That may have been our best win of the season. Ugly W? Yes, but largely due to our tremendous defensive effort. In the 2nd half, D was able to neutralize LaLanne with double teams WHILE shutting down the rest of Umass half court O. That was really impressive.
BTW, LaLanne vs no ANO had a huge impact on the game. He was a force on O, yet even more of a presence on D. It really made us apprehensive of what we could do in the paint until late in the game with the TA SLAMMMM and CJ points. IMO, the game isn't close if this mismatch wasn't present. But it was...and we adjusted.
Being able to overcome LaLanne, AND a poor shooting night, on the road, late in the season, was huge. UMASS is a talented ball club, and we did not back down when they physically challenged our guys. Great job by the players, and the coaching/scouting job was tremendous. Big Big W.
This post was edited on 3/4 10:08 PM by HuntsmanSpider