Southwestern University Men struggle at home but hangs tough to come away with over SUNY Institute
It is not uncommon for a team to struggle with the holiday break disrupting routines and just about any coach will tell you that it is a challenge for any team. That was no exception Monday night as Southwestern struggled to find their rhythm enroute to a 66-57 win over SUNY Institute.
Southwestern (7-3) built a 32-25 lead by the end of the first half while shooting 38% from the field. Their strong rebounding was a big reason for their first half success as they pulled down 12 offensive rebounds over the first 20 minutes of play. Travis Barber had three of the 12 offensive boards as he totaled four rebounds in the first half.
The Pirates managed to hit only 5-of-15 three-pointers in the first half with Barber and Ryan Bill both hitting 2-of-3 from behind the arc.
"We have to hit shots, that is what it comes down to," said Pirate head coach Bill Raleigh.
After the break SUNY got busy on the boards and kept the game close much of the second half. Offensively they were not able to hit key shots as they struggled from behind the three-point stripe going just 1-of-8 on three-pointers in the second half. They finished the game shooting 33% from the field but won the battle on the boards by out rebounding Southwestern 52-40.
Southwestern's offense benefited from good ball movement as they dished out 15 assists with Anthony Cox dishing out six on the night. The Pirates managed to force 14 turnovers in the game with three different players coming away with two steals apiece.
SUNY's Derek Hahn proved tough to handle for the Pirates as he registered a double- double with 11 points and 15 rebounds to go along with two blocked shots.
Neither team was exceptionally sharp from the field but Southwestern was able to step up on the defensive end when SUNY threatened to take the lead in the second half.
"Defensively we are playing pretty well but we have to reward ourselves by shooting better than thirty-percent from the floor," said Raleigh.
That is something they will get the chance to do Friday when they take on Hendrix in Georgetown at 6:00pm. in their first action of 2009.
