Game Notes: Robert Morris University @ North Central College (12/17/16)

Final Score
Robert Morris 77, NCC 70

Game Summary
It was a subpar game for the Cardinals (6-3) as they struggled to get anything going for about three or four minutes. The Eagles (9-4) led 6-3 early before the Cardinals got a 7-0 run going to take control, but the Eagles were right back in it and took control of the game. Robert Morris would lead by as many as seven with about two minutes before halftime, but the Cardinals scored eight unanswered points to take the lead, but the Eagles grabbed it right back to take a 34-33 lead into the break. North Central came out flat to start the second half as Robert Morris opened the first three minutes on a 12-2 run to take firm control of this one. They pushed the lead as high as 15 a couple minutes later before the Cardinals finally woke up. They cut the lead to as low as eight over the next three minutes, but the Eagles hit a pair of threes to ultimately end the Cardinal threat. They led by as many as 17 before the Cardinals chipped away in garbage time.

Key Stats

• Darius Paul (RMU): 7-10 FG (1-1 3PT), 5-6 FT; 20 pts, 10 reb (4 off). I figured going into this one that we would have a good battle between Paul and Alex Sorenson, and Paul clearly won the war. He was able to get to the basket with relative ease and did a good job on the glass. He was also a solid defender with his length down low.
• Erwin Henry (NCC): 11-20 FG (1-3 3PT); 23 pts, 5 reb (1 off), 2 ast. Don't let this stat line fool you; Henry had a good game overall, but most of his points came late when the game was effectively over. He got a few easy layups in the final minute to pad his stats, and seemed to be one of the few who cared in this game. He was one of the guys who helped bring North Central back while it was still a game, but he committed a dumb loose ball foul, his fourth, that forced him out of the game.
• Jack Bronec (NCC): 3-4 FG, 2-2 FT; 8 pts, 9 reb (3 off), 1 stl. Jack was a key for me coming into the year as someone who was supposed to show a lot of promise, and as a key piece off the bench to relieve Alex Sorenson. He did a phenomenal job of that tonight as one of the few guys who seemed to really care, as he did a great job on the boards, and showed some promise offensively (though his miss was pretty ugly, and was a makable shot). That one nit aside, he played very well.

Final Thoughts
I don't know why, but this team is struggling. Granted, they played without Connor Raridon, who has a hand injury and will miss a significant chunk of time, but I don't know that Raridon would have made a difference. The Cardinals were a bipolar team today; they had stretches where they played to their potential, and other times where they looked lackadaisical. I've heard secondhand talk about D-Term at North Central being a cause, and maybe there's something to it.

If you look at the minutes, Jagger Anderson sat for a big chunk of the second half after some lazy defense, and Alex Sorenson only played 24 minutes, possibly because he also looked out of it. It made for some good minutes for guys like Bronec and Matt Cappelletti, who is going to get some significant playing time with Raridon out.

North Central closes out the calendar year on the road, as they play a tournament in Fort Lauderdale next week, then have a week off before heading up to Stevens Point. After that, we resume CCIW play. Hopefully the Cardinals have their act together for Augustana and North Park, two tough tests for when we resume.