Avery Martin- Contributor
It was an important win on Wednesday, Feb. 15 for the Owls, as they won 75-60 against University of New Haven.
The Owls, now on a four-game winning streak, held the lead from the first minute of the first half and did not let it go. With defense in mind, they were able to score repeatedly throughout the first half. For the first three minutes, they were leading 8-0.
Forward Josh McGettigan, a graduate, said, “I think we came out hitting on all cylinders. We all stuck together, and it was really our defense that led the way,”.
Head Coach Scott Burell also attributed the team’s successful game to great defense by the team.
“I think we played a full game; I think we played really good defense. We were smothering on defense. They didn’t get in any easy looks, and we rebounded the ball well,” Burrell said.
The strong focus on defense was obvious in the first half, as the Owls scored several three-point shots for offense. Guard Mason Williams, a graduate, played a great game, scoring 14 points in the first half alone. 9 of those points were from back-to-back three-pointers.
Williams said scoring big is always intentional.
“We work on throwing and transitioning. I got a lot of threes in transition; I got some out of the rebound. So we just kind of are moving around, and my teammates did it today, which is really good,” Williams said.
Forward Cherif Diarra, a sophomore, and guard Marty Silvera, a junior, each had four rebounds and guard Logan Bagshaw, a junior, had three.
“When you rebound the ball, play good defense and rebound more, you get easy buckets and transitions,” Burrell said.
Going into the second half, the score was 47-21 Owls. Burell says that leading by more than half does not completely change the strategy of each player giving his all.
“Our goal is to try to go out there and compete every night. We try to win every night,” Burell said. “And if we do that, we will move up in the standings, and we know that.”
In the second half, the Chargers were able to make a slow comeback, but the Owls held them off. Diarra and McGettigan defined the half. It was layup after layup.
“We were getting steals, rebounds and just running, so that really helped us,” McGettigan said.
McGettigan scored five points, and Diarra scored six. Forward Kazell Stewart, a sophomore, scored seven.
As Diarra noted, the Owls used the momentum from the defense of the first half to propel their second half offense.
“It’s a rivalry game, so we don’t take our foot off the gas. They could come back anytime. It’s a new half, a new game. We gotta keep repeating,” Diarra said.
As the final whistle blew, the Owls finished strong against their rivals. Ranked fifth in the NE10 conference, the Owls are back in action at Saint Michael’s College on Feb. 17 and back at home on Feb. 21 against Southern New Hampshire University.
