Today: Mar 29, 2024

Mens basketball suffers a winless week

Morgan Douglas Sports Editor

The woes continue for men’s basketball, losing all three of their games last week and falling to 6-14 with only five games remaining in the regular season. 

The Owls allowed at least 70 points in all three games this week while failing to score more than 62. 

“It’s very frustrating,” forward Jamaal Waters, a freshman, said. “We’ve been in a little slump this year, but we still have more games left. So, we just have to stay positive and try to fight back.” 

With just a handful of games remaining, however, and being winless on the road this season during a four-game road trip at a crucial time, a lot is going to need to break the Owls way if they are to make any noise come tournament time. 

Last Tuesday’s 70-62 loss to Bentley University Falcons was the closest of the three games last week, with the real lopsided result coming last Thursday against the Pace University Setters, getting blown out 77-50. 

“We just got to be tougher,” guard Lyron Bennett, a sophomore, said. “They came out they just really just dogged us. Punched us in the mouth early and they just kept the intensity and we just backed down. We folded, but we got a long road trip coming up, so hopefully, we just got to bounce back and just have a short-term memory.” 

While several things on both sides of the ball can be attributed to the Owls’ recent struggles, the team’s lack of three-point field goal efficiency is the most jarring. 

Over the three games last week, the Owls shot a combined for an abysmal 12-59 from beyond the arch, translating to a dreadful 20 percent shooting from deep. 

Not to make any excuses for the Owls, but sometimes the referees do them no favors. 

Last Thursday’s game against Pace saw a combined 46 personal fouls called on the two teams, with 25 of those being called against the Owls. 

Head coach Scott Burrell even picked up a technical foul in the second half against Pace after letting the officials know his feelings about a second consecutive offensive foul called on the Owls. 

“It really did affect the game,” Waters said. “Because we were trying to play aggressively and compete, but it’s hard when they keep blowing the whistle.” 

The same excuse could not be made for last Saturday’s 78-62 loss to the Le Moyne College Dolphins, as more fouls were called on the opposing team in this case. 

The Owls never held a lead in the contest and trailed by as many as 28 at one point. 

“They came out and punched us in the face and we tried to battle back but folded under pressure,” guard Logan Bagshaw, a sophomore, said. 

There is some obvious inconsistency on offense. 

Bagshaw scored 11 to lead the team against Pace and scored zero against Le Moyne two days later. Conversely, Bennett scored just five points against Pace and turned around to lead the team in scoring on Saturday with 13 points. 

The Owls look to turn things around when they next take the court on the road against St. Michaels College on Monday, Feb. 14. 

“We’ve got to do it together,” Bagshaw said. “Everyone’s got to contribute. All 16 of us. We’ve got to share the ball. Play defense, rebound, work on boxing out and it’s going to take everyone.” 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Latest from Blog