As Coach Al Skinner put it, this team is still "a work in progress." After a sloppy 67-55 win over South Carolina-Upstate I would have to agree with him.
BC fell behind early due to sloppy defense and turnovers. They forced too many passes into traffic down low. On defense, they got caught switching late off screens and picks giving Upstate some open looks. BC gained the lead before the half when they put in a lineup of Elmore, Roche, Raji, Dunn, and Paris. Roche led the way with 4 three pointers during this stretch. Skinner put in this group to bring "a new energy into the game."
BC was able to get several double digit leads, only to lose them. SC-Upstate hung around until Rice re-entered around the 5 minute mark and Roche promptly hit his 5th 3 of the game. Tyler finished with a career high 17 points (5-7 from three point land). BC also got 16 points from Trapani and 13 points and 12 boards from Raji.
Coach Skinner acknowledged the team did not show up to play today and may have overlooked a winless squad on a Sunday afternoon. Skinner said this team is "not talented enough" to simply show up to play. I have to agree with him here, but then again, I probably wouldn't be too motivated to play a winless team at 1 pm on Sunday in front a couple hundred spectators. Obviously we want to see BC crush every inferior team they play, but we know this is unlikely to happen because of these various factors. I am not too concerned about the team's play today and I think we rebound against with a much better effort against Providence.
Key Stat of the Game: 0
Zero, as in the amount of points Tyrese Rice scored this game. He didn't seem to be trying to score, as he was very passive offensively. BC still won, but we need Rice to score to win against better opponents its plain and simple. Coach Skinner was more concerned about Rice's 6 turnovers than his 0 points. He said his turnovers were an "indication of doing not enough or too much."
Highlight Reel: Sanders hustling back to swat a fast break dunk attempt by SC Upstate. It was a tremendous display of athleticism and jumping ability.
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