The men's basketball team lost three away games in the season. File Photo/The Lion's Roar
The men’s basketball team picked up their first loss of the season against Tulane University. The team lost the game 66-89 in the non-conference tournament.
Junior guard Marlain Veal made 26 points, four steals and three assists. He had 11-of-21, which tied his career high for field goals. Junior forward Moses Greenwood contributed with nine points and a team-high nine rebounds. The team shot 35.4 percent and grabbed 39 rebounds.
Head Coach Jay Ladner gave his comments on the game.
“Tulane is a big rivalry force, and we were excited about going down there to play,” said Ladner. “We give credit to Tulane for playing extremely well, and we were still trying to find ourselves a little bit. We were getting some guys just off the injury list. Jordan Capps has just come back and Joshua Filmore who didn’t play. Unfortunately we didn’t play well enough to beat Tulane.”
Ladner explained how the team lost its momentum.
“A big play in the game was right there in the halftime,” said Ladner. “We were down five points, and they get a three-point shot right before halftime, and I think that was a big momentum changer in the game. It kinda took the momentum from us and gave it to them heading to the halftime. And they just outplayed us in the second half.”
The second game was played against the University of Louisiana at Monroe, and the Lions lost 75-86. Senior guard Eddy Polanco recorded 23 points while junior guard Keith Charleston had his first double-double since the 2015-16 season, which tied his career-high 15 points and 10 rebounds. Redshirt senior Jordan Capps chipped in with 14 points and seven rebounds. The Lions shot 40.3 percent and had 35 rebounds.
“The game was a hard call, a back and forth game,” said Ladner. “With a couple minutes to go, we were down two points, and they played better than us. We have to do better in closing the games.”
Ladner noted the improvements from the previous games.
“I thought we played a very high level competition with a very good team having to play away from home,” said Ladner. “I thought we made a good progress from Tulane to the ULM game, very much so. I thought we withstanded better, defended better and executed better on the offense.”
The team played its third game against Valparaiso University, which started their Savannah Invitational. The team lost the game 50-83. Greenwood led the Lions with 11 points and seven rebounds and was tailed by Polanco with his 10 points and five boards. The team shot 32.7 percent and made 32 rebounds. They tied their season-high 21 turnover.
Ladner had appreciation for both the opponents and the team.
“Valparaiso is most likely the best team we’ve played so far,” said Ladner. “Great atmosphere inside their gym, and we were down four with only 12 minutes left, and it kinda snowballed us on the last 12 minutes. But we played very well for the first 28 minutes of the game. The game’s 40 minutes, and we have to do a better job toward the end. But I think our guys played probably the best basketball for the first 28 minutes.”
Ladner commented on the fact that the team played three away games in a week.
“It’s very difficult to play on the road,” said Ladner. “We had to play a lot of games due to financial reasons. We had a weather delay that delayed us in Chicago last night, which put our practicing real late. Unfortunately, that was nobody’s fault. It was just weather, and it very well had a factor on our legs today because we weren’t able to get a proper width. And yes, having to play a number of games, especially with some guys not at full strength, is difficult.”
The Lions will face Kent State University on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 6 p.m. with hopes of breaking the three-game losing streak. The game can be followed live on ESPN3 or KSLU 90.9 FM.