Men's B-ball needs to bounce back
12/5/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The University of Montana men's basketball team will look to rebound Saturday against the University of San Francisco Dons.
After suffering a second-half collapse against Cal State Northridge on Wednesday in which they were outscored by 16 points, the Grizzlies will go back to the drawing board, said UM head coach Pat Kennedy after the loss.
In a game in which the Griz committed 25 turnovers, Kennedy said his team will have to take better care of the ball.
The Griz (3-2) have won all of their games at home but have yet to win on the road, dropping contests to Northridge and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Sophomore guard Kevin Criswell and junior power forward Kamarr Davis combined for 10 points, but it was UM's inability to take care of the ball that ultimately lost the game.
"The other aspects of my game are great," Criswell said. "I've had numbers in rebounds and assists that I've never had before. My shot feels good. It's just not going in. I just have to spend more time in the gym and work out the kinks and hope to make a few shots on Saturday."
With at least 15 turnovers in each of the last five games, Criswell said taking care of the ball will be a top priority for the Griz.
"You can't really do anything in practice about it," Criswell said. "We have to concentrate more in the game and not be lackadaisical with the ball."
USF has been inconsistent much of this season. In the past five games, the Dons have won two and lost three, including a 76-65 home victory over Ohio State. Also, the Dons have already logged 15,000 air miles from all of their road trips.
The Dons play a straight-up type of basketball.
"All I know is that they beat Ohio State by 11 earlier in the year," Criswell said. "Anyone that beat a Big 10 school has to be good. That's pretty big."
Led by junior forward Tyrone Bailey and senior forward James Bayless, the Dons are averaging 61 points per game, while opposing teams are averaging 69.1 per contest.
The 6-foot-7, 245-pound Bailey, the reigning California junior college player of the year, is averaging 9.4 points per game to go along with a team-leading eight rebounds per game.
Bayless, a 6-foot-7, 235-pound senior from Las Vegas, averages a team-leading 12 points per outing.
USF (3-4 overall) will be playing its seventh game out of eight on the road.
Montana, on the other hand, will travel to Alabama on Dec. 10 to face Auburn, a team that made the Sweet 16 in last year's NCAA Tournament.
After suffering a second-half collapse against Cal State Northridge on Wednesday in which they were outscored by 16 points, the Grizzlies will go back to the drawing board, said UM head coach Pat Kennedy after the loss.
In a game in which the Griz committed 25 turnovers, Kennedy said his team will have to take better care of the ball.
The Griz (3-2) have won all of their games at home but have yet to win on the road, dropping contests to Northridge and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Sophomore guard Kevin Criswell and junior power forward Kamarr Davis combined for 10 points, but it was UM's inability to take care of the ball that ultimately lost the game.
"The other aspects of my game are great," Criswell said. "I've had numbers in rebounds and assists that I've never had before. My shot feels good. It's just not going in. I just have to spend more time in the gym and work out the kinks and hope to make a few shots on Saturday."
With at least 15 turnovers in each of the last five games, Criswell said taking care of the ball will be a top priority for the Griz.
"You can't really do anything in practice about it," Criswell said. "We have to concentrate more in the game and not be lackadaisical with the ball."
USF has been inconsistent much of this season. In the past five games, the Dons have won two and lost three, including a 76-65 home victory over Ohio State. Also, the Dons have already logged 15,000 air miles from all of their road trips.
The Dons play a straight-up type of basketball.
"All I know is that they beat Ohio State by 11 earlier in the year," Criswell said. "Anyone that beat a Big 10 school has to be good. That's pretty big."
Led by junior forward Tyrone Bailey and senior forward James Bayless, the Dons are averaging 61 points per game, while opposing teams are averaging 69.1 per contest.
The 6-foot-7, 245-pound Bailey, the reigning California junior college player of the year, is averaging 9.4 points per game to go along with a team-leading eight rebounds per game.
Bayless, a 6-foot-7, 235-pound senior from Las Vegas, averages a team-leading 12 points per outing.
USF (3-4 overall) will be playing its seventh game out of eight on the road.
Montana, on the other hand, will travel to Alabama on Dec. 10 to face Auburn, a team that made the Sweet 16 in last year's NCAA Tournament.
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