Defensive intensity: A. Like in the Stags’ 81-78 loss to Providence, they did an excellent job forcing the opponent’s guards to work hard every posession just to get the ball across the half-court line. They knew that if they let the Hawkeyes settle into their half-court set, things would have gotten ugly. But thanks to a full-court press that caused 20 Iowa turnovers, the Stags were in the game for 39 out of 40 minutes. This intensity, more than anything else, is what has to be constant throughout the season if the Stags are going to win games.
Outside shooting: A. Like all David versus Goliath games, David has to shoot the lights out from behind the arc in order to compete, and that’s precisely what the Stags did. With no real low-post offense, the Stags took 29 threes, and made 18 (41.4 percent). Jonathan Han ’09 hit a career-high four shots from behind the arc in nine attempts. Michael Bell shot 3-8, and Michael Van Schaick shot 3-7, including a Hail Mary from the half-court line as time expired in the first half.
Low post play: N/A. The Stags, once again, had no post presence whatsoever. They were out-scored 30-6 in the paint, and all six points were from guards taking the ball to the hoop. On defense, the Stags had no answer for Greg Brunner, who didn’t miss a shot from the field all night. But they can’t get a bad grade for low post play because they simply didn’t play in the low post. Alvin Carter ’05 took the opening tip-off and played in the paint more than anyone else, but for most of the game, the Stags essentially had five perimiter players on the court. That they had a chance to win the game despite having a non-existent post game on both ends of the floor is remarkable.
Overall: B+/A-. Like the Providence game, they miss out on an A because they lost, and in this case, despite the competitiveness of the game, they lost by 16 points. But considering they faced one of the nation’s best teams in its home building, it would be almost impossible to ask for anything more. The Stags showed an arena full of people, along with a regional television audience, that they can run with the big boys. The big question: will the effort, determination, and quickness that they’ve demonstrated, turn into victories? Tonight against Tulane, we might find out.
Not in the Box Score: Hundreds of family members and friends were in attendance to watch Marshalltown, Iowa native Bell, an all-state selection as a senior at Marshalltown High School. Bell didn’t dissapoint, scoring 11 points and grabbing six rebounds in 33 minutes.
Up next: Tulane (1-3), Hawkeye Challenge consolation game, tonight, 6:45, WVOF 88.5-FM. The Green Wave, which dropped last night’s semi-final game 79-72 to Valparaiso, has been stationed temporarily at Texas A’M, and won’t play its first true home game until the campus re-opens for the spring semester. The Stags won the teams’ only previous match-up 82-80 during the 1969-70 season.
Leave a Reply