Free throws and rebounding key

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McMaster Men’s Basketball opened their season at home last Wed. Nov. 3 against No. 4 Brock.

The Badgers boasted back-to-back OUA Rookie of the Year winners in forward Dani Elgadi (2014 winner) and guard Johneil Simpson (2015 winner) along with an experienced group that rounded out their starting lineup. Brock went 7-0 against CIS opponents in the preseason, while McMaster’s only preseason loss came to No. 3 McGill. McMaster returned most of their players from last year except for guard Joe Rocca (transferred to Carleton), forward Nathan McCarthy (transferred to Ottawa) and forward Taylor Black who graduated. The Marauders coaching staff also added eight new recruits, and forward Jason Quiring returned to the team after a one-year absence.

The crowd at Burridge for the home opener made it feel like an OUA playoff game. McMaster took a 38-29 lead over Brock to the halftime break but a 31-18 Badgers third quarter swung the lead and momentum in the Badgers favour and they never looked back.

The Badgers won 83-75.

The combination of McMaster missing crucial free throws down the stretch and not being able to consistently secure the ball hurt them in the end. The Marauders turned the ball over 23 times and shot 57.7 percent from the line. Brock scored key second-chance points in the second half as a result of their aggressiveness on the offensive glass and made just enough shots, which made it tough for the Marauders to mount any comeback. Mac had quality opportunities to come back but couldn’t find the bottom of the net.

While the total rebounding battle appears close with McMaster grabbing 37 and Brock grabbing 43, the real disparity is shown on the offensive glass where the Badgers secured 20 offensive rebounds compared to McMaster’s 12. Another staggering stat is that the Badgers scored 25 second-chance points, over a quarter of their point total.

Assistant Coach Seth Wearing knows this has to change going forward.

“Turnovers and offensive boards hurt us against Brock. Offensive boards hurt us a lot,” said Wearing. “We didn’t shoot free throws well either. That didn’t help. Brock’s a good team. They’re No. 4 in the country for a reason.”

On Nov. 7 McMaster made their first ever road trip to Sault Ste. Marie, ON, to play the Algoma Thunderbirds. The banged up Marauders found a way to work with what they had and pulled out a solid 86-56 road victory to even their regular season record at 1-1. Despite the lopsided victory, McMaster shot 56.3 percent from the line and turned over the ball 17 times.

“Algoma was different. Matt Quiring got his first CIS start. We defended and rebounded well. We got out on fast breaks and got easy scores,” said Wearing.

McMaster outrebounded Algoma 35 to 26 and secured nine offensive rebounds.

First-year guard Chris Thompson saw significant playing time and left the coaching staff with a positive impression scoring 13 points in 19 minutes in addition to two assists, three rebounds and three steals. With his tenacious defense and lack of fear of attacking the paint, Thompson could see his role expand a bit more.

“We learned from the Brock game that we needed to play him. The Brock loss taught us that. Other than the fact that we have to limit turnovers and defend our backboard better, we need to play Chris,” Wearing said.

McMaster is trying to figure out their identity and slowly coming to see what works and what doesn’t. It’s about finding a way to play the cards you’re dealt, says Coach Wearing. The Marauders have great pieces if used effectively and efficiently.

“We need to take advantage of our athleticism, our ability to play in transition, and make threes. We need to use our length and athleticism to force turnovers and get out in transition. It has to start with our defense and our ability to force turnovers,” Wearing said.

Photo Credit: Jon White/Photo Editor

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