'With the Season on the Line ... One Extra Play'

Sam Greiger is one of the best players in the country. As the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse found out Thursday night in its 73-68 loss to UMW, so is Kye Robinson

By Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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NCAA basketball championships are often won not by teams with the best players man-for-man, but by the teams that can adapt to whatever style of play thrown at them.

Coming into Saturday night’s third round of the Division III tournament, the University of Mary Washington has shown a knack for cracking the code of their opponents and separating early.

They put away Worcester State in Round 1 with a lights-out shooting display that saw them go into the locker room at half up by 26, before cruising to a 31-point win.

Amherst proved more challenging. A physical, bruising first half saw the Eagles down by one at the half, before separating early in the second half with a 37-8 run that put the game out of reach with ten minutes to play.

There would be no separation against the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. Two of the top-scoring guards in the country — Kye Robinson (UMW) and Sam Greiger (UWLC) — put on a clinic Saturday, each benefitting from teammates who made critical shots and defensive stops throughout the game.

In the end, Robinson made the plays he had to make when he had to make them.

Greiger’s shot that would have tied the game with 3 seconds to play bounced off the front the rim.

Josh Sewordor grabbed the rebound, was fouled, and then made his two free-throws to give UMW a five-point victory: 73 - 68.

10 Minutes to Win

With just under 7 minutes to play in the game, Greiger (23 points, 7 rebounds) and UWLC looked to be the ones threatening to separate.

The team took the lead 57-58 with 6:41 to play, then pressed that lead to three points 30 seconds later.

A missed shot by UMW gave Wisconsin the ball with a three-point lead at just under six minutes to play. Slowing the pace, Wisconsin worked the ball across the court before finding JJ Paider for an easy two and a five-point lead.

UMW’s Jay Randall cut that lead to two with 5:30 left to play draining a three from the top of the arc.

Kye Robinson then took over.

He hit a three with 4:48 to play, putting UMW up by one.

Wisconsin had an opportunity to take the lead on its next possession when Paider went to the line to shot two free throws after Robinson fouled him. Paider couldn’t find the bottom of the net on either shot, however, and Robinson then hit a three-ball with 4:00 to play to put UMW up by four.

The teams exchanged misses on their next two possession, before Wisconsin closed the gap to two with 2:15 to play.

Jay Randall quickly pushed the lead back to four with a layup. He was fouled and converted the free throw, pushing the lead to five with 1:51 to play.

Wisconsin got to within one, 69-68, but no closer.

‘That Team Is Good …’

Coach Marcus Kahn is no stranger to tough games in tournament play. He previously took Cabrini College to five straight appearances in the Division III NCAA tournament — once reaching the Final Four, and once playing for the national championship.

At this stage, the difference between winning and losing is often small.

“With the season on the line, it comes down to executing one extra play,” Kahn said. “Colin [Mitchell] had [a rebound] at the end of the first half that gave us an extra possession when things weren’t going great,” he continued, noting that could have been the difference in the game.

“That’s a good team; that Sam Greiger is good,” he said. “But so is Kye Robinson.”

Greiger was named as one of the 11 finalists for the Division III player of the year — Robinson, a sophomore, was not put on that list.

Robinson shot 50% from the field on 12-24 shooting and going 4-7 on three-point shooting. He was 7-8 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed 11 rebounds.

Next Up … Chicago

The Eagles will next face the University of Chicago, whose basketball team was the subject of a Wall Street Journal article this week. The game will be played Thursday in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Game time is to be determined.

Chicago defeated Gustavus Adolphus 93-92 earlier on Saturday, surviving a flurry a shots by AG in the closing 47 seconds.

The University of Chicago is 23-4 on the season — UMW is now 27-3.

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