The Observer, February 15, 2008
Volume XL, Issue 17
Men's basketball locked in the basement
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With only five games remaining for the Spartans, their chances to capture their first University Athletic Association victory are dwindling. This past weekend, the men's basketball team lost another two games on a road trip to the Northeast. On Friday night the team lost another close game, 64-54, to the New York University Violets, and on Sunday they suffered a lopsided, 88-57 loss to the Brandeis University Judges.
The Friday game was another in which the Spartans kept the game close going into the last five minutes, and then faded in the stretch. The largest problem the Spartans faced was making buckets. In the game, they only shot 32.1 percent from the field compared to the Violets' 46 percent from the field. The second half hurt the Spartans most, shooting 23.1 percent and zero-for-seven from three-point range. Furthermore, the Spartans weren't getting much production from the paint in the second half, scoring only six points to NYU's 16. While Case did win the turnover battle, they couldn't convert on the opportunities they created. They only scored nine points on 13 NYU turnovers. Steve Young and Kevin Herring continued to play up their high standards, both scoring in double figures.
After that tough loss, the rest of the weekend did not get any better for the Spartans. Everything that could go wrong against Brandeis did. The game began with an 11-0 run by Brandeis. At the half the Spartans found themselves facing a 25-point deficit. "It was a snowball effect," said head coach Sean McDonnell. "We were struggling to convert on offense. Then they would shove it down our throats in transition."
Turnovers continued to be a problem for Case, committing 16 during the game which led to 20 Brandeis points. Brandeis guard Joe Coppens, who plagued the Spartans in their first meeting, hurt them again, scoring a game-high 20 points. He was one of five Brandeis players who scored in double figures, a feat that no Case Western player achieved on Sunday. The one positive coming from that game was the bench production from the Spartans. Nine players came off the bench and combined for 31 of Case's 57 points.
Despite being in a slump and suffering an 11-game losing streak, McDonnell says his team is upbeat. "The guys are practicing hard," said McDonnell. "They aren't making excuses and they continue to fight." Fans have to consider that six of Case's 25 games during this season have been against top 10 teams. "We enjoy playing against the best competition in the nation," said McDonnell. "We just need to keep improving and paying attention to details and we will be in contention with those teams."
