SPORTS NEWS: UMW Rolls in First-Round Game ...
... Amherst awaits Saturday night for a spot in the Sweet 16.
By Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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Nolan Richardson was famous at the University of Arkansas for his “40-minutes of hell” approach to basketball — running the court and a relentless defensive pressure that forced turnovers in bunches. Razorback games were often over before the half.
Coach Marcus Kahn seemed to be channeling Richardson Friday night, as his University of Mary Washington Eagles pushed the Lancers from Worcester State relentlessly for the first 20 minutes Thursday night on their way to an 86 - 55 rout and a date with Amherst College Saturday night for a spot in the Sweet 16.
The Eagles opened the game shooting 5 for 7 from the field and 3 for 4 from the line.
With no points on the board and unable to establish any rhythm, the Lancers called time-out at the 15-minute mark to reset. Out of the break they moved the ball better but missed an open three-point shot as the Eagles took the rebound the other way to build on their lead.
The Lancers finally got their second basket at the 13-minute mark in the game, making the score 17-2.
By that point, the game was all but out of reach for the Lancers, but the Eagles kept the pressure on.
The Lancers remained ice-cold in the first half, going 5 for 25 from the field for just 20% shooting and shot 7 for 10 from the free-throw line. They took 10 three-point shots, converting just one.
The Eagles shot 48.3% in the first half and they took a 44-18 lead into the locker room.
The second half started with more of the same, with the Eagles pushing their advantage to 35 points mid-way through the half before sitting most of the starters and giving the bench players a chance to show some game.
They didn’t disappoint.
Though the Lancers shot better in the second half, they were unable to get closer than 28 the rest of the way, as the Eagles closed out the game with 31-point margin of victory.
Eagles’ star guard Kye Robinson put up 23 points — 22 in the first half — fueling the offense tonight. He sat out most of the second half, resting his legs for tomorrow night’s second-round game.
This is “exactly how we had hoped to open up the tournament and we were able to get off to a good start early in the game,” said Coach Marcus Kahn during postgame interviews.
“I liked our intensity on both ends of the floor,” noting that it carried the team “through some sluggish shooting” in the first half.
He also was pleased with the rebounding. Worcester enjoyed some height advantage inside, but the Eagles out rebounded the Lancers 35-25 on the night.
Asked about the quick start, Kaden Bates(8 points and 7 rebounds) said that it “definitely settled our nerves a lot … and gave us more confidence in ourselves.”
As for the Lancer’s shooting woes, Bates credited the Eagles’ defense, saying that “sticking to our principles and being in the gaps really made it hard for them.”
Jadon Burgess, who celebrated a birthday along with the team’s win, credited the coaching staff, which “had us prepared … [for] the shots that they look to take and the shots that they’re trying to get out of their offense.”
Tomorrow night the Eagles face the Mammoths of Amherst College.
“They are a good defensive team,” Kahn said. “But I think we’ve been really good when we make all five guys defend, and I thought we did that tonight, putting teams in space, and I think we’ve got some really quick athletic guys … and when we share it, we’re very good.”
Gametime is 7:30 on Saturday night and tickets are available at the door.
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