Philly Gym Rat (The Perry “QM” McMullin Story)

[PointGuard]

Game #23: Feb. 9, 2019; #11 Albany Great Danes (23-0, 12-0) at New Hampshire Wildcats (15-7, 8-3)

This has become our “big game” of the season. Even though Albany lambasted us when we played them on their court, this is our opportunity to knock off the only undefeated Division I team in the country. Of course, Albany will be focused on beating us to give them a chance at cracking into the Top 10 in the national polls.

The Great Dane’s are led by PG Todd Holbrook (16.3 ppg and 5.3 apg), C Brandon Dickenman (11.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg), SG Paul Kirkland (10.6 ppg and hitting nearly 50% of his FG attempts including 3’s), and PF Jerome Drakeford (9.0 ppg and 6.2 rpg). Holbrook and Kirkland torched us for a combined 46 points in our previous meeting, but the inside duo of Dickenman and Drakeford can also be devastating.

Albany employs a 1-2-2 zone that can be tough to crack. I think we have a chance tonight, but will have to play our best to upset the Great Danes.

Neither team could take control in the first half, but Albany finished the half with a 35-32 lead. They shot slightly better (48% to 42%) than did we. Our top scorer was Bobby Havens with 18 points.

Albany held onto the lead until mdway through the 2nd half, when we pulled ahead by 4 points. But we couldn’t maintain control and the lead shifted back and forth until the Great Danes pulled away in the final 3 minutes.

Final Score: Albany-73, New Hampshire-63. New Hampshire season record: 15-8; American East record: 8-4 (2nd place).

Scoring leaders: Havens-31, Beck-8.

Rebound leaders: Kresse-8, Beck-7, L. Smith-6.

Assist leaders: Strickland-6.

Player of the Game: Albany’s PF Jerome Drakeford-18 pts, 7 reb, 1 assist.

Coach’s Pat on the Back Award: SG Bobby Havens-31 pts, 2 reb, 1 assist, 2 steals.

Other notes: Albany showed just how good a team they are by staying cool throughout the game and taking control when it counted. We controlled the boards 36-28, but Albany hit 51% of their shots while holding us to 40% shooting. The Great Danes also went to the foul line 13 more times and scored 9 more points on free throws than did we.

Albany’s win over us moved them up to #10 in the Media Poll.

Our RPI rating is now 53rd best in the nation. We’re #20 on the “Who’s Out” list of the Bubblewatch.

Bobby Havens was selected as the America East Player of the Week again.

Nate Augustus continues to feel I’m not being fair to him by starting Vernard Strickland at PG. He mouthed off to Strickland again about this. Besides having no relationship with me, Nate’s relationship with the rest of the team is nearly as bad. I talk with him, but he’s resistant to any advice. With such a bad attitude, it’s possible Augustus will transfer. That’s forcing me to begin looking at a PG rather than 2 big excellent big men we had in our sites to fill one of the scholarships we have to offer this year.

[PointGuard]

Game #24: Feb. 13, 2019; New Hampshire Wildcats (15-8, 8-4) at Vermont Catamounts (8-16, 6-7)

Vermont has won 4 of their last 5 including 2 on the road. They’re led by SG Myron Degala (10.0 ppg).

The biggest lead by either team in the first half was 4 points. Vermont hit 60% of their shots, but we forced them to make 8 turnovers and also went to the line 11 more times (scoring 11 more points on free throws) than they did. We held a slim 37-35 lead at the buzzer. Vernard Strickland led our scoring with 8 points.

Midway through the 2nd half we spurted out to a 20 point lead. I put in our subs a little early and the Catamounts cut the lead to 10 points before we again took control.

Final Score: New Hampshire-83, Vermont-69. New Hampshire season record: 16-8; American East record: 9-4 (2nd place).

Scoring leaders: Havens-20, Augustus-16, Strickland-16, Kresse-9, L. Smith-9.

Rebound leaders: Babul-6, Kresse-6, Strickland-5.

Assist leaders: Augustus-7, Strickland-3.

Player of the Game: PG Vernard Strickland-16 pts, 5 reb, 3 assists, 2 steals.

Coach’s Pat on the Back Award: PG Nate Augustus-16 pts, 2 reb, 7 assists, 1 steal.

Other notes: We let the Catamounts shoot too well (56%), but we fortunately shot well also (51%). The big difference in the game was our 19-8 turnover advantage.

[PointGuard]

Game #25: Feb. 16, 2019; UMBC Retrievers (12-12, 6-7) at New Hampshire Wildcats (16-8, 9-4)

We beat the Retrievers by 13 on their own court earlier this year, but SG Sean Smith is scoring 20.7 ppg, so we have to keep him from breaking loose.

We took a 10-0 lead and held onto a double digit lead (increasing it to as much as 18 points) before settling on a 45-30 halftime advantage. Bobby Havens dropped in 11 points to lead our scoring.

We held onto our double-digit lead throughout the 2nd half and finished strong to win going away.

Final Score: New Hampshire-85, UMBC-63. New Hampshire season record: 17-8; American East record: 10-4 (2nd place).

Scoring leaders: Havens-21, Augustus-12, Kresse-12, Kamara-12, Strickland-10.

Rebound leaders: Kamara-10, Kresse-8, L. Smith-6, Augustus-5, Watson-5.

Assist leaders: Augustus-5, Havens-3.

Player of the Game: SG Bobby Havens-21 pts, 3 reb, 3 assists.

Coach’s Pat on the Back Award: PG Nate Augustus-12 pts, 5 reb, 5 assists, 1 block.

Other notes: We outshot the Retrievers 44% to 32%. We out-rebounded UMBC 48-40. Sean Smith scored 18 points for UMBC.

[PointGuard]

Game #26: Feb. 20, 2019; New Hampshire Wildcats (17-8, 10-4) at Stony Brook Sea Wolves (6-19, 4-10)

The Sea Wolves edged us by 4 points when playing on our court earlier this year, so we have some payback to apply. SG Lamont Chase has led Stony Brook with 16.3 ppg.

Both teams shot well (56% for us, 57% for Stony Brook), but we held an 11-5 turnover advantage. In control the entire half with a lead as large as 14, we left the court with a 42-34 advantage. Andrew Kresse and William Kamara both scored 10 points for us.

It took 4-1/2 minutes for us to hit a basket in the 2nd half as Stony Brook whittled our lead to 3 points. We then righted the ship and sailed away to a big lead. Only a series of 3’s by Stony Brook at the end of the game made it seem close, but there was never any doubt about who would win this game.

Final Score: New Hampshire-76, Stony Brook-70. New Hampshire season record: 18-8; American East record: 11-4 (2nd place).

Scoring leaders: Havens-17, Strickland-14, Kresse-12.

Rebound leaders: Kamara-7, Kresse-5.

Assist leaders: Strickland-7, Augustus-4.

Player of the Game: SG Bobby Havens-17, 1 reb, 1 assist, 4 steals.

Coach’s Pat on the Back Award: PG Vernard Strickland-14 pts, 3 reb, 7 assists, 1 steal.

Other notes: With their ending barrage of 3’s, Stony Brook increased their shooting to 52%, but we hit 48% of our FG attempts. We held a 21-12 turnover advantage.

Edvin Jeppson sprained his wrist and will miss our final game of the regular season and possibly the beginning of the Conference Tournament.

Albany was upset by UMBC, 67-56, to end their undefeated season.

[PointGuard]

Game #27: Feb. 23, 2019; Boston Terriers (6-20, 3-12) at New Hampshire Wildcats (18-8, 11-4)

Boston has lost 8 of their last 9 games. C LeRoy Qualls (14.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg)leads the Terriers.

We took control early in the half and gradually increased our lead, finishing with a 43-23 advantage. Our defense was stellar, limiting Boston’s shooting to 28% and forcing 7 turnovers. Bobby Havens led our scoring with 15 points.

We played sloppily in the 2nd half and didn’t shoot well, but kept a comfortable margin throughout the half over the Terriers.

Final Score: New Hampshire-72, Boston-53. New Hampshire season record: 19-8; American East record: 12-4 (2nd place).

Scoring leaders: Havens-24, Strickland-10

Rebound leaders: L. Smith-8, Babul-7, Kresse-7, Beck-6, Augustus-6, Kamara-5.

Assist leaders: 4 players with 2 each.

Player of the Game: SG Bobby Havens-24 pts, 2 assists, 1 steal.

Coach’s Pat on the Back Award: SF William Kamara-6 pts, 5 reb, 2 assists, 3 steals.

Other notes: We hit just 38% of our shots, but Boston put in just 36% of theirs. We dominated the boards, 47-34 and held a 13-8 turnover advantage.

Vinston O’Connor sprained a fingers and will be out for about 10 days.

Our RPI is now 42nd highest in the country.

Albany is #10 in the Media Poll, #11 in the Coaches Poll, and their RPI is 13th best in the nation.

[PointGuard]

Final 2018-2019 Standings for America East Association:

[JMD]

Dang, Albany is such a powerhouse in this association.

[PointGuard]

Yes, they've been quite a surprise. No one would have expected this before the season started. They don't have a dominant player, so it's pretty impressive they've been able to put together such an impressive record.

[PointGuard]

Boston Terriers (6-21, 3-13) vs Stony Brook Sea Wolves (6-21, 4-12)—[The first half went back and forth with Stony Brook coming out of it with a 36-35 lead. Boston got hot in the 2nd half and gradually pulled away. The Terriers hit 52% of their shots, but really won the game at the foul line hitting 25 of 30 free throws. The top scorer for Boston was LeRoy Qualls with 24 points. Lamont Chase had 16 points and Duez Williams had a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds) for Stony Brook. Final Score: Boston-81, Stony Brook-74.]

[PointGuard]

Boston Terriers (7-21, 3-13) vs #10 Albany Great Danes (26-1, 15-1)—[Albany was in control most of the 1st half but couldn’t pull away and finished the half ahead 35-30. But the Great Danes simply crushed Boston defensively in the 2nd half and steadily expanded their lead. Boston hit only 33% of their shots and turned the ball over 17 times while Albany hit 45% of their shots and had just 7 turnovers. Albany also out-rebounded Boston 35-26. Brandon Dickenman scored 23 points for Albany. Michael Shueller scored 19 points and LeRoy Qualls pulled down 12 rebounds for Boston. Final Score: Albany-76, Boston-45.]

Vermont Catamounts (8-19, 6-10) vs Hartford Hawks (12-16, 10-6)—[Hartford jumped out to an early lead, but Vermont established a 42-30 halftime lead. Hartford closed the gap in the 2nd half, but couldn’t overcome Vermont’s 53% shooting. Aleem Townsend and Myron Degala both scored 16 points for Vermont to key the Catamounts upset over the favored Hawks. Scott Hyde scored 16 points for Hartford. Final Score: Vermont-83, Hartford-76.]

UMBC Retrievers (14-13, 8-8) vs Binghamton Bearcats (13-14, 8-8)—[The lead jostled back and forth throughout the first half. UMBC held a slim 34-33 lead at the intermission. The second half was just as tightly contested. There were 20 lead changes and 10 ties in the game between two very equal teams. Sean Smith scored 14 points for UMBC. Rickie Voskuhl dropped in 17 points for Binghamton. Final Score: UMBC-73, Binghamton-69.]

Game #28: Mar. 2, 2019; Maine Black Bears (12-15, 6-10) vs New Hampshire Wildcats (19-8, 12-4)

We’ve beaten Maine twice this year, but one was by the skin of our teeth. SG Reggie Howard is their leading scorer, averaging 17.3 ppg.

We shot well early to take a 16-4 lead, but the refs tried to even things out and Bobby Havens and Vernard Strickland were sent to the bench with 2 fouls each in the first 3 minutes of play. Maine tied the score at 20-20 with about 8 minutes to play. At the intermission, we held a 45-42 lead. Maine hit 52% and we hit 51% of our shots. We held a 17-12 rebounding advantage and a 7-3 turnover advantage. Andrew Kresse led our scoring with 12 points.

We built a 17 point lead in the first 8 minutes of the 2nd half, then expanded it to as much as 20 points before letting Maine close a bit in the final minutes.

Final Score: New Hampshire-85, Maine-70. New Hampshire season record: 20-8; American East record: 12-4.

Scoring leaders: Havens-18, Kresse-14, Augustus-14, Strickland-11.

Rebound leaders: Kresse-11, L. Smith-5, Havens-5.

Assist leaders: Strickland-3, Augustus-3, L. Smith-3.

Player of the Game: SG Bobby Havens-18 pts, 5 reb, 1 assist, 2 steals.

Coach’s Pat on the Back Award: C Andrew Kresse-14 pts, 11 reb, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks.

Other notes: We hit 47% of our shots while Maine dropped in 43% of theirs. we also held a 36-30 rebounding advantage and a 16-9 turnover advantage. Bobby Havens scored all 18 of his points in the 2nd half. Reggie Howard led Maine’s scoring with 15 points, but our defense only allowed him to hit 5 of 17 from the field. Andrew Kresse had a double-double (14 points and 11 rebounds) for us.