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Keenan Henderson

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Rebounding was really really bad. Most plays nobody was even leaving their feet.

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Coach Mills said in his postgame interview that he could not sleep last night because he was concerned that ORU would be flat (the exact word he used was content.)  The Eagles just looked like they thought they could simply show up and win because UND was missing some players and had a 4-14 record.  Give North Dakota credit, they fought and gave it their all.  They did not look like a 4-14 team.

Eagleman you are right, this should be a wakeup call to ORU.  They are going to get the other team's best shot most nights, whether the Eagles are at home or on the road.  When a team has won 5 or 6 in a row it is easy to get lackadaisical.  

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Thank God that kid missed the three pointer at the end. That is exactly what I would have drawn up. Go for the win on an opponent’s court.

UND really pounded the offensive glass. That almost cost us the game. They were more aggressive than us and our guys did not block out well. We also leaked out and did not send guys to grab rebounds. Not good effort. 

Max tried too hard on several possessions late in the game - with turnovers or bad shots resulting in wasted possessions. The team also missed a lot of layups/close shots…. which was maddening. 
 

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Yikes. I didn't think we would cover the -21 but that was scary. That UND team was hungry and our guys seemed lost all night, with the exception of Max who just wanted to be the hero a little too much. Got to be locked in on Saturday if we want to get a win. 

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Yet another opponent rising to the occasion for ORU in general, and Max in particular. 

Tale of two halves for Max; after dazzling with a variety of scoring plays in the first half, only to get so flustered in the second half from not getting any calls on his drives from notorious ORU nemesis Frank Spencer, that he started making uncharacteristic mistakes on both ends of the floor. 

Would have been hard to imagine ORU winning the game with Max being shut out in the second half until inside the final minute. Somehow found a way against an inspired effort from the Hawks. 

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Yes Frank Spencer indeed.  So inconsistent with his calls. They swallowed their whistles when Max was driving to the basket in the 2nd half.

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It was a real heart pounding game that felt like ORU would lose but Max did hit the big shot at the end when it was tied at 76 with about a minute to go.  Some good that came out of the game: the Eagles only turned the ball over five times and had ten assists, they won without hitting many threes and the other guys besides Max stepped up and carried the load.  It was not pretty but some positives came out of the game.  ORU now 7-1 in conference play. Go Eagles!

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11 hours ago, EagleManiac said:

... and our guys seemed lost all night, with the exception of Max who just wanted to be the hero a little too much....

This was a dumb thing to say. I regret it. Four of the five guys on the floor seemed lost down the stretch and our star player tried to put them on his shoulders and carry them to the finish line. He was getting hacked and hip checked everytime down the floor and the refs for whatever reason wouldn't call it. 

I should've given him props for his efforts and not scolded him for missing a couple of shots where he very clearly got fouled. He's exactly the kind of guy you want leading your team. 

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DJ Weaver was fairly impressive tonight.  He showed some nice touch around the basket and also hit a key 3 pointer when the game was tight.  He fought for some key rebounds as well and finished 7-11 in FG shooting.  He is continuing to develop offensively and gain confidence.

I also have seen an improved defensive effort from Trey Phipps.  He is usually shorter than the person he is defending but he shut down several drives to the basket last night with good positioning and movement and without drawing fouls.

It is nice to see player development occurring during the season and is a good sign of a competent coaching staff and engaged players.

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This was a game where in previous years ORU would have suffered a crushing home loss.....but Max made some plays and McBride hit a pair of big FTs and the Good Guys saved the day at the end....just goes to prove that this team is still a work in progress but ORU can still win even if we play poorly.....yeah, rebounding was atrocious.....we need Eli back in the line up....maybe for tomorrow night vs. NDSU??...let's hope.....GO BLUE!!! :tb-white:

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According to last night’s pregame radio broadcast, there is a good chance that Eli will be able to play Saturday night.

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57 minutes ago, EagleManiac said:

This was a dumb thing to say. I regret it. Four of the five guys on the floor seemed lost down the stretch and our star player tried to put them on his shoulders and carry them to the finish line. He was getting hacked and hip checked everytime down the floor and the refs for whatever reason wouldn't call it. 

I should've given him props for his efforts and not scolded him for missing a couple of shots where he very clearly got fouled. He's exactly the kind of guy you want leading your team. 

From my vantage point, I really don’t think Max got fouled on most of those drives in the second half, but I think he was hoping to get a call or two in doing so. 

But, to the officials credit, the whistle-swallowing was largely on both ends; Max and Francis had huge blocks sandwiched around a UND timeout on offense in crunch time, and I was afraid Carlos might be called for a 3-shot foul when he contested Morgan’s potential game-winner on the penultimate possession late. 

Celebrate all victories, friends - bring on those stinkin’ “By-son” Saturday night! 😉

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From my vantage point it looked like a lot of the physical play was away from the basket (hip checks, pushes, moving screens) and not on drives so much. Saw several instances were Lacis/Weaver/Thompson were pushed under the basket for rebounds. 

Was sorry to see Spencer on the court. He has been a long time bete noire for ORU. Not a good official in my estimation. 
 

 

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Just now, ORUTerry said:

From my vantage point it looked like a lot of the physical play was away from the basket (hip checks, pushes, moving screens) and not on drives so much. Saw several instances were Lacis/Weaver/Thompson were pushed under the basket for rebounds. 

Was sorry to see Spencer on the court. He has been a long time bete noire for ORU. Not a good official in my estimation. 
 

 

ORU had a lot of upd and downs in the game. Better play better against NDSU.yes a lot of pushing and hands on the hip as ORU players drove total joke no wonder layups we're missed

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Kareem had his first double of the double of his career last night: 15 points and 11 rebounds. He also had 15 and 9 at KC.  Coach said on his radio show that Thompson had been working really hard on his game the last few weeks, getting up at 7 am to do workouts.  Hopefully he will get on a roll as the season moves on.

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With Lufile out for the evening....How does Sir Isaac only get ONE MINUTE of playing time???....and we got killed on the boards......seems like the kid should have played a little more to help underneath but guessing that Coach Mills doesn't trust him........sure hoping Eli is back on the court vs. NDSU tomorrow night.....😬

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2 hours ago, jmg1984 said:

ORU had a lot of upd and downs in the game. Better play better against NDSU.yes a lot of pushing and hands on the hip as ORU players drove total joke no wonder layups we're missed

Its the mid point of the conference schedule, games tend to slow down and get more physical! We have to match that physicality which I think are veterans are doing well, Kareem is playing much better, DJ looks better on the boards and we know Lacis and Carlos will play strong at their positions. Getting Lufile back will be a big boost as he has been playing so well lately and hopefully his minutes will continue to increase.

It would be nice to come out and really play well against NDSU, not just because we didn't play our best last night. But also to make a statement since if we are the #2 seed and they are #3 as looks likely, we will be playing them in the conference tourney semi's! Lets thump them now and send them on their way with something to remember us by!!

Go Eagles!!!  

 

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