By Chris Vaccaro
The score was 30-24,the Pride was on a 12-3 run, and the crowd was an obvious sixthman, but that lead and momentumdidn’t carry into the second half. After junior guard Carol
Rivera’s three point shot sentthe Pride into the locker room with the lead, the ball didn’t fall in the Pride favor any longer. From botched lay-ups to missed open shots from guards Antoine Agudio and Loren Stokes, the Pride was sent packing in its 61-51 NIT quarterfinal loss to Old Dominion at Hofstra Arena last night.
“There were no excuses at the end,” Pride head coach Tom Pecora said. “We had a great dinner, but didn’t have a great dessert.” Agudio led the Pride with nine first half points, but was held to just four in the second half (he still led the team in scoring with 13).
The Pride’s 23.5 second half shooting percentage was a major decrease from the 41.4 percent shot in the first half. Stokes was quiet during the first 20 minutes scoring just four points while adding eight in the second half.
The Pride’s shots weren’t falling at all midway through the second. “In the first half we were making shots,” said Stokes, who had a key lay up with 52 seconds remaining to keep the Pride within striking distance.
“They wanted it a little more than we did. We missed shots we usually make.”Monarch head coach Blaine Taylor was a little worried aftertrailing at the half, and drew from his experiences againstmajor conference opponents earlier this season. “I was concerned,” Taylor said. “But we’re an experienced team. We beat schools from the SEC, Big 12 and the Big East. We put the stat sheets away and played our game.”
The Monarchs game,drenched with heavy zone defense and a fast shooting rotation,changed after the first half and kept the Pride busy.
“They’ve thrown that at us before,” Pecora said. “You have to hit your sweet spots against the zone, but nothing was falling for us.”
When senior Adrian Uter rose after lying on the floorwith a poked eye in the final three minutes of the game, the crowd got up, but the Pride remained down. Pecora said this was the worst half the Pride put together all season.
“Fatigue was definitely a factor,” said Pecora, who realized the traveling after Monday night’s game against Saint Joseph’s took a toll on the team. “It’s late in the year, and it was just one of those nights for our guys.” Pecora also said he made a mistake leaving less experienced players in during the second half. “We lost our legs a little bit,” he said. “In hindsight maybe I shouldn’t have gone to the bench as early. Your emotions get to you, and I waswrong.”
Pecora called a timeout with 1:43 remaining and the Pride down, 54-51. He said rebounds were a main problem after not being able to get their hands on anything or back tap for a chance to fight for the ball. The Pride did not hit a single three point shot in the second half, while Monarch senior guard Isaiah Hunter hit clutch shot after clutch shot. Pecora added that he’ll be on the road tomorrow recruiting additional players who can help the team down the stretch late in games.
