The Observer, February 24, 2006
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 18
Spartans rise to the occasion against elite competition
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Perhaps the men's basketball team should play Carnegie Mellon and Rochester more often.
The two teams are among the best in the University Athletic Assocation. Case's rival from Pittsburgh is atop the conference standings with a 19-5 overall record and No. 24 national ranking. Rochester, who advanced to the Division III Final Four last season, has an impressive 16-8 record and has always been a thorn in the side of Case, as the Spartans had not beaten the Yellow Jackets since the 1998-1999 season entering this season.
That all changed in last Friday night's game during which Case played perhaps its finest basketball of the season, at least in the second half. In the first half, both teams struggled to muster any type of offensive production, particularly the Spartans. They made only seven of their 30 field goal attempts in the opening stanza as they found themselves trailing by a junior-high-like score of 23-16 at the half.
Case put it all together in the second period, however, playing well on both ends of the court. Trailing by 12 points four minutes into the half, the Spartans went on a roll, outscoring Rochester 17-4 over the next eight minutes. The game remained very close up to the two-minute mark, with Case clinging to a 43-41 lead.
What sealed the victory for Case was disparity in free throw shooting percentages between the two teams. Case made 14 of its 20 attempts from the foul line, including 12 of 16 in the second half. Rochester attempted only 10 during the entire game and made only three. Jon Onyiriuka struggled mightily from the line, missing all six of his attempts in the second half. Onyiriuka, standing six feet, seven inches tall and weighing almost 230 pounds, created defensive mismatches for Case during much of the game. However, his ineptitude at the foul line proved to be the best defense for Case in the game's final minutes and ultimately was the difference in the game, which the Spartans won, 51-43.
The difference in Sunday's game against Carnegie Mellon was Nate Maurer. The Tartan forward was simply too much for the Case defense to handle as he scorched the Spartans for 30 points on 11 of 19 shooting from the field. Maurer, currently ranked third in the UAA in scoring average, left everyone in the gym wondering how he isn't ranked first.
"[Maurer] is tough," said Case guard Rich Mullen, who snapped out of a recent shooting slump early in the game and finished with eight points. "He has a lot of talent and diversity to his game. The last time we played them, he didn't really get it going, but today he did."
Despite Maurer's efforts, Case kept the score close throughout the entire game. The largest lead by either team was nine points, and the lead changed sides 10 times. The Spartans found themselves trailing by five points at the end of the first half as the Tartans shot 51.5 percent from the field. CMU was able to run their up-tempo game and create easy scoring chances. Still, Case kept up thanks to a balanced scoring effort led by Matt Cannan, Mullen, and Steve Young in an exciting and fast-paced first half.
The second half was even more exciting than the first, as the Spartans rallied to take the lead midway through the half. Case, though, could never gain a substantial lead, which did not bode well against CMU's high-powered offense.
A three-pointer by the Tartans' Geoff Kozak gave CMU a 74-68 lead with 2:47 remaining before consecutive baskets by Mason Conrad cut the deficit to two. Nate Maurer then increased the lead to four by sinking two free throws. On Case's next possession, Mullen was whistled for a double dribble, turning the ball back over to Carnegie Mellon. However, it was apparent that a defender had touched the ball while Mullen momentarily lost possession, which should have negated the double dribble, but the referee did not see it. The questionable call effectively sealed the victory for Mellon, who narrowly escaped with an 80-75 victory.
After playing three straight close, nail-biting games, it is apparent that the Spartans are playing their best basketball late in the season.
"We had a team meeting during our last road trip," said Funso Lafe. "We came out of that meeting very positive and playing more together. That meeting was the turning point, and we have been playing better ever since."
The Spartans played very well this season against Rochester and CMU, finishing with a combined record of 2-2 against the two teams and outscoring them, 248-245.
The Case men conclude their season tomorrow at home against Emory, whom Case defeated, 76-68, on Jan. 7 in the first conference game of the season. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
