots to do it.
There are still things that must be fixed. Eleby was an 0-fer from the floor but did haul in five boards and made FTs when he had to. Weethee was a disappointment and has been much of the season, playing only 7 minutes today and shooting 0-1, blowing a layup midway in the second half. Craig shot poorly from the field but managed to hit a pair of treys. Burton had five and brought hustle as always but needs to stop taking stupid personal fouls. Jarid had 4 plus two blocks and a steal. Still there is room for improvement but overall I like where we are headed. We outrebounded the Bucs 55-48 despite being much smaller and had 4 more points in the paint, the first time we have outdone a DI team in that category all season.
We'll see what happens with QJ. Hopefully he comes together and can make some contributions later on. For now a five-day break looms before a road date with Chattanooga, who by the way beat Samford by just six. They do have a top-105 RPI so it will be no piece of cake, but certainly a chance to prove our worth in the Southern Conference. Until then, we can bask in the glory of victory.
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