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Monday, November 27, 2006
AU - MSM gameblog
We have zero connectivity here at Mount Saint Mary's Knott Arena.

After 20 minutes trying to connect, downloading the "security client" (4 times) and rebooting, the guy says, "Oh ... you are using a Mac?"

So we can't live gameblog, but we can keep a little in-game notebook to post as soon as we reach the Internet, which we are pretty sure is located 50 miles back up Route 15.

  • About Mount Saint Mary's ... a version not found in the tourism books. This small, Catholic enclave of higher learning is located in rural, northern Maryland, It's about 25 miles north of Frederick, maybe 10 south of Gettysburg, Pa., which is the nearest place you'll find any Applebees, Damon's type national chain eateries.

    There's a McDonald's about a mile north of campus ... nothing in walking distance, at least not as the term "walking distance" is defined in most locales. Who knows how far a college kid will walk when stranded in the Catoctin Mountains. It's a beautiful place to drive through, but a remote place to live.

  • This is our first trip to Knott Arena since the Charlie Woollum days at Bucknell, when we once did color with Bob Behler for a game against the Mount. Knot is a cozy place, with a high school gym feel brought on b y the wooden, pull-out bleachers.The announced crowd of 910 is scattered on both sides, with a fairly decent student contingent occupying the bleachers behind one basket.

  • A Mount sociology professor, dressed all in black plays what can best be described as a soulful, jazz interpretation of the national anthem on alto-sax.

  • A game of runs early. AU holds the Mount scoreless for the first 4:33, opening a 5-0 lead. Then, after going 0 for 3 with four turnovers to start the half, the Mount heated up, going on an 11-2 spurt the next four minutes, taking an 11-7 lead. Au came back with four unanswered to tie it.

  • AU's two big men, Brayden Billbe and Paulius Joneliunas each picked up their second foul in a span of 20 seconds midway through the first half. Billbe got his second at the 11:54 mark, sending Joneliunas scurrying to report in. At the 11:34 mark, Joneliunas gets his second. With both big men on the bench, AU grows stagnant on offense. By the 6:51 mark, Jeff Jones is calling a timeout , most of which he spends in the face of Cornelio Guibunda, the 6-8 sophomore transfer from Georgetown, who is going to have to give AU some minutes this half. At the 5:43 mark, Guibunda is called for offensive goaltending after he interferes with Travis Lay's layin, which probably would have dropped on its own. Jones just stands and stares. Jones is all smiles at the 3:13 mark, though, when Guibundacomes from the weak side to help on D and swats a shot out of the air.

    Guibunda looks very good when he is doing things that come naturally -- the blocked shot, filling a lane on a 3 on 3 break that he finished with ease, putting back a miss. It's things like the halfcourt offense and defense that he still seems to struggle with. By the end of the half, though, he has made a strong contribution, with 6 points, 6 rebounds and a block. If Guibunds can give Jones that every time out, it will allow Billbe and Joneliunas to play a lot more aggressively.

  • Unless Garrison Carr is on the floor at the same time, Derrick Mercer is easily the littlest guy on the floor. He has been playing awful big, though. AU lists Carr at 5-11. There should be an asterisk saying *in heels, with a hat on. He probably has no business trying to take it to the hole on guys like Mount Saint Mary's 6-7 Sam Atupen. Don't tell Mercer that, though.

    Three times in the first half, twice against Atupen, Mercer went strong, hanged in the air and drew fouls. When your guards get the other team's bigs in foul trouble, it makes life a lot easier for your own big men.

    It also opens some things for yourself, like the little pull up junper that kick-started the Eagles' 15-0 end of the first half run.

  • Yes AU has other scoring options, but when Andre Ingram is on, it seems to take the AU offense to another level. When Ingram was off the floor, especially in the absence of the two starting big guys, AU's threat level is not the same. When he is on the floor, and clicking on all cylinders, Ingram just opens things up. He can shoot the three, drive the ball, or pull up for the little jumper.

    It is no surprise that Ingram's return to the floor coincided with AU's end-of-the-half run. Six of AU's 15 points came from Ingram, including a rare four-point play when he was hammered while making a three from the left side of the arc.

  • Despite a brief stretch early, when it seemed every Mount shot was going in (coinciding with their 11-2 run), AU played lights out defense in the first half, limiting MSM to 6 for 24 (25 percent) shooting from the floor. AU also had a 21-11 rebounding edge in the half and outscored the Mount 14-6 in the paint.

  • Jones starts a different lineup in the second half, with Jordan Nichols in place of Billbe. After MSM opens the half with a 9-4 spurt, Jones goes back to the twin towers alignment.

  • Guibunda comes in at the 13:47 mark, giving Jones more athleticism up front. Mount Saint Mary's has closed to within 35-31 at that point and most of their points are coming in the paint off of transition. Guibunda responds with two more blocks and another put back. Since he had only two points all season, Guibunda is having a career night. His 11 first half minutes were more than he had played all season. He didn't have a rebound all season and grabbed six in the first half alone.

    Guibunda stays in about three minutes in the second half, then sits with 8 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. He resumes his spot at the very end of the AU bench when Billbe and Joneliunas return. If he keeps playing like this, though, Guibunda will soon be sitting a lot closer to Jones.

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    • Published at 10:33 PM by Hoop Time.
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