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Wednesday, December 05, 2007
(Originally posted Tues. at 10:38 p.m., links added at 8:17 a.m.)
When Tim Clifford is on the floor, Holy Cross is a very good basketball team. Good enough to build enough cushion to survive his absence for 10 minutes of the second half in a 71-66 win at Saint Joe's.
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
OF HOOP TIME
PHILADELPHIA -- It will be a while until Holy Cross plays another basketball game. Last night's matchup at Saint Joseph's was the Crusaders final outing until after finals. But the Crusaders can feel pretty good about themselves for the next 17 days after beating a very good Saint Joseph's by a 71-66 margin.
Tim Clifford and Alex Vander Baan each chipped in 16 points. Kyle Cruze added 13, including a trio of huge second half three-pointers that helped keep the Hawks at bay. Freshman Andrew Beinert added 10 points to give the Crusaders four players in double figures for just the second time all season.
The team shot 50 percent from the field, something it has done just two other times during their 7-1 start. They dished out 22 assists and only turned the ball over 11 times, overall an impressive offensive showing.
Don't let those numbers fool you, though. Holy Cross still won the way it usually does, with lockdown defense.
After the game, Saint Joe's coach Phil Martelli tried shouldering some of the blame, saying he had not prepared his team well enough to attack Holy Cross' 2-3 zone. Truth be told, it was hardly Martelli's fault. He was not the one who went 0 for 11 through the first 15 minutes of the game. It was not Martelli who finished the half 3 for 16 from the field. Certainly he was not the one unable to get the ball inside to All-Atlantic 10 center Ahmad Nivins, who was an offensive non-factor all night.
Credit for much of Saint Joseph's offensive shortcomings is easy to blame, Just put it on the shoulders of the biggest man on the floor -- HC's own senior center, Tim Clifford, who thoroughly outplayed Nivins despite spending a large chunk of the second half on the bench in foul trouble.
Clifford finished the night 8 for 12 from the field, with 7 rebounds, a pair of blocks and a steal. But his biggest contribution shows in Nivins line, where it says the Hawks' star only shot the ball three times, and only made one.
"We were running a 2-3 zone and that is pretty tough on any post man," said Clifford, humbly trying to share the credit with the rest of his team. There are plenty such kudos to spread around, but for the moment, let's concentrate on Clifford, who foiled Bivins all night by keeping a big body on him from behind, with a hand in front of him denying any entry pass the ball.
"I pretty much frustrated him by not letting him get the ball," Clifford said. "If a guy can't tough the ball, he can't score. He can't hurt you."
When Clifford was on the floor, it seemed nobody in a Saint Joe's jersey could hurt Holy Cross in the paint. Up until Clifford picked up his fourth personal with 15:41 to go in the game, on a foul that should have gone against Colin Cunningham, Saint Joe's had scored just one two-point bucket all night. When Clifford sat down, with HC leading by 14, Saint Joe's began attacking the paint. It also started getting some better looks around the arc.
How big is the difference? Ask HC coach Ralph Willard.
"It's huge. Tim takes up so much space. He blocks shots. He changes shots. It also allows us to extend on the perimeter, knowing he is back there if somebody gets beat. When he is in the game, he really extends our defense," Willard said.
If you'd prefer a statistical answer to that question, consider this: While Clifford was on the floor in the second half, Saint Joe's was 8 for 21 from the field. While Clifford was on the bench, they hit 9 of 13.
Clifford was not the only hero. Senior guard Kyle Cruze scored 11 of his 13 in the second half, helping take up some of the offensive slack while Clifford was on the bench. Cruze hit three treys, each seeming to come at crucial moments when the Crusaders needed an answer. Vander Baan also had a pair of big second half threes when Clifford's absence forced HC's offense outside.
The rest of the team helped a little on the defensive end, too. Holy Cross opened the game with a 12-0 run and built the lead to 23-6 before Saint Joe's hit its first field goal of the night, a three by Tasheed Carr. At the half it was 34-21, HC, after the Crusaders held the Hawks to three field goals -- all three-pointers -- in the first 20 minutes. Saint Joe's needed a meaningless three-pointer at the end of the game to avoid shooting below 40 percent for the second time this season. Only Gonzaga, which held the Hawks to 31.7 percent here last week, has defended Saint Joe's better.
Pat Calathes, Saint Joe's 6-10 matchup nightmare at the small forward, finished with 19 points to lead the Hawks, all in the second half, 15 coming during the stretch when Clifford was sitting.
Holy Cross can feel good about this one for a long time. They don't play again until Dec. 22, when they travel to Siena.
Box score | Gameblog | Philly Daily News | Philly Inquirer
When Tim Clifford is on the floor, Holy Cross is a very good basketball team. Good enough to build enough cushion to survive his absence for 10 minutes of the second half in a 71-66 win at Saint Joe's.
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
OF HOOP TIME
PHILADELPHIA -- It will be a while until Holy Cross plays another basketball game. Last night's matchup at Saint Joseph's was the Crusaders final outing until after finals. But the Crusaders can feel pretty good about themselves for the next 17 days after beating a very good Saint Joseph's by a 71-66 margin.
Tim Clifford and Alex Vander Baan each chipped in 16 points. Kyle Cruze added 13, including a trio of huge second half three-pointers that helped keep the Hawks at bay. Freshman Andrew Beinert added 10 points to give the Crusaders four players in double figures for just the second time all season.
The team shot 50 percent from the field, something it has done just two other times during their 7-1 start. They dished out 22 assists and only turned the ball over 11 times, overall an impressive offensive showing.
Don't let those numbers fool you, though. Holy Cross still won the way it usually does, with lockdown defense.
After the game, Saint Joe's coach Phil Martelli tried shouldering some of the blame, saying he had not prepared his team well enough to attack Holy Cross' 2-3 zone. Truth be told, it was hardly Martelli's fault. He was not the one who went 0 for 11 through the first 15 minutes of the game. It was not Martelli who finished the half 3 for 16 from the field. Certainly he was not the one unable to get the ball inside to All-Atlantic 10 center Ahmad Nivins, who was an offensive non-factor all night.
Credit for much of Saint Joseph's offensive shortcomings is easy to blame, Just put it on the shoulders of the biggest man on the floor -- HC's own senior center, Tim Clifford, who thoroughly outplayed Nivins despite spending a large chunk of the second half on the bench in foul trouble.
Clifford finished the night 8 for 12 from the field, with 7 rebounds, a pair of blocks and a steal. But his biggest contribution shows in Nivins line, where it says the Hawks' star only shot the ball three times, and only made one.
"We were running a 2-3 zone and that is pretty tough on any post man," said Clifford, humbly trying to share the credit with the rest of his team. There are plenty such kudos to spread around, but for the moment, let's concentrate on Clifford, who foiled Bivins all night by keeping a big body on him from behind, with a hand in front of him denying any entry pass the ball.
"I pretty much frustrated him by not letting him get the ball," Clifford said. "If a guy can't tough the ball, he can't score. He can't hurt you."
When Clifford was on the floor, it seemed nobody in a Saint Joe's jersey could hurt Holy Cross in the paint. Up until Clifford picked up his fourth personal with 15:41 to go in the game, on a foul that should have gone against Colin Cunningham, Saint Joe's had scored just one two-point bucket all night. When Clifford sat down, with HC leading by 14, Saint Joe's began attacking the paint. It also started getting some better looks around the arc.
How big is the difference? Ask HC coach Ralph Willard.
"It's huge. Tim takes up so much space. He blocks shots. He changes shots. It also allows us to extend on the perimeter, knowing he is back there if somebody gets beat. When he is in the game, he really extends our defense," Willard said.
If you'd prefer a statistical answer to that question, consider this: While Clifford was on the floor in the second half, Saint Joe's was 8 for 21 from the field. While Clifford was on the bench, they hit 9 of 13.
Clifford was not the only hero. Senior guard Kyle Cruze scored 11 of his 13 in the second half, helping take up some of the offensive slack while Clifford was on the bench. Cruze hit three treys, each seeming to come at crucial moments when the Crusaders needed an answer. Vander Baan also had a pair of big second half threes when Clifford's absence forced HC's offense outside.
The rest of the team helped a little on the defensive end, too. Holy Cross opened the game with a 12-0 run and built the lead to 23-6 before Saint Joe's hit its first field goal of the night, a three by Tasheed Carr. At the half it was 34-21, HC, after the Crusaders held the Hawks to three field goals -- all three-pointers -- in the first 20 minutes. Saint Joe's needed a meaningless three-pointer at the end of the game to avoid shooting below 40 percent for the second time this season. Only Gonzaga, which held the Hawks to 31.7 percent here last week, has defended Saint Joe's better.
Pat Calathes, Saint Joe's 6-10 matchup nightmare at the small forward, finished with 19 points to lead the Hawks, all in the second half, 15 coming during the stretch when Clifford was sitting.
Holy Cross can feel good about this one for a long time. They don't play again until Dec. 22, when they travel to Siena.
Box score | Gameblog | Philly Daily News | Philly Inquirer
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