2008 Woodie Awards
Men's basketball ends season with blowout loss
By David Duke
Rocket Contributor
Issue date: 3/2/07 Section: Sports
The Rock men's basketball team closed out its season with yet another loss last Sunday. This time at the hands of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference playoff-bound Clarion University, 76-59.
Coming into the game, coach Jamal Palmer said he had hopes of his team being a spoiler for the host Golden Eagles, who would have fallen out of playoff contention with a loss.
"Even though it was our last game and we were out of the playoff hunt, we wanted to come out and ruin someone else's playoff hopes and put a damper on their parade," Palmer said. "But it was easy to see from the get-go that some of the guys just weren't into it, so we used the game as a learning experience for some of the younger guys coming back next year."
Early on, it was Clarion (13-14 overall, 6-6 PSAC West) that was the aggressor, opening an early 5-0 lead one minute into the game. The Rock (5-22 overall, 2-10 PSAC West) closed to within one, 7-6, on back-to-back three-point baskets by sophomore guard Erroll Robinson, the second of which came with 16:40 remaining in the first half.
SRU then snatched the lead on two separate occasions, once at 8-7, on two free throws by freshman guard David White, and the second at 10-9 on freshman center Brian Campuzano's lay-up. Clarion would then go on a 23-10 run over the next 8:18 to open a commanding 33-20 advantage, capped off by a Justin Collins lay-up.
The Rock cut the lead to eight, 41-33, on sophomore post-player Joseph Vines' lay up with 2:51 left in the half. Clarion extended the lead to double digits again, but freshman guard Joe Marzullo's three with 1:09 remaining in the half cut the Rock deficit to nine, 45-36 at halftime.
In the second half, however, the Rock wouldn't have an answer for a Clarion team that was pushing its hardest to get into the playoffs. The Golden Eagles opened a 15-point lead with 15:51 remaining on a Lamar Richburg lay-up.
Then, the Rock's Jamar Scales, a junior guard, pulled SRU to within 10 points, 56-46, with a lay-up of his own, but another Richburg lay-up with 7:47 left in the game lifted the hosts to another 15-point lead, 66-51. From there, the lead would swell to 21, 75-54, with 2:47 remaining on two Collins free throws.
Coming into the game, coach Jamal Palmer said he had hopes of his team being a spoiler for the host Golden Eagles, who would have fallen out of playoff contention with a loss.
"Even though it was our last game and we were out of the playoff hunt, we wanted to come out and ruin someone else's playoff hopes and put a damper on their parade," Palmer said. "But it was easy to see from the get-go that some of the guys just weren't into it, so we used the game as a learning experience for some of the younger guys coming back next year."
Early on, it was Clarion (13-14 overall, 6-6 PSAC West) that was the aggressor, opening an early 5-0 lead one minute into the game. The Rock (5-22 overall, 2-10 PSAC West) closed to within one, 7-6, on back-to-back three-point baskets by sophomore guard Erroll Robinson, the second of which came with 16:40 remaining in the first half.
SRU then snatched the lead on two separate occasions, once at 8-7, on two free throws by freshman guard David White, and the second at 10-9 on freshman center Brian Campuzano's lay-up. Clarion would then go on a 23-10 run over the next 8:18 to open a commanding 33-20 advantage, capped off by a Justin Collins lay-up.
The Rock cut the lead to eight, 41-33, on sophomore post-player Joseph Vines' lay up with 2:51 left in the half. Clarion extended the lead to double digits again, but freshman guard Joe Marzullo's three with 1:09 remaining in the half cut the Rock deficit to nine, 45-36 at halftime.
In the second half, however, the Rock wouldn't have an answer for a Clarion team that was pushing its hardest to get into the playoffs. The Golden Eagles opened a 15-point lead with 15:51 remaining on a Lamar Richburg lay-up.
Then, the Rock's Jamar Scales, a junior guard, pulled SRU to within 10 points, 56-46, with a lay-up of his own, but another Richburg lay-up with 7:47 left in the game lifted the hosts to another 15-point lead, 66-51. From there, the lead would swell to 21, 75-54, with 2:47 remaining on two Collins free throws.
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