The Observer, February 25, 2005
Volume XXXVII, Issue 19
Men's basketball team has one last chance to end slide
As the men's basketball team's season comes to a close, one of the team's bright spots in the last week has been the play of freshman point guard Jeremy Sallee. Sallee led the Spartans in both points and assists in defeats to New York and Brandeis this past weekend.
"I'm more confident," said Sallee regarding his recent stellar play. "By this time in the season, there's nothing to lose. I'd still like to get a win, though."
Last Friday night, Sallee did everything he could to help his team win, scoring 23 points and dishing out four assists, but the Spartans fell to New York, 86-78. His first half performance (12 points, two three-pointers) kept the Spartans close throughout the half, as they trailed by only four, 44-40, heading to the locker room.
The Spartans continued to keep pace with the Violets through the first part of the second half. Sallee's jumper with just over 11 minutes remaining in the game brought Case within two points of the New York lead at 60-58. However, after that basket, New York began to increase its lead. With two minutes remaining, the Violets had extended their lead to 86-73, and they cruised the rest of the way to earn the 86-78 victory.
After two blowout losses the previous weekend, the game represented an improvement for the Spartans. If they had been able to continue their hot first half shooting (50 percent, including making six of nine threes), they might have been able to pull out the victory.
Case hoped to continue making strides in their second game of the weekend, which was last Sunday at Brandeis. It didn't happen, as the Judges started the game on an 18-6 to take control of the game early and coast to an easy 94-78 win. Sallee scored 18 and added eight assists, and the team overall shot an impressive 54.4 percent from the field. However, Case's defense, which has been the team's Achilles' heel all season, could not stop the Judges, who were led by center Bryan Lambert's 24 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists.
On Wednesday, the Spartans dropped their final home game of the season to Carnegie Mellon, 87-80. Case played well in the first half, taking a 37-35 lead into the locker room, but the Tartans pulled away early in the second half with a 14-4 run. Case came back to cut the deficit at 55-50. Later in the half, Mason Conrad brought the crowd to its feet with a dunk, bringing Case to within seven points. However, Case could not take away the momentum and went on to lose 87-80. Sallee led the way with 22 points, and Conrad finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Missed free throws were again a problem for the Spartans, as they missed nine of their 21 attempts.
The Spartans have one last chance to break their losing streak tomorrow afternoon in Atlanta as they battle the Emory Eagles.
