#12 URSINUS EDGES SAINTS IN SEASON OPENER, 82-76
Nov. 21: Despite three players scoring in the double digits, the St. Lawrence University men’s basketball team fell to nationally-ranked Ursinus College 82-76 in the Saints’ 2008-09 season opener at the Williams College Invitational in Williamstown, MA Friday night.
Ursinus, who is ranked 12th in the country according to the D3hoops.com Preseason Poll, earns their first win of the 2008-09 campaign, while the Scarlet and Brown fall to an 0-1 record.
Senior guard and tri-captain Tom Wopperer (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius) led the offense, scoring 18 points, while rookie Ralph Temgoua (Paris, France/Deerfield Academy) shot 4-for-5 from the field and was nearly perfect from the line to score 17 for the Scarlet and Brown. Junior Josh Sharlow (Norwood, NY/Norwood Norfolk Central) was the only player to earn a double-double, as he contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds, as well as a team high six assists and five steals.
The two teams battled in a first half that included five lead changes and four ties. The Saints held onto a slight lead throughout the first several minutes but were plagued with turnovers as the Bears capitalized on those efforts and earned as much as a four point edge before relinquishing their advantage to St. Lawrence with 6:37 to go in the opening period.
The Saints could not fend off Ursinus’ Matt Brundage, who scored six points, and Matt Hilton, who tallied four in the final five and a half minutes to give the Bears a five point 38-33 lead heading into the locker rooms at the half.
The Bears never trailed in the second half and increased their lead to as many as 12 in the midst of the period, but St. Lawrence did not go quietly as Wopperer opened up the half with a three to cut Ursinus’ lead to two while senior tri-captain Bela Vonnak (Canajoharie, NY/Canajoharie) made a free throw to bring it within one. Ursinus rebounded quickly to go on a brief 6-0 run in just under three minutes to earn a seven point lead with 16 minutes to go.
The Saints were able to keep it a two and three possession game throughout much of the second stanza while they chipped away at the deficit, bringing it back within one after Temgoua made two shots from the line with 8:23 remaining in the half. Two back-to-back three-pointers by Ursinus put them back out ahead and gave them the confidence to go on a late 20-9 run with only 1:39 left in the game.
St. Lawrence did not back down from the task, as they scored 10 unanswered points in just over a minute, capped off with a three pointer by rookie Terry Parham (Petersburg, VA/Indian River), to bring the score to 78-76 with 27 seconds left in the clock. Ursinus would shoot 4-for-5 from the line in the final to earn the 82-76 win.
The Saints shot 36-percent (25-69) from the field and grabbed 40 boards and 13 steals. The Bears, who had four players score in the double digits, were led by John Noonan’s 22 points and shot were nearly 42-percent from the floor (26-62) and 10-for-22 from behind the arc.
St. Lawrence will play again Saturday afternoon in their second game of the tournament and will face either Southern Vermont or host Williams, depending on the outcome of their game. The Saints will play at 1:00pm in Chandler Gymnasium.
SAINTS DRAW ON
STRENGTHS OF UPPERCLASSMEN, SCHEDULE TO LEAD SQUAD IN 2008-2009
Nov. 20: The St. Lawrence University men’s basketball team has much to look forward to in the upcoming 2008-2009 season as they prepare for their season opener at the Williams Tournament this upcoming weekend.
Last season, the Saints won the Liberty League regular season title for the first time since the 2003-2004 season after finishing conference play with a 12-2 record. Their postseason trip came to an end in the Liberty League Tournament semifinals, as they fell to eventual tournament winner Clarkson. In 2008-09, St. Lawrence hopes to use a blend of experienced veterans and younger players to get them back into the NCAA Tournament.
“How quickly we become competitive is dependent upon our upperclassmen guiding and teaching our younger players, but also how fast our first years learn and adapt to our system,” says Saints’ Head Coach Chris Downs, who is entering his 12th year at the helm of the program.
The team will be guided by its three senior tri-captains Tom Wopperer (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius), Bela Vonnak (Canajoharie, NY/Canajoharie) and Richard Williams (Kingston, NY/Kingston). “The team’s chemistry has been the best it’s been in years, and that can be credited to our captains and upperclassmen. The leadership has been great,” Downs says. “In the five weeks of preseason, we’ve had one bad practice, and that’s pretty impressive.”
Assistant Coach Sean Kelly adds, "I have thoroughly enjoyed working with this group so far this season. I have been most impressed by the chemistry and positive attitude that the team displays each and every day. There is a great mix of proven veterans and young talent that should make us very competitive as we go through one of the toughest schedules in the country."
Both Wopperer and Vonnak are nearing the 1,000-point milestone, with Wopperer only 43 points to. For the second straight season, the Manlius, NY native led the Saints in total points in 2007-2008, scoring 323 in 26 games, averaging 12.4 per contest. Wopperer was rewarded for his efforts by being named a Liberty League Honorable Mention. The two-year captain’s guidance extended off the court as well, as he was the only Saint to be named to the conference All-Academic Team in 2008.
Vonnak has scored 904 points in his career thus far with 96 to go before reaching 1,000 points. Last season, he tallied 256 points, averaging 9.8 points per game. He was crucial inside the paint for St. Lawrence as well as rebounding the ball, as the Canajoharie, NY native grabbed 131 boards last season, the second highest on the team.
Two-year captain Williams continued to be an impressive asset from the field, averaging 52 percent from the floor throughout the season. The Kingston, NY native averaged 8.3 points per game, collecting 217 throughout the course of the year, while also picking up 124 boards and accumulating 17 blocks.
The Scarlet and Brown will also be turning to junior Josh Sharlow (Norwood, NY/Norwood Norfolk Central), who was one of their top play makers and defenders the last two seasons. The North Country native averaged just under ten points a game and accumulated a career-high 241 points while shooting 41 percent from the floor. In 2007-2008, he finished second in the conference in steals (53), third in assists (88), and third in free-throw percentage (.824) and was named to the Liberty League Second Team for his efforts.
The strengths of the upperclassmen, coupled with the team’s six first-year athletes, is one of the reasons Downs has high hopes for the upcoming season. “I’m excited for our first-year class. A number of them will see considerable playing time, and their development is critical to our success this season,” he says. “We want to build on the tradition of having one of the strongest first-year classes in the conference.”
The Saints routinely use their non-conference schedule to prepare them for conference action as well as possible postseason play, and this season will prove to be no different. In the last three seasons, the Scarlet and Brown have won just more than half of their non-conference games, but it’s their 33-9 winning record in the Liberty League that demonstrates how valuable their tough strength of schedule is when it comes to conference foes.
This season, St. Lawrence is playing several strong opponents in their first 10 games, including Widener, Ursinus, Plattsburgh and Middlebury, four teams that made it to the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Ursinus went the furthest, making it as far as the Final Four and is currently ranked 12th in the D3hoops.com preseason poll.
The Saints and nationally-ranked Ursinus Bears will meet in the opening round of the Williams Invitational, held at Williams College on Friday, November 21st at 6:00pm. The winner of the game will advance to the championship game, while the other team will play for third place. The other two teams in the tournament include Williams College and Southern Vermont.
SAINTS SECOND IN LIBERTY LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
Nov. 11: The St. Lawrence University men’s basketball team earned a second place ranking in the 2008-2009 Liberty League Preseason Coaches Poll released Tuesday morning.
Hamilton College earned the most first place votes and are the preseason favorites, followed by the Saints, while the 2008 Liberty League Tournament Champion Clarkson rounded out the top three.
For the Saints, the 2008-09 basketball season gets underway Friday, November 21st at the Williams College Tournament, while Liberty League play begins on January 16, 2009. The top four teams in the conference’s final standings will compete in the Liberty League championship tournaments with semifinals taking place on Friday, February 27th and the championship games on Saturday February 28th. The top seeded team on each side will host all tournament games. The tournament winner will receive an automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in March.
2008-09 Liberty League Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. |
Hamilton |
47 (5) |
2. |
St. Lawrence |
45 (3) |
3. |
Clarkson |
33 |
T-4. |
Hobart |
27 |
T-4. |
Union |
27 |
6. |
Rensselaer |
22 |
7. |
Vassar |
12 |
8. |
Skidmore |
11 |
