The Observer, February 8, 2008
Volume XL, Issue 16
Late-game woes mean tough weekend for Case Western
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The Spartans endured another rough weekend last week as they dropped their second double header at home to Brandeis and New York University. The team is now 7-11 on the season and winless in University Athletic Association games.
In what seems to be a growing trend, the Spartans began Friday's game against the Brandeis Judges playing well. Only a last-minute three gave Brandeis a three -point lead going into halftime. Case was keeping the inside on lock down as the Judges' best inside threat, forward Terrell Hollins, had only 12 points. The speed and shooting ability of guards Joe Coppens and Kevin Olson is what pushed Brandeis in the second half. They combined for 44 of the team's 90 points. The guard duo, combined with Case's 14 turnovers, put the game out of reach for the Spartans. On the upside, Mason Conrad finished with another double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Rob Skuski also had a good night, scoring 14 points and adding eight rebounds.The Spartans lost by a final score of 90-75.
Sunday brought more of the same for the Spartans. Holding a seven point lead with just under 10 minutes left to play, the team was playing great basketball. Freshman guard Kevin Herring had a huge game, scoring 18 points, and Colin Mulholland played tremendously off the bench. The freshman guard shot five of eight behind the arc and scored 15 points.
Then, the Violets took control. Over the next eight minutes, New York University went on a 20-to-2 run, which sealed their victory. NYU played well in the paint the entire game, outscoring the Spartans 30-16. Their starting center and two forwards combined to put up 54 of the team's 79 points. The Spartans lost by a final score of 79-67.
One advantage the Spartans will have this coming week is that they are playing the same opponents as last weekend. The team will need to focus their defensive efforts in order to put pressure on both teams' talented shooters. On offense, the Spartans need to cut down on turnovers. If they can do both of those things and play consistently for the entire 40 minutes of basketball, they stand a great chance at avenging both of this past weekend's losses and getting their first UAA win.
After this road trip the team comes home for their third UAA double header and the university's throwback weekend. With all the added pressure that comes along with big promotional games, wins this weekend would really help the team's confidence and build some much-needed momentum.
The game Friday in New York begins at 8 p.m. and the game Sunday in Boston begins at noon.
