SMS 80, Creighton 73
You’ll have to excuse this late post regarding Creighton’s loss to Southwest Missouri State during the weekend. I've been sick the past few days and encountered technology issues yesterday, so all in all it has been a tough couple of days for this Jays fan.
I’m going to keep this brief, mostly because I’ve still got a throbbing headache, but also because I’m trying to focus on the positives of each game this season and they were hard to find in the loss in Springfield. I wrote Saturday afternoon that the top half of the conference was up for grabs, and the game Saturday night did little to discourage that notion.
For all of the solid defense and physical play employed by the Bears, the Jays still shot 54% in the second half and scored 73 points in the game. However, it was the Jays’ lack of defense that did them in, as SMS shot 64% in the second half – 51% for the game – and posted just the third 80-point-plus scoring night of the season against the Jays (San Diego and Illinois State were the other two). Possibly the most frustrating thing about the loss was that the Jays could have won this game going away. They played below-average all night in almost every aspect of the game, and were within two possessions until the final five seconds of the game.
The highlight of the night was obviously Jeffrey Day stepping out of the Jeffony Tolliday role and dominating the paint in limited playing time. In just 19 minutes, Day scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds, which were game-high totals in both categories. Day played decent defense, recording a couple of blocks and a steal, but his most encouraging behavior was he intent to get to the free throw line – and finish what he started. Day made 10 of 12 free throws, drawing contact almost every time he went to the paint. In fact, he went to the charity stripe twice as many times as the entire Creighton team did in the loss to Illinois State.
Conversely, the lowlights of the night were watching Nate Funk struggle with increased defensive pressure (and forearm shivers to the jaw) and seeing Kellen Miliner regress into his shooting woes. I mean, is it too hard to ask to have a consistent high-low presence? Funk recorded nine points and only three rebounds, which were offset by four turnovers and only two trips to the free throw line. Miliner recorded another sub-30% shooting night, and with Creighton’s two big outside offensive threats struggling, Dana Altman needed some defensive stops and some role players to knock down some shots.
He got little of both, however. When the Jays needed a stop, most of the time they couldn’t get one. And when Creighton did forbid SMS from scoring, the Jays rarely took advantage of the opportunity. And as far as role players go, Pierce Hibma, Jimmy Motz, Dennis Howard, and Anthony Tolliver combined for two points. Two.
Johnny Mathies continues to thrive since being named a starter again, and he impressed with 14 points, four rebounds, and a game-high seven assists. Looking more and more comfortable each game, Mathies will need to score about 15 points a game down the stretch to give the Jays a chance to finish in the top-half of the conference. I’ve echoed these sentiments before, but he continues to be the only Jay consistently drawing contact on the way to the bucket and still trying to put the ball in the hoop.
And then there was the most confusing box score of the game – Tyler McKinney’s 13-point outburst. I use that term because he hit some amazing shots. But most of these were as the shot clock expired, or when he had dribbled himself into trouble. I know that McKinney is not supposed to be a vocal point of the offense, but defenders are sagging off of him more and more and concentrating their defensive efforts to guys like Funk and Mathies and clogging up the lane. In fact, all of McKinney’s points came in the second half, and he only dished out two assists all game.
A lot of the credit needs to go to – gulp – Barry Hinson and his SMS defenders. They came out and literally punched the Jays in the mouth, and Creighton played tentatively offensively the rest of the game. I don’t understand why the Valley refs didn’t call a foul when Funk was drilled in the face with an elbow, but instead of using the physical play as a rallying cry the Jays seemed content to throw up long range shots and shy away from the lane. I can’t blame Funk, however, because it seems like any contact he draws going to the hoop is not considered hard enough for a foul.
So while Saturday night’s game wasn’t the medicine I needed for my aching head, there were definitely some feel-good moments of the action. If the Jays can add Day’s improving high- and low-post play (he repeatedly knocks down the open 10-footer) to an already-deadly perimeter shooting team, the three-game homestand this week could prove to be a memorable one. But the Jays’ fortunes rely solely on staying close in the rebounding battles against Wichita State, SMS, and Northern Iowa, playing aggressive defense, and not backing down when being pushed around.
I’m going to keep this brief, mostly because I’ve still got a throbbing headache, but also because I’m trying to focus on the positives of each game this season and they were hard to find in the loss in Springfield. I wrote Saturday afternoon that the top half of the conference was up for grabs, and the game Saturday night did little to discourage that notion.
For all of the solid defense and physical play employed by the Bears, the Jays still shot 54% in the second half and scored 73 points in the game. However, it was the Jays’ lack of defense that did them in, as SMS shot 64% in the second half – 51% for the game – and posted just the third 80-point-plus scoring night of the season against the Jays (San Diego and Illinois State were the other two). Possibly the most frustrating thing about the loss was that the Jays could have won this game going away. They played below-average all night in almost every aspect of the game, and were within two possessions until the final five seconds of the game.
The highlight of the night was obviously Jeffrey Day stepping out of the Jeffony Tolliday role and dominating the paint in limited playing time. In just 19 minutes, Day scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds, which were game-high totals in both categories. Day played decent defense, recording a couple of blocks and a steal, but his most encouraging behavior was he intent to get to the free throw line – and finish what he started. Day made 10 of 12 free throws, drawing contact almost every time he went to the paint. In fact, he went to the charity stripe twice as many times as the entire Creighton team did in the loss to Illinois State.
Conversely, the lowlights of the night were watching Nate Funk struggle with increased defensive pressure (and forearm shivers to the jaw) and seeing Kellen Miliner regress into his shooting woes. I mean, is it too hard to ask to have a consistent high-low presence? Funk recorded nine points and only three rebounds, which were offset by four turnovers and only two trips to the free throw line. Miliner recorded another sub-30% shooting night, and with Creighton’s two big outside offensive threats struggling, Dana Altman needed some defensive stops and some role players to knock down some shots.
He got little of both, however. When the Jays needed a stop, most of the time they couldn’t get one. And when Creighton did forbid SMS from scoring, the Jays rarely took advantage of the opportunity. And as far as role players go, Pierce Hibma, Jimmy Motz, Dennis Howard, and Anthony Tolliver combined for two points. Two.
Johnny Mathies continues to thrive since being named a starter again, and he impressed with 14 points, four rebounds, and a game-high seven assists. Looking more and more comfortable each game, Mathies will need to score about 15 points a game down the stretch to give the Jays a chance to finish in the top-half of the conference. I’ve echoed these sentiments before, but he continues to be the only Jay consistently drawing contact on the way to the bucket and still trying to put the ball in the hoop.
And then there was the most confusing box score of the game – Tyler McKinney’s 13-point outburst. I use that term because he hit some amazing shots. But most of these were as the shot clock expired, or when he had dribbled himself into trouble. I know that McKinney is not supposed to be a vocal point of the offense, but defenders are sagging off of him more and more and concentrating their defensive efforts to guys like Funk and Mathies and clogging up the lane. In fact, all of McKinney’s points came in the second half, and he only dished out two assists all game.
A lot of the credit needs to go to – gulp – Barry Hinson and his SMS defenders. They came out and literally punched the Jays in the mouth, and Creighton played tentatively offensively the rest of the game. I don’t understand why the Valley refs didn’t call a foul when Funk was drilled in the face with an elbow, but instead of using the physical play as a rallying cry the Jays seemed content to throw up long range shots and shy away from the lane. I can’t blame Funk, however, because it seems like any contact he draws going to the hoop is not considered hard enough for a foul.
So while Saturday night’s game wasn’t the medicine I needed for my aching head, there were definitely some feel-good moments of the action. If the Jays can add Day’s improving high- and low-post play (he repeatedly knocks down the open 10-footer) to an already-deadly perimeter shooting team, the three-game homestand this week could prove to be a memorable one. But the Jays’ fortunes rely solely on staying close in the rebounding battles against Wichita State, SMS, and Northern Iowa, playing aggressive defense, and not backing down when being pushed around.
posted by Creighton Otter at 9:03 AM
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