Today: Mar 28, 2024

Coleman passes Connors on scoring list

Matt Cain Contributor

Guard Ulyen Coleman passes former Owl basketball player Kevin Connors to be 17th on the all-time scoring list in the university’s history.  

The Owls rallied to a 73-65 victory over the Georgian Court University despite opening the game by missing their first two shots and turning the ball multiple times in the first three minutes.   

The Owls dominated the game in rebounding, grabbing 44 compared to Georgian Court’s 32. The Owls shot nearly 50% from the three-point line to get the win.  

Georgian Court is a fast-paced team; they got out running, notching themselves with 13 fast break points in the first half and scoring 21 points off turnovers. Owls also sent Georgian Court to the free throw line 20 times while they shot 50% from the line in the first half. 

Coming into the game, the Owls lost three games in a row to rugged Northeast 10 competitions like Saint Anselm, Southern New Hampshire University and Bentley University.  

The game plan coming into the game changed by halftime because of the Georgian Court’s style of play. They played much faster than the Owls, and the players knew they had to adapt to their style.  

“We knew they were a fast-paced team; we had to beat them at their own game and adjust on the fly,” guard Sean James said.  

  James scored eight points in the Owls ‘win. It was an all-around team effort from the Owls, with seven players scoring over five points in the victory.  

The team’s leading scorer was Coleman, who scored 20 points. The Owls received contributions from the bench, and Coleman went three for four from the three points. This 20-point outing from Coleman was his third game of the season, scoring 18 or better.  

Forward Kazel Stewart and junior Logan Bagshaw provided the spark off the bench. Stewart scored 14 points, and Bagshaw scored 5 points and made a three-pointer. The Owls had 21 bench points, outscoring Georgian Court’s bench by six.   

“You got to be locked in at all times; you never know when your name is going to be called,” Stewart said.   

Even though the Owls got the win, Coach Burrell feels as though they could have played better.  

Burrell said despite the halftime lead that, the team’s energy had to change.  

“They could have played with more energy, more passion, and fight,”  Burrell said.   

“We lost 3 in a row, Ok! Now we got to play hard to get back to where we want to be, Burrell said.  

The Owls are a good defensive team, and they showed it in the game. They grabbed 44 defensive rebounds and planned to stop former teammate, forward Jamaal Waters.   

Waters scored 12 points in this game, five less than his season average of almost 17 points per game. 

Guard Marty Silvera brought tough defense by grabbing 10 rebounds and having one takeaway. Silvera also led the team in assists with 10.   

“Marty is a good defender; he gets his hands on many balls. Guys just got to be ready to grab and defend,” Burrell expressed after the game.  

The Owls pulled away in the final minutes due to their urgency on the defensive end.  Stewart had three big blocks and forward Cherif Diarra’s two blocks down the stretch to help seal the victory.   

“You want to win the next six games and make an NCAA tournament run; you got to bring it every day,” Burrell said.  

With the Owls now having a winning record on the season, they look to defend their home court, as three of their last four games are home.   

“We got to go after it; we got to be ready to go,” Coach Burrell said.  

Photo Credit: Sarah Shelton

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