St. Joseph's 74 Vermont 64
Highlights courtesy of Catamount TV
Ronald Roberts and Langston Galloway each scored 21 points while freshman Deandre Bembry added 11 to lead the Hawks to a 10 point win in the opener for both teams. Clancy Rugg led the Catamounts with 17 points and Candon Rusin added 15. Brian Voelkel pulled down a game high 10 rebounds. Here is the good, the bad, and the future.
The Good: Clancy Rugg played a very tough game inside and looked every bit the Cats returning leading scorer. He drew tough fouls inside and had the highlight of the night on a putback dunk in the second half. After falling behind early and looking tentative and over matched the Cats clamped down on defense and fought their way back into the game. After allowing Galloway and Bembry to get whatever they wanted on the perimeter in the first half, the Cats kept them in check the entire second half. St. Joes actually only made 7 shots from the field in the second half. There was a stretch in the second half where the Cats defense had St. Joes back on their heels. The interior defense in the second half was solid as well. The Cats had several impressive blocks and got physical with the St. Joes big men. Candon Rusin was impressive as well. His perimeter shot still left something to be desired but he attacked the hoop with authority and seemed stronger and more confident with the ball. If he could give the Cats in every game what he did tonight, this team will be tough to beat.
The Bad: The Cats came out flat. Period. This is very concerning as any team should be able to come out in their home opener with energy and gusto. They looked confused and unprepared as St. Joes did whatever they wanted on offense in the first half. It has been something that has happened too often with this group. It is a good thing that they almost always play well in the second half but somehow they need to get in a groove earlier in the game. The perimeter shooting also continues to let this team down. There is just no one that can consistently knock down perimeter shots. This really makes the offense unpredictable and causes scoring droughts. Several times the offense looked slow and inefficient. This has to change in order for the Cats to reach their goals. Luke Apfeld looked very slow and struggled to find a rhythm. This was partly due to foul trouble but it continued a trend that was visible in the preseason games. Maybe those knees have betrayed him again. O'Day couldn't stay out of foul trouble which will be the only thing that holds him back from becoming an elite player. Carissimo uncharacteristically missed two crucial layups, but I would expect this game to be the exception rather than the rule. Voelkel struggled to find passing lanes and seemed too focused on his frustration with the officiating. Due to the new rules, games are going to slow down in the second half and this one was no different. The second half became a free throw contest and the referees seemed inconsistent and confused.
The Future: The bottom line is that in any season opener there are going to be mistakes and struggles as everyone shakes off the rust and the team tries to incorporate new players. As long as this team improves every game they will begin to see results on the scoreboard. They have a quick turnaround for their Tuesday night match up against Siena.
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