After an embarrassing loss to Presbyterian on Saturday, the Cincinnati Bearcats bounced back 48 hours later to defeat Northwestern State 71-43 at 5th/3rd Arena.
Sean Kilpatrick (photo credit: Brian Baker/Lacking Focus Photography)
Cronin Pleased With Performance
It wasn't always pretty for the Bearcats, but the bottom line is this team needed to respond to the Presbyterian loss in convincing fashion. For the most part they took care of that by shooting 53% from the floor on the night while holding their opponent to 27% from the field.
“Obviously, I don’t think it takes a genius to say that’s the best we’ve played all year and that’s the best team we’ve played all year,” Cronin said. “They remind me of my old Murray State teams. They are very athletic and quick.”
Turnovers have been a problem since the season began, and it was an issue tonight as well with the Bearcats giving it up 19 times including 5 from starting point guard Cashmere Wright. While Cronin wasn't happy with the number, he gave credit to their opponent for making it tough for his team to run their offense.
“They do a great job pressuring the basketball, denying passing lanes,” said Cronin. “We had to make some adjustments with that. They forced Marshall into 22 turnovers. I thought once we settled down and adjusted to their denying and pressure defense, we were able to get the ball into the paint and get to the free throw line. It changed the game.”
As the floor general Wright knows he has to get the problem corrected as the level of competition rises starting Friday night against Marshall.
“I think right now it is more mental than anything else,” Wright said. “I’m thinking too much. I’m trying not to turn the ball over, but it is causing me to turn the ball over (more). If I get back to what Coach Cronin was saying, if you turn the ball over, then ‘oh well,’ just play. Just play aggressive and do your thing. Don’t worry about turning the ball over. Don’t worry about your stats, just keep playing.”
Shaking Off A Bad Loss
Things seemed pretty bleak after the loss to Presbyterian, but everyone got back to work on Sunday with a spirited practice. Obviously Cronin wants to win every game on the schedule, but sometimes a loss can send a message that words just can't express.
“We’ve been through this,” Cronin said. “One thing about my older group, we hadn’t lost to Presbyterian before, but we’ve been through people doubting us. It’s a long year. You don’t ever want to lose to get a wake- up call. It is what it is.”
One of those older guys is redshirt sophomore Sean Kilpatrick who plays with his heart on his sleeve and took the loss to heart. He responded tonight with 13 points and 8 rebounds as he tried to erase the memory of Saturday afternoon.
“Coach let us have it, but then again he told us that it is not only our fault, but it is his fault too,” said Kilpatrick. “That is tough coming from a coach. He is coaching and we are doing all the work really. The last couple days were crazy though. It was kind of embarrassing to be honest with you.”
Mbodj Makes Debut
One key component missing from this team through the first three games was JUCO transfer Cheikh Mbodj who has been nursing a high ankle sprain for over a month. Cronin finally had him healthy enough to make his debut tonight and while he was still rusty from sitting out, he made his presence felt in the paint.
In 11 minutes of action he scored 2 points, grabbed a rebound and blocked a shot as he tried to round into form. It wasn't about numbers yet for Cronin as he tries to round him in to game shape with a tough portion of the schedule ready to begin.
“Cheikh Mbodj has been working out, but it’s not the same as running up and down,” Cronin said. “We needed to try and get him some conditioning. We had to let him go. He was on a 12 minutes or less playing (situation). He’s still nowhere near where he needs to be, but he changes our team.”
The debut of Mbodj is most felt by senior Yancy Gates. The Cincinnati native has carried a heavy load while he has been out and could notice him impact right away tonight.
“Cheikh is going to be a big help,” said Gates. “That took nine minutes off my play tonight. I was able to come out for longer stretches and come back in fresher. That is a big body. Instead of having just me and Kelvin (Gaines), that is a third big body so Coach Cronin can do different things with that; play us together, sub us in. That is going to be real big as he gets into the flow and gets back healthy. For his first night out, he did real good. He didn’t try to force anything. He just came in and tried to find his role and fit in.”
The NeumannKy said...
This is a little outside the box but here's an idea. Maybe Sean is better off the bench. Maybe a big lineup to start would be good. Start 1. Cash 2. Dion 3. Jackson, 4. Yancy 5. Gaines.
Jackson obviously isn't a wing player but he's on of the better passers and has shown the ability to score. Yancy and Dion can obviously score plus you have an enforcer on defense in the middle in Gaines and this lineup would clearly give you a defense and rebounding advantage against other bigs....
Probably a crazy idea.
The NeumannKy said...
This is a little outside the box but here's an idea. Maybe Sean is better off the bench. Maybe a big lineup to start would be good. Start 1. Cash 2. Dion 3. Jackson, 4. Yancy 5. Gaines.
Jackson obviously isn't a wing player but he's on of the better passers and has shown the ability to score. Yancy and Dion can obviously score plus you have an enforcer on defense in the middle in Gaines and this lineup would clearly give you a defense and rebounding advantage against other bigs....
Probably a crazy idea.
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Chad Brendel