Well that was a little unexpected. Or maybe it wasn’t? Whatever your feelings were ahead of Wednesday’s non-conference contest against Kennesaw State, the outcome left much to be desired. While the shooting was there for the Niners, who improved to 10-7 on the season (2-2 in league play), sharp outside shooting by the visiting Owls (3-16) and a rebounding advantage (through most of the game) kept KSU in the game much longer than the sparse crowd in attendance would have liked.

Despite the relatively close score, the Niners did well to limit Markeith Cummings, the explosive F who typically leads KSU in scoring.  Cummings managed 14 points; however, it took him 13 shots to get there. What kept the Owls close was the inside play of Aaron Anderson and the outside marksmanship of Delbert Love, who obviously had a sense of agape for the 3 point shot which was certainly reciprocated (unlike any of cpip’s advances). Anderson, though he managed just 6 points, collected a whopping 17 rebounds including 5 on the offensive glass. Anderson’s pigmentally-

challenged frame (you know what we mean) stood at a mere 6’7″, his technique was unremarkable (wasn’t boxing out) and his athleticism was nothing to write home about (see the previous note on melanocyte content); however, he was literally everywhere on the defensive glass. What’s left was effort and Anderson certainly displayed that as he and his teammates routinely beat the Niners to loose balls and rebound opportunities. It was a lethargic effort for the men in green and Kennesaw State seized upon that indifference to make a game that shouldn’t have been close way too close for comfort.

Matching the degree of Anderson’s rebounding accomplishments on offense was the shooting of Delbert Love. Cupid’s arrows were connecting from long range as Love connected on 6-12 from outside the arc on his way to a game-high 26 points. Love also had several layups that were not as strongly contested as they should have been and routinely engaged in trash-talk with Pierria’ Henry.  But who can blame him?  He was getting the better end of it on offense and was almost single-handily keeping his team in the game offensively. Spencer Davis, er Dixon gave the Owls a little lovin’ as well with 13 points, the only other Owl in double figures in scoring; however, it took him 16 shots to get there. Kobe Bryant is probably nodding somewhere in approval.

The Niners were led in their efforts by So. DeMario Mayfield who finished with a team high, and career high, 25 points. The athletic G/F from Georgia showed a resurgence in his jump shot, connecting on 3-6 from outside. Add to that, an array of nice finishes at the rim, including two thunderous first half dunks that left us thinking his eye appointment last Friday may have served his shooting well. The only surprising aspect of his performance was the relative lack of rebounds (3) and assists (1) he finished with. The later was mostly the result of being the recipient of some nice passing (Pierria’ Henry with 7 assists), as the Niners finished with 18 assisted shots for 21 FGs, an outstanding ratio.

Javarris Barnett finished with 13 points on 4-7 shooting from outside and Chris Braswell was the only other Niner in double figures finishing with a quiet 13 points on 4-6 shooting from the field. Though Braswell did not receive as many touches or even shot attempts as one would normally like, he made up for it with selectivity and some of his best passing of the season, adding a pair of assists to go with only 1 turnover.

One player who stood out for the Niners was local Fr. Terrence Williams.  Williams played 20 minutes and collected 7 points and 9 rebounds.  Those numbers would have been better if he managed to convert his free throws though, as he missed 5-10 from the charity stripe.  Still it was a good all-around performance for Williams, particularly with his rebounding as he helped turn what was once a game-long rebounding disadvantage to a +7 margin by the end of the game.

Reading this column, one might get the sense that despite the close score, there was a number of good individual performances.  That would be true.  What kept the game close though was a collective lack of effort/urgency from the Niners, particularly on the defensive end. Delbert Love got free way too many times for open shots, which he hit most of. Many loose balls ended up in the hands of Kennesaw State players, most often it seemed to be Aaron Anderson’s hands. Though the Niners only turned the ball over 10 times, fans couldn’t help but feel those turnovers were sloopy, disinterested turnovers which came from our own errors, not anything Kennesaw State was doing.

The path turns much more difficult this Saturday with a trip to Foggy Bottom to face the George Washington Colonials. Despite the 7-11 record, GW is already 2-2 in conference play with a thorough 18 point win over Richmond at home. If the Niners take Saturday’s game as lightly as the Kennesaw State game, expect a loss.