Sunday, November 11, 2012

Carleton offense takes down Mustangs at Alumni Hall


11/11/2012 1:54:00 PM
The Western Mustangs men's basketball team faced a very tough Carleton squad last night in their second home game of the regular season. The game provided the young Mustang team with the experience necessary to move forward in development. The Mustangs struggled to find offensive rhythm and fell short to the Carleton Ravens -- ranked first in the OUA -- with a final score of 46-86.

Western started out aggressive in the first quarter and worked excellent as a team. The Stangs displayed excellent off ball movement creating offensive opportunities. Peter Scholtes created plays with precise passing as Greg Morrow finished in the paint, finishing with 14 points overall. Western shut down Carleton defensively, forcing turnovers and rotating effectively.

Morrow continued to energize the Mustang squad with a coast-to-coast layup four minutes into the game. Toward the end of the first quarter, Carleton amplified their defensive pressure moving to a full court press. This brought the Ravens to within one point and the first quarter ended with a score of 19-18 in favour of the Mustangs.

In the second quarter, Scholtes exhibited his strength and played well in the post. Soon, the veteran Carleton team found its touch and began to make outside shots. The Mustangs did not back down, diving to the floor for loose balls and fighting for rebounds. It was the three point shooting from Carleton that increased the margin as Western was unable to find a way to silence their shooters. Western struggled to rotate effectively in the second quarter, allowing for Carleton to score 18 consecutive points from beyond three point range.

The first half ended with a score of 26-40 in favour of the Ravens.

The Mustangs knew that they needed to change their approach in order to overcome the second quarter deficit. Western struggled to find its touch, dropping in scoring percentages from both the two and three point distances. Raven Thomas Scrubb lead the way with seven rebounds, and he along with three teammates Tyson Hinz, Philip Scrubb, and Gavin Resch reached double digit scoring. Hinz made 7 for 7 field goal chances and followed up with a huge three pointer in the third.

Western fought hard for rebounds but struggled to get possession of the ball. Carleton controlled the pace of play in the second half. The third quarter ended with a score of 37-72.

Western was resilient and came out strong in the fourth quarter. The team worked hard to get an offense running smoothly and creating many scoring opportunities. A great three pointer from Ryan Higgins sparked energy in the home team squad. Tough full court pressure from Carleton forced unnecessary turnovers, which left Western's final effort short to overcome the consistency of the veteran Raven team.

“We had a good first half but got killed on the boards. We closed out poorly,” Mustang forward Morrow said. “It was all about rebounding this game and they sent all four guys to the glass. If we see them in the future, we need to be more physical on the boards.”

Mustangs Morrow and Scholtes managed double digits on the scoreboard, Morrow leading the way with 14 points in 38 minutes played. Scholtes was on the court for over half of the game as well, but only made four of 12 field goal opportunities in the one-sided court play, in favour of Carleton.

The team regroups for an away trip versus York on November 16 at Tait MacKenzie Gymnasium, followed by a matchup against Laurentian at Ben F. Avery Gymnasium on November 17. Tip off for both games is at 8pm.

The Mustangs return to Alumni Hall on November 23 versus Toronto

2 comments:

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