Finding ways to win

[randy]

Nov 17, 2001: Alabama St (1-0) @ Buffalo (0-1)

Pregame Notes

• BUF likes to take a lot of outside shots
• SG Haven Wilkerson with a slight injury (sore calf, 91%) but he'll play

Tip off

SG Haven Wilkerson got us to a good start scoring our 1st 7 pts; however, I have to limit his minutes today because of his injury.
12:48, Tied at 12

Our m2m defense has tightened up. BUF shooting only 28% FG
7:29, Up 21-15

Gallant effort by SG Haven Wilkerson, who is not 100% today, but still managed to score 11 pts in 11 mins. And we're getting quality minutes again from C Robbie Wise, 6 pts, 6 rebs


Halftime, Up 38-26
In our last game, the bench scored 24 pts. Today in the 1st half, they have accounted already for 19 of our 38 pts.


Start of 2nd half

BUF got into turn over problems, which we took advantage to increase our lead.
12:52, Up 51-34

More turn overs for BUF (18 already). Aside from C Robbie Wise, our 2 other freshman SG Drew Walker (12 pts, 2 3PT) and SF Thurman Clark (6 pts, 2 3PT) also having good offensive games.
7:41, Up 61-41

I didn't even bother to bring back SG Haven Wilkerson after playing only the 1st few minutes of the 2nd half. Excellent job by our bench again.


Final Score: Alabama St - 75, Buffalo - 54
Our 3 freshman combined for 28 pts and 14 rebs. For the 2nd straight game, we had 20+ assists.


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 13, 3, 0
Andrews 13, 2, 1, 2 stls
Walker 12, 2, 0
Wise 10, 11, 5, 3 stls, 3 blks (*)
Perkins 9, 2, 1
Clark 6, 1, 2
Victor 3, 2, 7, 3 tos
Hillier 3, 0, 0
Walls 2, 3, 2
Popp 2, 2, 0, fouled out
Scott 2, 1, 2
Hawkins 0, 0, 1
Reuter 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 46-33%
REB: -10 (-7 off rebounds)
TO: -12 (BUF: 20)
Pts in paint: +12
2nd chance: -3
Fast break: +8 (we scored 18)
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Nov 21, 2001: Alabama St (2-0) @ UC Irvine (0-3)

Pregame Notes

• This UCIRV's home season opener, after losing their 1st 3 on the road, giving up an average of 84 ppg

Tip off

More than 6 minutes into the game, and no one has converted a FG. We are having difficulty breaking UCIRV's 1-3-1 zone.
13:36, Up 2-1

We went into a mini-run as UCIRV started to throw the ball away (7 turn overs. C Robbie Wise coming up big off the bench once again, 6 pts, 3-3 FG.
7:44, Up 16-9

We led by as many as 15, but UCIRV beginning to hit their outside shots to make a run before the end of the 1st half.


Halftime, Up 31-23
We'll use m2m defense exclusively in the 2nd half, as UCIRV is showing signs of settling down on their offense.


Start of 2nd half

UCIRV is on a roll, and has not failed to score on their 1st 10 possessions of the 2nd half. SG Haven Wilkerson trying his best to keep our team in the lead, scoring 12 of his 18 pts in the 2nd half.
13:25, Up 45-43

UCIRV just tied the game on 2 FTs. Both teams in the penalty. UCIRV started the game missing more than 10 straight FGs, but somehow they now manage to shoot up their FG to more than 50%.
7:58, Up 52-52

It became our turn to throw the ball our way (14 turn overs), allowing UCIRV to have momentum. We're not getting any offense from SFs, so we'll go with a 3-guard lineup
5:31, Down 55-56

We can't get anything to fall on our offense. And we even allowed another fastbreak basket to UCIRV, off another turn over. Timeout. We'll try to go more inside
2:40, Down 55-60

SG Haven Wilkerson called for travelling on 2 consecutive possessions. We made 2 stops on the other end, but time is quickly running out. Timeout.
1:29, Down 55-60

ALST: This time, SG Haven Wilkerson making sure he doesnt commit another turn over, drives, and scores.
1:15, Down 57-60

UCIRV: C Robbie called for a foul. They split their FTs. Timeout.
0:51, Down 57-61

ALST: C Robbie Wise gets the ball down low. Wise shoots. Miss
UCIRV: Another foul called. Made 1 of 2. I call my last timeout.
0:31, Down 57-62

Now we need a 3.

ALST: We designed a play for SG Drew Walker, who earlier hit 2 3PTs. Walker shoots from way out. BANG! Still not over. We need to quickly foul though
0:27, Down 60-62

UCIRV: They are not calling a timeout. We foul in the back court. They hit both. We dont have any timeouts left.
0:25, Down 60-64

SG Drew Walker attempting another 3. Miss. UCIRV gets the rebound. They sealed the game with another FT.


Final Score: Alabama St - 60, UC Irvine - 65
We won't get too many opportunities to take a 15 pt lead on the road. To let this one slip away is disappointing.


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 22, 4, 2, 4 tos
Wise 12, 3, 0
Walker 11, 3, 1
Popp 7, 5, 1, 3 tos
Andrews 2, 5, 1
Walls 2, 4, 0
Scott 2, 2, 2
Perkins 2, 2, 1
Victor 0, 2, 5, 2 stls, 3 tos, fouled out
Clark 0, 0, 2
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 40-49%
REB: +2
TO: Even (both with 17)
Pts in paint: +2
2nd chance: +3
Fast break: -1
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Nov 24, 2001: Long Island (3-1) @ Alabama St (2-1)

Pregame Notes

• In their 3 wins, LIU limited their opponents to only 56 ppg. LIU averages almost 11 made 3s per game.

Tip off

Our defense forcing 7 turn overs already on LIU. But our shots not falling, only 38% FG
12:33, Up 10-9

LIU's shooters beginning to find their stroke, while we continue to shoot blanks from the outside. LIU is playing mostly 2-3 zone.
6:48, Tied at 18

We used a 3-guard lineup at the latter part of the half, in which SG Drew Walker (10 pts) and SG Haven Wilkerson (16 pts) started hiting from the perimeter. However, LIU is not far behind, making 5-12 3PT in the 1st half


Halftime, Up 38-32
The 3-guard lineup was somehow effective in breaking the zone, so we'll try to use more of the approach in the 2nd half.


Start of 2nd half

Our interior defense has broken down on a few occasions (capitalizing on our smaller lineup), allowing LIU to get high percentage shots inside. We'll mix in some 2-3 zone in our defense.
12:45, Tied at 46

We hit 2 3s to break a 48-48 tie and take a 6 pt lead. LIU also able to hit consecutive 3s whenever we sneak in a zone defense. We scored the last 3 pts to retake the lead. We'll abandon the zone and play m2m exclusively.
7:48, Up 57-54

We hit 2 more 3s. But LIU scoring their pts on the FT line because of our penalty situation
3:53, Up 63-58

SG Haven Wilkerson scoring our next 4 pts, sandwiching a basket by LIU
2:25, Up 67-60

Another jumper by Wilkerson. LIU scores on 2 FTs.
1:41, Up 69-62

A miss by Wilkerson. But LIU turns the ball over on their next play. We miss another 3.
0:39, Up 69-62

3 possession game. LIU is not yet in the penalty, which is an advantage for us at this stage . We just need to slow down the game ... which we did


Final Score: Long Island - 62, Alabama St - 72
A good back-and-forth game where both teams not allowing the other to make an extended run. Our 2 SGs Haven Wilkerson and Drew Walker combined for 46 pts, taking 43 FGAs out of the team total of 65. Our bigs must learn how to manufacture some offense, when facing a zone defense.


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 28, 4, 2, 3 stls (*)
Walker 18, 5, 1, 3 tos, 4-8 3PT
Andrews 8, 4, 0
Victor 5, 1, 5
Popp 4, 5, 0, 2 stls, fouled out
Walls 3, 5, 2
Scott 3, 2, 5, 3 tos
Perkins 3, 2, 0
Wise 0, 1, 2, 3 stls
Clark 0, 0, 0
Hawkins 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 46-37%
REB: -5
TO: -10 (LIU: 22)
Pts in paint: Even
2nd chance: -9
Fast break: +5
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Nov 28, 2001: Alabama St (3-1) @ Tennessee Tech (5-0)

Pregame Notes

• TNTEC averaging more than 77 ppg, while shooting 49% FG in their undefeated season so far. Jr SG Voshon Arceneaux leads then with 22 ppg, but 5 other players average at least 8 ppg. They are loaded offensively.

Tip off

We've had struggles offensively on the road this season, and this game is no different. We're 1-8 FG, and dug ourselves a hole.
13:22, Down 2-13

We've turned to our bench hoping for some offensive spark. Aside from SF Thurman Clark's 5 pts, no one seems to be in the groove offensively.
7:38, Down 8-19

A little bit of a run. SG Haven Wilkerson started the game 0-6, but converted on his last 3 attempts
4:33, Down 17-24

TNTEC got into penalty. We were able to hit some FTs, and we're back in this game.


Halftime, Down 25-27
We've done our job on defense; TNTEC shooting just 38% FG and committing 9 turn overs. If we can knock down some shots, we'll have a good chance here.


Start of 2nd half

We were trying to keep this game close. Down 33-34 earlier, TNTEC came up with a 7-0 run.
13:05, Down 33-41

Our defense keeping us in this game. SG Drew Walker scoring our last 7 pts.
8:28, Down 40-44

Hard to keep a good scoring team under wraps all the time. TNTEC with another 7-0 run. We need to go all in on defense.
5:49, Down 40-51

TNTEC hit another 3, and then another basket. We go down by as many as 16. Tried our best to shoot our way back, by hitting some 3s, but the deficit is too big already to mount a comeback


Final Score: Alabama St - 51, Tennessee Tech - 62
Limiting TNTEC 15 pts below their average might have been enough to steal a win. But we must not forget to score on the other end. The differential on 2nd chance and fast break pts are huge to overcome


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 17, 4, 2, 2 stls, 3 tos, 7-27 FG
Walker 10, 4, 0
Andrews 8, 7, 2
Clark 5, 0, 1
Walls 4, 2, 1
Wise 4, 1, 0
Victor 2, 1, 3, 3 tos
Hawkins 1, 1, 0
Scott 0, 5, 3
Popp 0, 5, 1
Perkins 0, 0, 1
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 34-43%
REB: -11
TO: -4 (TNTEC: 17)
Pts in paint: -16
2nd chance: -14 (0-14)
Fast break: -19 (4-23)
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Dec 1, 2001: Alabama St (3-2) @ Southern Utah (3-2)

Pregame Notes

• SUT's top 2 scorers are their starting big men, which explains their 51% FG (#5 national). We'll try to challenge them to shoot from the outside.

Tip off

Much better offensive start than our last game. SG Haven Wilkerson already with 13 pts, 5-7 FG. Our defensive game plan working perfectly, as SUT only had 2 field goals (1 was a layup in transition).
10:44, Up 21-4

SUT has hit some outside shots, but we won't mind that as long as we don't give them easy shots inside. SG Drew Walker also having a good shooting game, 10 pts including a couple of 3PT shots.
6:01, Up 32-16

SG Haven Wilkerson scored our last 8 pts, making sure we head to the break with a comfortable lead.


Halftime, Up 40-21
SG Haven Wilkerson's 21 pts equaling the entire output of SUT. We limited SUT to only 4 pts in the paint. Our only concern is our turn overs (8 in the 1st half); we just need to prevent SUT from getting quick transition baskets


Start of 2nd half

SG Haven Wilkerson can't stop scoring, adding 12 more pts (out of our 1st 16 pts in the 2nd half) to up his tally to 33 pts for the game.
13:39, Up 56-29

The other players continue to keep our scoreboard running even while Wilkerson is on the bench; no need for him to come back. SUT hit some shots from the outside, but never really has threatened for a major rally.
7:08, Up 71-42

SUT got to put up some shooting exhibition during the latter part of the game ... against our bench warmers.


Final Score: Alabama St - 80, Southern Utah - 62
We took SUT out of their comfort zone; they put up 28 attempts from 3 (made 11), something they are not accustomed to doing. At the same time, we shot more than 50% FG, a rarity for us on road games this season.


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 36, 7, 1, 4 tos, 14-21 FG, 4-5 3PT (*)
Walker 15, 0, 1
Andrews 8, 4, 3
Perkins 7, 2, 1
Wise 4, 8, 1
Scott 3, 2, 3
Hillier 3, 0, 0
Popp 2, 4, 3
Hawkins 2, 0, 0
Victor 0, 6, 7, 4 blks
Walls 0, 3, 1
Clark 0, 1, 1
Reuter 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 52-34%
REB: +6 (-6 off rebounds)
TO: +1
Pts in paint: +20
2nd chance: -8
Fast break: -13
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Dec 5, 2001: Montana (1-5) @ Alabama St (4-2)

Pregame Notes

• MONT is 0-3 on the road, averaging only 58 ppg in those games.

Tip off

Good start by both teams offensively, shooting above 50% FG.
12:59, Up 14-12

Our bench was responsible for the breakaway. Freshmen C Robbie Wise and SG Drew Walker each with 7 pts.
7:43, Up 29-16

SG Haven Wilkerson and PG Thomas Scott taking over, accounting for 17 of our last 21 pts in the 1st half.


Halftime, Up 50-32
We're shooting 63% FG. MONT has 11 turn overs.


Start of 2nd half

MONT able to score on 8 of their 1st 10 possessions in the 2nd half. But they haven't been able to make stops on the other end. We'll slightly increase our defensive intensity
13:19, Up 65-47

Defense has been optional in the 2nd half, for both teams.
6:01, Up 85-65

The "shooting practice" continued until the end of the game. The 2 teams combined for 92 pts in the 2nd half.


Final Score: Montana - 75, Alabama St - 99
Both teams dishing out 22 assists each. The lead we established in the 1st half was enough cushion for us to secure this high-scoring match. I am pleased on limiting our turn overs to just 8.


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 29, 5, 2, 13-19 FG (*)
Walker 24, 1, 2 3 tos, 8-11 FG, 4-5 3PT
Popp 12, 6, 1, 6-7 FG
Wise 9, 2, 1, 2 stls
Perkins 6, 2, 0
Scott 6, 1, 7
Andrews 5, 3, 2, 2 stls
Walls 4, 2, 1
Clark 4, 0, 0
Victor 0, 2, 5
Hawkins 0, 1, 1
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 64-51%
REB: Even
TO: -8
Pts in paint: +28
2nd chance: -5
Fast break: +19 (23-4)
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Dec 8, 2001: Middle Tennessee St (5-3) @ Alabama St (5-2)

Pregame Notes

• MTST's Sr PG Stephan Peskine averaging 21.1 ppg, 42% 3PT
• SF Terrance Walls not playing today due an injury (sprained wrist, 75%)
  

Tip off

Good shooting start. We're 4-4 3PT, getting a couple each from SG Haven Wilkerson and SG Drew Walker. MTST is just 3-12 FG, two of those shots were from 3PT.
11:09, Up 21-9

MTST coming up with an 8-2 run, as our offense became tentative the last few minutes.
6:44, Up 23-17

Good run to end the 1st half, engineered by SG Haven Wilkerson and PF David Andrews, both of whom finished 12 pts at the half.


Halftime, Up 37-24
We'll start the 2nd half with a 3-guard lineup, as that has been successful wit us during the 1st.


Start of 2nd half

Both teams FG shooting has fallen below 40%. It's our offensive rebounding (10 so far) that allowed us to maintain a double-digit lead.
13:27, Up 45-33

We are executing our plays relatively well, but we missed quite a number of inside shots in this game. We got the lead up to 18, but MTST still not giving up and remain within striking sistance
7:28, Up 54-40

Our poor shooting continued until the end of the game, but the closest that MTST got was within 11 pts. We made enough FTs in the last few minutes.


Final Score: Middle Tennessee St - 49, Alabama St - 61
One game after we shot 64% FG, we made just over a third of our shots today. PG Johnny Victor did a good job defensing against MTST's PG Stephan Peskine (14 pts, 5-15 FG)


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 25, 12, 1, 2 stls (*)
Andrews 14, 10, 0, 4 stls
Popp 8, 8, 0
Walker 8, 2, 0
Wise 3, 2, 2
Victor 2, 4, 4, 4 blks, 3 tos
Perkins 1, 0, 0
Scott 0, 2, 1
Hawkins 0, 2, 0
Clark 0, 1, 2
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 36-33%
REB: +12 (we had 13 off rebounds)
TO: Even
Pts in paint: +12
2nd chance: +9 (11-2)
Fast break: +8
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Dec 12, 2001: Alabama St (6-2) @ Mississippi (2-6)

Pregame Notes

• Much of OLEMIS' games were on the road, and they have struggled offensively away from home. But in their last game, they scored 93 pts in a home win. We don't know what to expect out of them in this game
• SF Terrance Walls still injured (sprained wrist, 85%) and won't play

Tip off

OLEMIS set the tone early with 2 straight triples. But our 4 off rebounds, plus OLEMIS' 5 turn overs, gave us almost double the number of attempts
13:30, Up 12-8

We got into the penalty, and OLEMIS started scoring on the FT line. C Robbie Wise did well to keep us close, 9 pts 3 rebs off the bench.
7:41, Down 22-24

OLEMIS has tightened up their defense, and our shooters not getting any good looks on offense. OLEMIS also has found their range from the outside, 5-10 3PT in the 1st half.


Halftime, Down 30-40
We'll try to favor more inside plays. And also increase our m2m def intensity.


Start of 2nd half

The effort on defense is there, but OLEMIS just making tough shots today. SG Haven Wilkerson having a rough day, 6-24 FG; I'll take him out and see if others can step up.
13:00, Down 37-49

Seldom used PG Travis Reuter and C Chris Hawkins giving us some spark off the bench, combining for 9 pts. But OLEMIS keeps on knocking down long shots (10-19 3PT) against all sorts of double team defense we use. This game is not yet decided though. I'm making a bold move of using my bench the rest of the game.
6:10, Down 49-61

Good try by the bench, esp on defense. We cut it down to single digits, but OLEMIS resumed its hot outside shooting in the end.


Final Score: Alabama St - 54, Mississippi - 73
Our inconsistency on offense beginning to worry me. Starting PG Johnny Victor didn't contribute anything in 20 mins!


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 13, 10, 0, 2 stls, 6-24 FG
Wise 13, 7, 1, 6-8 FG
Andrews 6, 5, 1
Walker 6, 2, 1, 5 tos
Reuter 5, 0, 2
Hawkins 4, 0, 0, 3 stls
Clark 3, 1, 1
Popp 2, 3, 0
Perkins 2, 1, 1
Scott 0, 3, 4
Jones 0, 1, 0
Victor 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 34-45% (OLEMIS: 11-20 3PT)
REB: -6
TO: Even
Pts in paint: +10
2nd chance: +2
Fast break: +2
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Dec 15, 2001: SE Louisiana (4-5) @ Alabama St (6-3)

Pregame Notes

• SELA's top 3 scorers are all guards

Tip off

Our defense nonexistent at the start of the game, and we're being pummeled on the boards. We're also in the penalty early.
13:54, Down 11-15

Reserve big men C Will Perkins and C Chris Hawkins don't usually play together, but in the past couple of minutes, they combined to score 7 pts. Defense has tightened up, forcing SELA to commit 6 turn overs
7:43, Tied at 21

We capitalized on more transition pts as SELA continued to throw the ball away. SG Haven Wilkerson (15 pts) is much more effective driving to the basket, than taking long jumpers.


Halftime, Up 41-34
We scored 15 fast break pts in the 1st half. We have closed the gap on rebounding, but we need more effort on the defensive glass (SELA: 8 offensive rebounds)


Start of 2nd half

We started the 2nd half on a 10-0 run before SELA hit 2 from beyond the arc.. SG Haven Wilkerson continues to attack the basket aggressively, but we're also getting contributions from the other players. SELA has yet to grab a single offensive rebound in the 2nd half.
13:46, Up 54-40

We started settling for outside shots again, and we're not making them today. We need to go heavy inside the remainder of the game.
7:28, Up 62-54

SELA cut their deficit to 5 after converting a 3pt play. We go on a 6-0 run, but SELA also responded with their own 6-0 run. Both teams in the penalty.
4:11, Up 68-63

We extended the lead to 9, but SELA also scoring 4 straight pts.
2:49, Up 72-67

ALST: SG Haven Wilkerson taking a jumper. Miss. He should have attacked instead.
SELA: They quickly hit a 3! Our 17 pt lead earlier is now down to 2. Timeout
2:24, Up 72-70

ALST: C Robbie Wise has it down low. I was yelling from the sideline that he should attack. He passed instead. SF Terrance Walls drives. Miss. Loose ball. We retain possession, but with only 4 secs on the shot clock. Wise forced to receive the pass from the outside. Wise puts up a jumper. Miss. That was an awful possession for us
SELA: They put up a jumper. Miss. They get the off rebound. We got called for a foul. They split their FTs. SELA has missed 8 FTs today. Timeout.
1:40, Up 72-71

ALST: SG Haven Wilkerson settled for a 3. Miss. A head-scratching move. Our offense focus was set to heavy inside
SELA: They also put up a 3. Miss.
ALST: I'm not calling a timeout. We get it to C Chris Hawkins in the low post. He attacks. Shoots. Miss but got fouled. Finally, we went inside. Hawkins gets both FTs to fall. Hawkins having a big game today, 9 pts 8 rebs. Timeout SELA
0:55, Up 74-71

SELA: They forced to take a jumper again. Miss. Timeout.
0:40, Up 74-71

ALST: We can't get it to the post. PG Johnny Victor instead tries to drive. Stop and pop. Pulls up a jumper. It's good.
0:22, Up 76-71

SELA missing their 3pt shots sealed the win. We almost got tripped in this game.


Final Score: SE Louisiana - 71, Alabama St - 78
Our 21 fast break pts more than made up for our cold shooting from the outside (3-16 3PT)


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 26, 8, 2, 4 tos (*)
Andrews 11, 1, 0
Hawkins 9, 9, 0
Victor 9, 3, 6
Wise 7, 2, 1
Perkins 5, 0, 1
Walls 4, 6, 0
Walker 3, 2, 1
Popp 2, 2, 0
Scott 2, 0, 1
Clark 0, 3, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 44-41%
REB: +2
TO: -5
Pts in paint: +24
2nd chance: +5
Fast break: +15 (21-6)
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Production at 3 spot

• SF Terrance Walls: 18.4 mpg, 2.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 33% FG
• SF Thurman Clark: 14.6 mpg, 2.1 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 29% FG
• SG Haven Wilkerson sometime play at the 3, when we're playing a 3-guard lineup

I is clear that we're not having enough offense from the 3 spot. Therefore, we will make some minor changes in our starting lineup

Modified starting lineup

• 1: PG Johnny Victor: 3.0 ppg, 4.8 apg
• 2: SG Haven Wilkerson: 22.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg
• 3: PF David Andrews: 8.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 47% 3PT
• 4: C Seneca Popp: 4.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg
• 5: C Robbie Wise: 7.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg

Andrews plays the stretch 4, so he'll have no problems adjusting to play at the perimeter. Popp and Wise, together with C Chris Hawkins and C Will Perkins, will form a 4-man rotation at the 4/5 spots. Walls can come in for Andrews, and also play the 4 at certain times.