Decisive 3rd quarter leads to Bobcats' downfall
The Northeastern Bobcats didn’t have an answer for the Wilson Bulldogs in the third quarter on Wednesday.
A two-point lead coming out of halftime evaporated for Northeastern. By the end of the quarter they were trailing by double digits and by the end of the game they had fallen 78-58 in the first round of the District 3 tournament.
“We weren’t very good against their zone (defense),” Bobcats head coach Jon Eyster said. “I don’t know what we shot from the field tonight, but we only shot two 3s and we weren’t very affective attacking the interior of their zone. It definitely got away from us. That’s an understatement.”
Wilson outscored the Bobcats in the third 26-11 and Christian Sload, who finished with a game-high of 37 points, scored 16 alone in the quarter. Northeastern’s aggressive style of defense also put them in a hole, sending the Bulldogs to the line nine times in decisive period. Wilson converted on seven of those opportunities.
The Bulldogs continued to have chances at the line in the fourth, and they finished the game going 30-for-43 from the foul line.
Things appeared to be headed in a much different direction when the game tipped off. The Bobcats came out flying, with Fred Mulbah hitting a 3-point shot and converting on two foul shots on the following possession to start the contest. The Bobcats' defense forced Wilson to turn the ball over and Northeastern was able to capitalize offensively.
The momentum began to shift in the second quarter, which led to Wilson’s offensive onslaught in the third.
“We wanted to speed them up to start the game and we did,” Eyster said. “They did a great job handling our pressure. We didn’t stop Christian… They beat us to loose balls, they beat us to rebounds, and we didn’t make shots from the perimeter.”
The loss ended the Bobcats season much earlier then anticipated. Something that Eyster apologized for to his team after the game.
“There’s not a lot you can say to take away the sting of this defeat,” he said. “I just apologized to them for not helping get them to the next game.”
Wilson (78)
Coldren 0 0-0 0, Skeete 0 0-0 0, Jackson 1 3-4 5, McAndrew 1 3-6 5, Mason McElroy 3 8-12 14, Christian Sload 13 10-11 37, Dave Awurumibe 5 3-4 14, Kline 0 0-0 0, Reigel 0 3-6 3. Totals — 23 30-43 78.
Northeastern (58)
Coleman 4 0-0 8, Greene 1 0-2 2, Donovian Maxfield 3 4-4 13, Mulbah 2 2-2 7, Jeff Reynolds 5 1-1 11, Nwandu 1 5-6 7, Rizzuto 0 3-4 3, McCarter 0 4-5 4, Hersh 0 0-0 0 Zirkle 1 0-0 3, Eyster 0 0-0 0. Totals — 17 19-24 58.
Wilson _ 13 _ 14 _ 26 _ 25 _ — _ 78
Northeastern _ 19 _ 10 _ 11 _ 18 _ — _ 58
3-point goals — NE 2 (Mulbah, Zirkle), Wil 2 (Slade, Awurumibe).