We just can't shoot or score with kind of consistency. Hartford's offense looked like an orchestra and ours like a garage band. Hartford just has such a nice nucleus with Lynch, Dunne, Carroll and even Blagojevic off the bench. Dunne 39 minutes, Lynch 36, Carroll 34.
Hartford cashed in on so many basket cuts either to or through Carroll. It was great to see. They ran the same play on back to back possessions in a big spot, resulting in two uncontested layups. With Pikiell, scoring points was like wringing a towel at times, and this feels similar. I don't recall feeling this way last year.
A friend says "if you look at the Kent State playbook from 10 years ago, we run the exact same plays," suggesting that Ford is the brains behind the offense.
For those who missed it, Boals sent out three freshmen to start the game. It didn't have the desired effect. All we did was trail 4-2 at the first media timeout, and we didn't score a bucket until we were 6:05 in. In the end, though, I like that we played the guys who seem like they care the most: Olaniyi 39, Yeboah 36, Iroegbu 32. UC's probably our #2 option right now – not ideal but at least he's being aggressive. This was Elijah's best game. He was all over the place, and he'll be a good player for us.
On the other hand, this was Cornish's worst game. You just sense that he's deflated and Boals is frustrated. He got a quick hook on a couple of occasions, and sat the last 6-8 minutes in favor of McKenzie.
5 for 16 on threes in the first half; 2 for 19 in the second. 7 for ***35*** overall. We handily won the turnover battle and took 19 more shots than Hartford, yet lost by nine. Pathetic no matter how you look at it.