Loss Brings Season to Close
The Saint Xavier Cougar men’s basketball team won its first game of the NAIA national tournament but could not quite seal the deal against Midland (Neb.) on Friday.
Saint Xavier did not have the best offensive game in their contest against the Warriors of Midland. The Cougars lost by a final score of 64-61.
The Cougars had an especially dismal first half. They went into the locker room for halftime with a 37-23 deficit.
Saint Xavier was only in the ballgame at all because of a very strong second half. The team outscored Midland 38-27 in the second half, but it would not prove to be enough.
The Cougars shot very poorly, especially in the first half. They were only able to convert 34.6% if their shots into points for the whole game, while the Warriors shot 46.5%.
Only one player from Saint Xavier had a personal shooting percentage better than 50%. Senior guard Munir Smith made his only shot.
Saint Xavier did get to the charity stripe in the game, but of course that is only half the battle. Once there, the Cougars had some difficulty knocking down free throws.
The team shot a total of 31 free throws, three more than Midland shot. However, Saint Xavier made one fewer, going 20-for-31. The Warriors converted on 21 of their 28 attempts.
Junior guard Jack Krieger was a perfect 8-for-8 on free-throw attempts and led the team with 18 points.
Krieger’s senior teammate, Brad Karp, struggled from the line. He finished the game 4-for-8, though he was the second leading scorer with 17 points. Karp also committed six turnovers.
Sophomore forward/center Josh Mawhorr had the most free-throw attempts for the Cougars with nine, but he could only make five of them. He rounded out the double-digit scorers for Saint Xavier with 10 points.
Game 1 a Different Story
Saint Xavier drew Cincinnati Christian University in the first round and had a markedly better showing in an 87-71 win.
Whereas the Cougars had a free-throw shooting percentage under 65% in their second-round loss, they had a respectable 82.9% mark against the Eagles.
In fact, while the poor free-throw shooting of the second round could be blamed for the loss, free-throw shooting was the difference maker in the first round.
The Eagles were actually the better team when it came to shooting from the floor. They made 28 of their 55 shot attempts (50.9%). Saint Xavier, on the other hand, went 24-of-57 (42.1%).
But the Cougars had the edge on the Eagles in total points because they went 34-of-41 from the charity stripe while the Eagles were 10-for-13.
Senior point guard Michael Simpson handled the pressure of the national stage well. He made all 15 of his free-throw attempts and finished with 19 points.
Krieger was the leading scorer in the first round as well. He totaled 22 points and led the team with four assists and three steals.
Karp was the final double-figure scorer with 15 and was just a rebound away from a double-double, but big men Tony Core and Mawhorr each scored nine points and blocked a shot attempt.
Here’s to Next Year
With crucial pieces of the 2013-14 lineup like Karp, Simpson and Smith graduating, the Cougars will have something to prove next year.
Karp, Saint Xavier’s all-time leading scorer, will be missed the most. Without him, the Cougars will have to find a way to replace his 25.3 average points per game and his team-best 8.2 average rebounds per game.
Simpson was a national champion with Cardinal Stritch University, and it will be difficult for the Cougars to find another player with his quickness.
He averaged 16.1 points per game this year and led the team with 173 assists (80 more than Mawhorr, the next leading assister). And Smith, while a role player, still shot 47% when he was on the floor.
In order for Saint Xavier to match the level of competition that the Cougars put forth this year, they will need surges in both play and leadership from players like Core, Mawhorr, Kyle Huppe and Krieger, to mention a few.
It may be a tall order, but there is something to be said for optimism.
Here is to next year.
Tim Carroll
Senior Sports Editor