12.17.06
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| By Rick Ryan Charleston Gazette |
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After four games, the University of Charleston ranked last in the West Virginia Conference in scoring. Not anymore. Marquis Brooks poured in a career-high 31 points and was joined in double figures by seven teammates as the Golden Eagles pounded Ohio University Eastern 140-70 Saturday afternoon at Eddie King Gym. Robert Strickland nearly turned in a triple-double for UC, finishing with 11 points, 16 rebounds and eight blocked shots. “This is the kind of game we needed,’’ said UC coach Greg White, whose team improved to 2-3. “Most of the teams in the league have a game or two or three against this caliber of competition. We opened against some strong teams, and we needed a win.’’ Eastern (3-10), located in St. Clairsville, about 15 miles west of Wheeling, had already played a pair of WVC teams this season, falling to West Liberty State 141-76 and Wheeling Jesuit 113-40. The Panthers, undersized and outmanned, dressed just seven players Saturday and finished the game with five. Their tallest and perhaps best player, 6-foot-6 Aaron Boughner, was ejected with 36 seconds left in the first half after muttering something to an official. At the time, Boughner had nine points, six rebounds and two dunks. Also, Colin Hudson fouled out with nine seconds remaining in the game. Eastern’s presence, however, doled out a lot of holiday cheer in the UC locker room. The Golden Eagles, fresh off their first-semester final exams, entered the game with one win and averaging just 64.5 points. They’d already bettered that by halftime, leading 65-26. “We felt we should have won the Edinboro game [a 77-75 loss],’’ White said. “That was an extremely tough loss for us. But that’s basketball. That’s why you play them. “The hardest week of the year is finals week of the first semester. Nobody’s getting proper sleep. Your practices are never the same; they’re spotty. Ours certainly were spotty. But today I thought we did a good job distributing and sharing the ball. We got a lot of people a lot of minutes.’’ Brooks boarded 24 of his points by halftime. In one stretch of 84 seconds, he scored 12 straight points — three 3-pointers and three free throws when fouled hoisting another. That bumped UC’s lead from 22-8 to 34-8. “I’m trying to get more aggressive the past couple games,’’ said the 6-3 junior guard, “trying to score more because I believe my team feeds off me. I believe if I play hard, then they’ll play hard.’’ The Eagles certainly shot better Saturday. They finished 60.2 percent on field goals, many of them fast-break layups after one of their 22 steals. UC was shooting just 39.4 percent before the game — again, last in the WVC. Others in double figures besides Brooks and Strickland were Austin Weatherington (19 points), Elmore Williams (16), Dustin Kinney and Warren Wallace (13 each), Michael Carey (11) and Ibrahim Marone (10). Kinney also grabbed 10 rebounds. “We needed a feel-good game,’’ White said, “where everybody touched the ball, everybody got plenty of shots and plenty of playing time. It was a good game for the guys on the end of the bench who haven’t played much. They’re the ones who do all the work in practice preparing us for games. A lot of positives come out of games like this, mostly your confidence.’’ Eastern was led by Nick Ongley’s 17 points. Point guard Jon Miller added a dozen, but was charted with 13 turnovers. UC plays once more before its two-week holiday break, when it meets Chowan, N.C. (4-5) at Eddie King Gym Monday night. The Eagles hope Saturday’s slick shooting carries over from the weekend. “The past couple games, we haven’t been shooting pretty good, but [Saturday] I believe we shot the ball pretty good,’’ Brooks said. “Obviously, our scoring [needs improvement],’’ White said. “We’re athletic, but we’ve got to score more consistently. Players are about wins and losses and statistics. That’s what makes your team go around. Games like this really help you statistically. More than anything else, we need to relax and put the ball in the hole.’’ |
