Suddenly, it's only a nine-game season for the Golden Eagles (12-7 / USCAA D2, No. 4) who hope to qualify for the USCAA National Championships as they did last season. However, after suffering their second loss in a row and fourth in the last five games, the Eagles need to collect themselves and focus on one game at a time.
But it's not easy when you play your third straight road game and face a team you just defeated 80-75 less than two weeks ago. And, that team, Villa Maria College, is nipping at your heels with a No. 6 ranking, owns a 14-6 record and are winners of three consecutive games since that loss in Founders Hall Gym.
You could try and pin the blame on the five-hour road trip to Buffalo, but pretty much all you have to consider is the end of the first half to explain KSU Tusc's crushing 90-63 defeat to the Vikings on Tuesday night.
Villa Maria held an eight-point, 28-20, lead at the 5:57 mark of the first half and closed out the scoring on a 16-9 run for a 44-29 lead at the break. After Kameron Shockley tossed in an off-balance one-hander from near the foul line to cut the deficit to 31-22, the Eagles made three straight turnovers that helped the Vikings to a 36-22 lead.
During those telling final moments, the Eagles committed seven turnovers in their final 11 possessions, while converting on only three field goals. Their 12 first half miscues led to some very high percentage shots for the Vikings who got to the rim often and put massive pressure on the KSU Tusc defense. For the game, the winners posted 50 of their 90 points in the lane with 44 of those points coming from directly under the basket.
The second half didn't get any better for the navy and gold, as they could get no closer than 13 points. Near the final buzzer the Vikings stretched the lead to 30 points and closed the game with a 12-3 run. Twenty KSU Tusc turnovers led to 26 Villa points with 18 of them coming in transition off of 11 steals.
Villa also converted on 13 free throw chances, while the Eagles only made it to the foul stripe nine times making six of their chances.
Leading the Golden Eagles in scoring was London Cobbs with 11 points, while Kameron Shockley and DeJuan Lawrence both tossed in 10 points each and Vinnie Roper added nine off the bench. Lawrence also recorded his ninth double-double on the season as he also cleared 11 rebounds.
On Friday, the Eagles (12-8) return home to face Indiana University South Bend (14-5) in a 1 pm start, before hitting the road for four straight games. They end the season playing their last four games of the season in the friendly confines of Founders Hall Gym.
The KSU Tusc defense tries to turn up the pressure on the Vikings offense.
JaJuantae Young pokes the ball away and tries to come up with a steal.
Kyle Shockley and DeJuan Lawrence vie for a rebound and Braden Rostad and DeJuan Lawrence stop a VMC shooter.
(Photos by Rob Brindley)