Box Score
SALEM, W. Va. (Jan. 3, 2018) – The Salem University Tigers men's basketball team pilfered three passes in the final two-and-a-half minutes, but couldn't muster enough offensive firepower to complete its comeback, losing to the Daemen College Wildcats, 77-69.
Looking to infuse more punch into a defense ranked near the bottom half of NCAA Division II in points allowed per game, Salem University incorporated a few more presses and traps.
The strategy is sound, in theory. With
Jarius Farrow,
Marko Tutunovic and others working their way back into the fold, bolstering Salem's depth, the Tigers have some mobile length on the wings with shot blockers
Malik Toppin and
Ferlandis Penny providing support at the rim. Additionally, a few more steals per game might provide balance to a ledger that often finds the Tigers on the wrong end of points off turnovers.
Schematically, no press or trap is difficult to figure out. Bringing another man towards the ball opens a pocket of space on the floor and a temporary advantage for the offense. The catalyst for these tactics is pressure at the point of attack, forcing ball handlers to make decisions faster than they can read the floor.
Without pressure, a defense is exposed and easy to read.
One of Salem's first attempts to extend pressure in the first half was executed without intensity, giving Daemen's Jay Sarkis a walk-up 3-pointer after the first wave of defense was broken with only one pass and no defensive rotations behind it.
Whether in zone, man-to-man, or an extended defense, a lack of defensive pressure in the first half gave the Wildcats a bevvy of options, getting points from eight different players in a balanced scoring attack led by Sarkis' nine points (3-for-4 from the 3-point line) and Andrew Sischo's eight points (3-for-5) and six rebounds.
The Wildcats assisted on 11 of its 14 made first-half field goals, hitting 46.7 percent from the field, including 6-for-13 from the 3-point line (46.2 percent) to offset strong first-half performances from
Reggie Oliver (nine points, five assists, 4-for-8 shooting) and Toppin (eight points, four rebounds, 4-for-6 shooting), giving Daemen College a 38-36 halftime lead.
Salem University picked up its defensive efforts in the second half, holding Daemen College to 37.8 percent shooting—and 30.8 percent from deep—but were felled by a season-long Achilles' heel: turnovers.
The Tigers committed 11 turnovers in the second half, including nine live-ball turnovers, fueling the Wildcats' 17-11 advantage in points off turnovers for the game and extending Daemen College's lead to by as much as 17 points.
Once Salem settled its offense, it slowly chipped away at its deficit, pulling to within three on back-to-back steals in the backcourt by Tutunovic, getting a layup and an assist. But the Tigers managed only three points the rest of the away, missing a slew of open looks and free throws over the final two minutes.
Toppin and Oliver finished the game with 14 points each as the only Salem players in double figures.
Darren Montgomery added nine points and Tutunovic pitched in eight points and three steals.
Four of Daemen's five starters finished in double figures, led by Breon Harris and Darius Garvin, who each scored 15 points. Aleks Miljenovic added 10 points off the bench.
With the loss, the Tigers drop to 4-10 on the season, extending their losing streak to five games and bringing their home record to 4-4. They will hit the road for the next two games, playing Kentucky Wesleyan College on Jan. 10 at 7 p.m., and Oakland City University on Jan. 14 at 4 p.m.
