Saint Joseph's can't catch feisty Rider Philadelphia Daily News
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - They weren't playing the Wachovia Center this time, but Saint Joseph's-Rider still had an NBA-type of feel - especially in the first half - even in what looked and felt like a high school gym.
The atmosphere was still loud, albeit more congested. Anything but paradise. However, the play on the court was wide-open and fast-paced, with shots being hoisted seemingly every second.
The style seemed to suit both the Hawks and the host Broncs, a pair of teams that like to run and get up and down the floor.
But when it came down to the individual battles, once the race turned into a crawl toward the finish line, St. Joe's just failed to execute, whether it was rebounding or making a key stop at the defensive end. Rider, on the other hand, won the loose balls and came up with crucial baskets.
In the end, that's what sealed the Hawks' fate, an 81-73 loss to the Broncs last night in front of a sold-out crowd of 1,650 in Rider's Alumni Gymnasium. St. Joe's beat Rider in their opener last season, Nov. 14 at the Wachovia Center, 69-57.
"The difference to me was really when they needed a bucket, they shot layups. When we needed one, we were taking jumpers," said St. Joe's coach Phil Martelli, whose team's losing streak increased to three after a 3-0 start. "We had some decisions offensively that were too quick.''
Those quick decisions worked wonders for St. Joe's in the first half, when it shot 55.2 percent. However, the Hawks trailed at the break, 43-40, as they allowed Rider to shoot 51.4 percent. The Broncs ended up outrebounding the Hawks, 20-11, in the half, registering nine offensive rebounds and 14 second-chance points.
The Hawks outscored the Broncs, 50-24, in the paint, but Rider outrebounded St. Joe's, 44-32.
"We need guards to be involved in the rebounding, and we're counting heavily on our frontcourt - one of them - to be a double-digit rebounder," Martelli said. "So we just need to keep talking about it and challenging people."
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - They weren't playing the Wachovia Center this time, but Saint Joseph's-Rider still had an NBA-type of feel - especially in the first half - even in what looked and felt like a high school gym.
The atmosphere was still loud, albeit more congested. Anything but paradise. However, the play on the court was wide-open and fast-paced, with shots being hoisted seemingly every second.
The style seemed to suit both the Hawks and the host Broncs, a pair of teams that like to run and get up and down the floor.
But when it came down to the individual battles, once the race turned into a crawl toward the finish line, St. Joe's just failed to execute, whether it was rebounding or making a key stop at the defensive end. Rider, on the other hand, won the loose balls and came up with crucial baskets.
In the end, that's what sealed the Hawks' fate, an 81-73 loss to the Broncs last night in front of a sold-out crowd of 1,650 in Rider's Alumni Gymnasium. St. Joe's beat Rider in their opener last season, Nov. 14 at the Wachovia Center, 69-57.
"The difference to me was really when they needed a bucket, they shot layups. When we needed one, we were taking jumpers," said St. Joe's coach Phil Martelli, whose team's losing streak increased to three after a 3-0 start. "We had some decisions offensively that were too quick.''
Those quick decisions worked wonders for St. Joe's in the first half, when it shot 55.2 percent. However, the Hawks trailed at the break, 43-40, as they allowed Rider to shoot 51.4 percent. The Broncs ended up outrebounding the Hawks, 20-11, in the half, registering nine offensive rebounds and 14 second-chance points.
The Hawks outscored the Broncs, 50-24, in the paint, but Rider outrebounded St. Joe's, 44-32.
"We need guards to be involved in the rebounding, and we're counting heavily on our frontcourt - one of them - to be a double-digit rebounder," Martelli said. "So we just need to keep talking about it and challenging people."
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The Brennans were there last night... although I'm still waiting for my pretzel change from Corinne.
Snickers is ready to pull the sleigh ;-)
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trouble in martelliville - gonna be an ugly year
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