Since Head Coach Derek Waugh began setting the schedule for Stetson in 2001 he has made a point of scheduling high quality non-conference opponents to open the season. This year is no exception and tonight's game versus the University of Rhode Island showed why these types of games will benefit the Hatters when conference season arrives. Stetson may have lost the game on the scoreboard 80-65, but it won the respect of the Rams and earned some well deserved confidence.
Tonight the Stetson men's basketball team took on a physically larger and favored URI squad and did not back down an inch. For the game the Hatters out rebounded the Rams 13-12 on the offensive glass and finished just one rebound shy of the Rams overall (45-44). Although smaller in stature, Stetson took its game down low and benefited with a 19-25 night from the free throw line.
Although Stetson's shooting against the Rams (22-66, 33.3%) was notably better than last night against Florida Atlantic (13-55, 23.6%), it still remains the column on the stat sheet that needs improvement. Hatter fans can feel confident; however, that progress in this area is soon to come. When a player like sophomore Mark Lohuis (Vero Beach, Fla.), who has proven he can shoot “lights out”, is 0-9 from the field... it really is only a matter of time.
“I am very confident that some of the guys on this team who haven't shot the ball well can shoot”, said Waugh. “We have had a tough couple of days in this tournament so far, but in the end these games will make us a much better team.”
For the first 12 minutes of tonight's game the Hatters showed why they have such tremendous potential. With the momentum swaying back and forth, sophomore Sheldon Oliver (Orlando, Fla.) made a layup at 8:56 that put the Hatters on top 21-19. It was the seventh lead change that favored Stetson. Unfortunately it was the last as the Rams outscored the Hatters 22-10 for the remainder of the period.
Coming out of halftime Stetson showed the ocean Center crowd of 933 that it would not be intimidated and was outscored by just one point (37-36) in the second half.
Junior guard Garfield Blair (Orlando, Fla.) who stands 6'5” played inspired basketball taking his offense into the paint for 17 points. He was 6-for-12 shooting amongst the much larger Rams, and was 5-for-5 from the line when he was fouled. Oliver had another solid effort showing why he has been elevated to a starting role. He scored 10 points and led the team in rebounding with nine.
Sunday night the Hatters will take on Georgia Southern in its final game of the Glenn Wilkes Classic. Stetson has shown improvement each night and its confidence is growing. It will not be a surprise to those who have seen the Hatters play this year if the young squad heats up from the field and makes a statement against the Eagles. The 6:00 p.m. game will be televised by the tournament's sponsor, Bright House Networks.
