Summary
Dont expect WVU Tech to play much man-to-man defense on Friday when the seventh-seeded Golden Bears face second-seed St. Catharine at 4 p.m. in the Mid-South Conference Tournament at the Frankfort (Ky.) Convention Center. You see, veteran Tech Coach Bob Williams team is loaded with high-flying, offensive talent, but there are some defensive flaws. They werent quite as noticeable on Monday night at the Neal Baisi Athletic Center, where WVU Tech defeated Rio Grande 92-67 in the tournaments first round. The Golden Bears take a 14-15 record into their quarterfinal meeting with the Patriots (20- 7), the 18th-ranked team in the NAIA Division I Coaches Poll. Were better than our overall record and I think everybody in the conference realizes that, Williams said. We let a few games slip away that we shouldve won. We didnt play great defense. Even though we held (Rio Grande) to 34 percent, theyve struggled offensively. The RedStorm hasnt won a Mid-South Conference game since joining the league in 2009, owning an 0-32 record. Still, Rio Grande held strong against the Golden Bears before a second-half surge moved Tech into a third meeting with St. Catharine. The Golden Bears won the first half behind 6-foot-8 junior Josh Proctor, who had 17 of his 20 points during the first 20 minutes. They played hard for a stretch in the second half, Williams said of Rio Grande. We had 18 turnovers. You cant have 18 turnovers. They held off the RedStorm on the strength of 6-5 senior Nicholas Kjaerholt, who had 16 of his 21 points in the second half. Senior and Los Angeles native Joseph Morgan finished off Rio Grande with a dunk following a missed free throw, a tip-in and a 3-pointer at the 4:35 mark which pushed Techs lead to 83-59. Rashon Tabb had 11 points for the Golden Bears, who had 10 players score, but turned the ball over 18 times. Tech leads the Mid-South Conference in assists, but also in turnovers. If we play defense, we can beat anybody in the conference, said Morgan, who finished with 11 points, six rebounds and six assists. We dont play good defense enough. We have to keep our turnovers down. Despite the lopsided victory, Williams might not be willing to stray from his strategy against St. Catharine. In earning a season split with the Patriots, Tech played a lot of zone. The Golden Bears are second in the Mid-South in scoring, but also give up 84.41 points per game which is last. The second-semester addition of 6-5 junior Josh Arnold, 6-7 junior Doma Ibrahim and 6-7 freshman Sharife Sergeant, bolstered Williams lineup, but has also limited his ability to switch defenses. Weve played a lot of zone this semester, Williams said. Weve mixed it up, but tonight we wanted to pressure more. WVU Tech won at St. Catharine in overtime, 100-92, on Feb. 3. Proctor, who Williams expects to earn a first-team spot on the Mid- South Conference team, had 27 points and 10 rebounds in that meeting. The winner of Fridays game advances to the tournament semifinals at 6 p.m. Saturday against the winner of the quarterfinal game between Pikeville (24-6) and Campbellsville (16-14).
WVU Tech 92, Rio Grande 67 RIO GRANDE (5-26) Player Min FG 3pt FT R A PT Campbell 31 4-13 2-8 0-1 2 0 10 Jackson 22 4-8 0-1 0-0 11 0 8 Kimber 24 4-13 0- 4 4-5 6 1 12 Cubbie 25 5-12 0-1 5-6 1 2 15 Birchfield 16 2-5 0-0 0-0 3 1 4 Whiting 9 1-4 0- 0 0-0 1 0 2 Warmack 12 1-2 0-1 1-2 2 0 3 Schneider 2 0-3 0-3 0-0 1 0 0 Bates 10 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Jones 21 1-5 0-1 6-8 4 0 8 Gunnell 17 1-2 0-0 1-2 3 1 3 Marti 10 1-2 0-1 0-0 3 1 2 Team 3 Totals 200 24-70 2-20 17-24 40 6 67 Percentages .343 .100 .708See the full content of this document
Extract
Tech Uses Second-Half Surge to Advance
WVU TECH (14-15) Player Min FG 3pt FT R...
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