Post by bridgeport1 on Nov 11, 2012 0:57:47 GMT -5
fairfield did not get many easy baskets, grind it out in a half cout set, and let central snatch " defeat from the jaws of victory - - " a win means we drive home without using gas !
Attendance is listed at 3,186 but that must be total ticket sales for all three games? On SNY it looked very empty with the hardly anyone in the big bleachers or upper deck. At halftime interview Associate AD Pat Murphy said he was pleased with the attendance but next year the CT6 will be back in Bridgeport at the WBA.
FYI: SNY is showing the game again on Tuesday, November 13 at 3:00 pm.
CT Post Recap. Quote from Vinales who is one of the Top scorers in Division I, and a player we had to focus on stopping.
"They made me force a lot of shot," Vinales said. "They frustrated me. ¦ They did a good job of playing D." CCSU sophomore Kyle Vinales had 12 of his 18 points in the half, but managed just six points the rest of the way on 8-of-23 shot attempts.
It was a team effort on Vinales, but Nickerson gets most of the credit. I thought our half court defense was very good; However, we did have trouble picking up the shooters in transition. Thats got to be addressed. Agree that we need to do a better job of ballhandling. Some of that was due to Wade playing only half the game due to foul trouble. But Wade also has to be more aggressive offensively. He needs to take some pressure off Needham because we can't have Needham doing everything. Plus Wade has got to shoot some threes...... he was the leading MAAC 3-point shooter with 50% in MAAC games. He has to have the confidence ...... or work harder to get open.
Overall I like the balance on this team, its attitude, and they way it battles through adversity. Mikulic had a great start to his career, but also Amadou was also effective in a different way. The Mikumdou stats of the Game..... 14pts, 10rebs, 3 blocks, 1 assist and 6-13 shooting in 40 minutes. A double-double is nice for the Frosh.
Post by nashvillestag on Nov 11, 2012 9:50:50 GMT -5
Nickerson was indeed a difference maker not only for the great job he did on Vinales in the second half, but also because he was solid on offense with some good passes (4 assists, 0 turnovers) plus going 2-2 on 3 pointers. But it was a team effort on the defensive end as there were many hedges and double teams on the Central star as he tried to make moves to get open. So yes it was the D in the end that made the difference. As far as the transition defense, my take on this was that it was the turnovers in the open court that were the root cause of the problem more than the defense itself as many times Central had an immediate manpower advantage after stealing the ball. So yes that facet of the game has to be improved quickly as the schedule gets tougher. But I do think it is is important and significant that the team has found a way to win two nailbiters in a row (including the UB exhibition) because it does lead to a buildup of confidence that the team can perform best when the chips are on the line. BTW if my memory is correct I do not think that the Stags played any overtime games last season, so I think it is doubly important that they were able to come out on top in this one.
Some interesting quotes from "Free Throw In Overtime Ices Win For Stags" in the HARTFORD COURANT after the game:
We had to grind it out," Fairfield coach Sydney Johnson said.
Vinales had 18 points on 18-for-23 shooting.
"He struggled," Dickenman said. "He's trying to be too aggressive, but he's going to be fine."
Joe Efese had 10 points and eight rebounds, playing 35 minutes and committing just one foul. He left the team for several days to return home to Spring Valley, N.Y, after learning last week that sister had died unexpectedly.
"He played his best game at Central Connecticut State University," Dickenman said. "That kid was a horse tonight, playing under circumstances I'm not sure other people could have handled as well as he did."
Hunter, a junior college transfer making his Central debut, had 16 points and five rebounds.
Needham had 18 points and Matthews 15 for Fairfield, which had a 42-29 rebounding advantage.
Johnson praised his team's defense on Vinales.
"We were solid at times, but he made us look bad, too," Johnson said. "We were good late, and that might have been the difference."
