The Observer, February 2, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 15
Spartans improve against Tartans since blowout in Rochester
click to enlarge
The men's basketball team is coming off a tough weekend of conference play. Last Friday, the Case squad was blown out by the University of Rochester, 84-43. Two days later, they suffered a narrow loss in the final seconds of play against Carnegie Mellon. "There isn't a whole lot positive that I can say about our play," said coach Sean McDonnell. This weekend, the Spartans will hope to reverse their fortunes, playing against the same two teams.
"Rochester played exceptionally well and we played exceptionally poorly," said McDonnell. This proved to be a bad formula for a team playing on the road. Case turned the ball over 28 times in 70 possessions. That statistic is an area of concern for McDonnell.
"That will have to improve for us to beat Rochester," he said. A bright spot in the game was Steve Martin's performance, scoring eight points off the bench. Sophomore Steve Young scored 19.
With just over 15 minutes left in the first half, Rochester went on a 30-9 run. Rochester had its biggest lead of the night with 9:22 left in the second half.
"Rochester is more physical than anyone else on our schedule, and much more physical than we are in practice. I think we were surprised by how aggressive and strong they were. They played a good game," said McDonnell.
The Spartans played a much better game in the loss to Carnegie Mellon. In the second half, Carnegie Mellon went on a 13-0 run, making the score 39-26.
"We've got to be able to make runs of our own to get more comfortable leads, not just to make it close," center Mason Conrad said. "If we make more offensive runs and get more consistent on defense, we'll be fine against them this weekend."
Case tied the game with 1:30 to play. Young, Case's best free throw shooter, was on the line with under a minute left, but didn't make the shot.
"It didn't go our way that time, but that's a situation I'd take any day," McDonnell said. Then, Carnegie Mellon's best player, Ryan Einwag drove and was fouled. He made both his free throws. The final score was Carnegie Mellon 58, Case 53.
Rob Skuski had a solid effort in the loss, with 14 points and 9 rebounds. "Rob dominated the boards and was very efficient on offense," McDonnell said.
Conrad also had 15 points and recorded his 800th career point.
"I actually didn't know I hit the 800 mark," he said.
Ryan Einwag had 16 points for Carnegie Mellon.
The Tartans were also a tough match-up for Case because they are a perimeter-oriented team.
"They want a very fast tempo. We're inside oriented, so there's a big difference between the two teams," said McDonnell. Case will focus on improving its perimeter defense this weekend. "They were driving right past us," said McDonnell of the last game.
"Our guys showed really good resilience, bouncing back from a tough loss to Rochester," McDonnell continued. "They stuck with it and battled hard. I'm proud of the way we bounced back, even though we lost to Carnegie Mellon."
For Throwback Weekend, the men's team will play in uniforms commemorating Western Reserve on Friday, and uniforms commemorating Case Tech on Sunday against Rochester.
"Our players are excited," McDonnell said. "They like playing in Adelbert Gym and appreciate the student body turnout. We're looking forwrd to a good vibrant crowd, and it's also a good opportunity to begin the second half of UAA play on a positive note."
