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W&J sweeps Thiel in openers
Those who ventured to Henry Memorial Center Tuesday night for a pair of first-round games between Washington & Jefferson College and Thiel in the Presidents' Athletic Conference tournaments saw the good, bad and ugly of offensive basketball.
For much of the opening game, matching the women's teams, it seemed as if defense was optional. The game was played at a brisk pace, W&J shot a blistering 61 percent in the first half and rolled to a 94-57 victory over the short-handed Tomcats. That was the good offensive basketball.
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In the nightcap, the men's teams played a game in which it often seemed as if scoring was optional. Forget making a shot, for long stretches just attempting one was a monumental task. The Presidents, however, made it a sweep by outlasting Thiel 67-63 in overtime.
Just how much did the teams struggle on offense? Check out these numbers:
n After being tied 31-31 at halftime, W&J made only one field goal in the game's final 15:45.
n During one six-minute stretch of the second half, the Presidents attempted only one field goal.
n Only two Thiel players made field goals in the final 18 minutes.
n W&J made just six field goals after halftime. Thiel, however, didn't capitalize, making only nine of 25 shots over the same period.
The difference in the game was free-throw shooting and the play of W&J freshman Brian Felker. The Presidents made 31 of 38 free throws while the Tomcats were only 14-for-17 from the stripe.
"We sure make it interesting, huh?" said a relieved W&J coach Glenn Gutierrez.
It might not have been so interesting had it not been for Felker. The swingman from Pine-Richland High School came off the bench to score a career-high 19 points. Felker consistently drove through Thiel's man-to-man defense and draw fouls. He converted 11 of 13 free throws and sealed W&J's victory with two technical free throws with 2.1 seconds left in overtime, after Thiel called a timeout but had none remaining.
"Brian Felker played so strong with the ball," Gutierrez said. "He was strong off the dribble and converted free throws."
Felker's development has mirrored that of W&J (13-13). The freshman struggled early in the season but has improved and become a force over the last few weeks.
"He's getting more confident," Gutierrez said. "He's realizing that it takes time for a freshman to get adjusted to playing at the next level. His development has been fun to watch. Brian has a chance to be a special player before all is said and done."
Felker and 6-8 center Josip Lucic-Jozak were the Presidents who consistently found themselves going to the free-throw line down the stretch. Lucic-Jozak also scored 19 points, including nine from the stripe. Lucic-Jozak's most important points came when he grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to give W&J a 60-55 lead with 1:30 left in overtime. It was W&J's first basket since Felker's driving layup with 10:46 left in the second half.
"The discrepancy in the free throws was the difference," said Thiel coach Tim Loomis. "We would have liked to have had the same calls at both ends. ... But in the second half, we just couldn't pull away. We'd get a lead and then (Felker) would get dribble penetration and end up on the line."
Thiel (10-15) had a chance to win in regulation. With the score tied 52-52, the Tomcats committed a shot clock violation with eight seconds left.
Third-seeded W&J will play at second-seeded Grove City in the semifinals Thursday. Top-seeded Bethany will host Thomas More in the other semifinal.
W&J women advance
Jina DeRubbo felt her team was playing sluggish on defense. So the W&J coach called for a full-court press midway through the first half.
It wasn't a bad idea, especially when you consider Thiel had only seven players in uniform and was without Amber Bodrick (concussion), who averages 19 points per game. When Thiel upset W&J on the same court earlier this season, Bodrick made eight three-pointers.
This time, short-handed Thiel wilted under the full-court pressure and W&J turned a close game into a rout by halftime. The Presidents used 16 players and 14 scored at least two points.
The win gives second-seeded W&J (20-6) its sixth consecutive 20-win season. The Presidents play fourth-seeded Westminster in the semifinals Friday at Thomas More.
"Offensively, we played very well," DeRubbo said. "We can score a lot of points, but it will be defense that determines if we can win a championship."
Emily Hays and Maggie Gibson each scored 19 points for W&J and Stephanie Smith had 12.
