BUENA VISTA, Va. – In the first of two USA South Athletic Conference competitions in Knight Arena this week, the Southern Virginia University men's basketball team (9-8, 2-4) was bested by Mary Baldwin University (9-7, 4-1), 66-60.
The first five minutes featured 10 total turnovers, five apiece, leading to a low scoring affair with each team only scoring six points.
The scoring picked up over the next five minutes with the teams going back and forth. Back-to-back three-pointers by Quentin Hart sparked a 12-0 run for the Fighting Squirrels. The Knights would go on a run of their own to tie the game at 18 just before the under eight media timeout. During the run the Knights worked to get to the basket, leading to eight straight points in the paint, including consecutive layups from
Tyler Kartchner.
Southern Virginia went right back to Kartchner after the timeout, giving the sophomore his eighth point of the half. The Draper, Utah native would end the game with 11 points and nine rebounds, both season-highs.
"Coming into this game Coach John sat me down and talked me up to go after more rebounds and I came in with a chip on my shoulder and stronger drive to pull down more boards," exclaimed Kartchner. "One of the focuses heading into tonight's contest was getting the ball inside because of the size advantage we had against this team."
A 15-5 run to end the half would give Mary Baldwin a 10-point lead as the teams went to the break.
The Knights opened the second stanza on a 6-0 scoring run, causing Coach Matt Griggs to take an early timeout at the 17:15 mark. The timeout could not cool down the Knights, as they were able to cut the deficit to just one point before the under sixteen media timeout.
Southern Virginia took its first lead of the half at the 14:27 mark after holding Mary Baldwin scoreless. An increased emphasis on physicality on both ends of the floor was the special formula for the Knights as they were able to get several tough buckets and protect the rim on the defensive end.
Despite being held without a point for seven-plus minutes to begin the second half, the squirrels were able to fight their way back to take a 40-39 lead with just under ten minutes remaining.
Koa Baker laid in a beautiful attempt that allowed Southern Virginia to retake its lead with 6:44 left to play in the game. Malaki Olson showed his competitive spirit as he was able to score on two consecutive possessions, furthering the lead to 53-49 at the 3:26 mark.
Jaden Ignacio converted an and-one to tie the contest at 56 with just over two minutes to play. On the very next possession, Ignacio would drive past Malachi Olson and draw another foul, leading to a pair of free throws. The pair of successful attempts gave Mary Baldwin a two-point lead.
Back-to-back turnovers by the Knights led to an Ignacio three pointer and a third trip to the charity stripe where he was able to sink both attempts. Ignacio would end the contest with a game-high 21 points.
After an
Abe Connolly free throw cut the deficit to five with 23 seconds remaining, the Squirrels capitalized on confusion from the Knights defense during the ensuing inbound pass, leading to a Brandon Stoudamire dunk which would put the game out of reach.
The Knights would end the match with 24 total turnovers, including 15 in the first half. "Committing 24 turnovers is extremely hard to overcome," declared Assistant Coach
John Wardenburg. "Turnovers are a big issue for this team, a problem that we are continually addressing. We are a work in progress, and learning to play smarter and value the basketball more is something we need to get way better at."
Wardenburg was pleased with the effort on the defensive side of the ball, stating: "our defensive intensity was good tonight. We had 10 'kills' tonight, meaning we were able to get three defensive stops in a row on 10 different occasions. We did a good job of communicating their screens and dribble handoffs and keeping guys in front of us. In addition, we limited Mary Baldwin to just three offensive rebounds. We did give up a couple of open looks in our zone defense which hurt us a little."
On the other end of the floor the Knights were led by
Malakai Olson who scored a team-high 16 points, including 12 in the second half. "I've had a couple film sessions with the coaches and they made me feel like they believe in me and are confident in me so that boosted my confidence going into that second half remembering the things they pointed out," said Olson.
Southern Virginia will now take on Methodist who currently sits at the bottom of the conference standings. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21.
"Our young men are extremely hard workers and are committed to becoming the best possible team we can be," continued Wardenburg. "They know the issues we need to improve and correct. We are looking forward to the next two days of practice to improve and prepare for a very talented and hard playing Methodist team."
"This was a tough loss but we fought hard as a team and I'm proud of my brothers," added Kartchner. "A couple of the biggest things we need to focus on is continuing to follow coach's direction in playing connected as well as taking care of the ball and limiting turnovers."
For all the most up-to-date information regarding Southern Virginia University men's basketball, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_hoops on Instagram.
