Concordiensis

Issue date: 2/1/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Matt Beenen/Concordy Joe Mackey played well in Union's loss, scoring 16 points.

Men's basketball remains in a tie for first place in the Liberty League despite suffering a setback in the form of a 76-49 loss to St. Lawrence last Saturday. The Dutchmen fell to the Saints after narrowly defeating Clarkson the previous day, putting their record at 5-2 in league play and 8-9 overall. St. Lawrence also improved to 5-2 in the Liberty League with their win, and in addition to the Saints, Hamilton and Vassar also boast 5-2 league records. The four teams with the best records in league play move on to compete in the league championship tournament, but the seedings are still very much up for grabs. If the Dutchmen fare well in the second half of their league schedule, they have an excellent chance to secure home court advantage in the Liberty League tournament.

First, the team must return to their winning ways after a disappointing loss on the road against St. Lawrence. The Dutchmen were thoroughly outplayed in this one, as the unfortunate combination of torrid shooting by the Saints and an off night offensively for Union led to a blowout loss. Union shot just 29.8 percent from the floor in the contest, by far their worst showing of the season, while St. Lawrence shot 55.4 percent, including 63 percent in the first half.

Early on, the game looked as if it would be a close one, as the score stood at 15-14 in Union's favor close to midway through the first half. But St. Lawrence soon distanced themselves from the Dutchmen on the strength of a barrage of three pointers, tough defense, and some early foul trouble for Union's starters. By the time the half was over, St. Lawrence had a commanding 44-28 lead, as Saints guard Matt Blue led the way with 12 points on perfect 4-4 shooting from long range. Only Joe Mackey's 14 first-half points kept St. Lawrence from building an even larger lead. The second half proved to be more of the same, however, as Union failed to establish a rhythm offensively and the Saints continued to pile up the points. All in all, it was simply a bad time for Union to have an off game, as all teams do, since St. Lawrence was clearly energized by the opportunity to defeat Union on their home court and move into the thick of things at the top of the Liberty League. While the Saints are a strong team and a formidable opponent, you can be sure that the Dutchmen will be very eager to prove that this game was a fluke when the Saints head to Union for a rematch later this month.

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