By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
HATTIESBURG – LSU-Alexandria looked every inch the No. 1 team in the nation in NAIA men’s basketball Saturday against William Carey.
The Generals took Carey’s best shot in a thrilling first half, then pulled away in the final 14 minutes to defeat the Crusaders 90-76 at Clinton Gymnasium.
LSUA improved to 13-2 overall, while Carey (7-4) had a five-game winning streak snapped.
“It was a good (first) half,” said WCU coach Steve Knight. “They’re so talented, you can never relax. They got a few run-outs on us in transition, so we talked about keeping the ball out of the post players’ hands.
“I thought in the second half, the tempo got going too fast for us, and they got in a nice rhythm. Then I thought we were trying too hard to make things happen, and we started turning the ball over.”
For the first 26 minutes of game action, it was about as good as basketball gets, as the Crusaders and generals battled through 15 lead changes and nine ties.
But LSUA took the lead for good with 14:27 to play in the second half, when junior guard Mikkel Norment drove the lane for a lay-up, the start of a decisive 16-6 run that put the Generals ahead 65-56 with 8:46 to go.
Carey could never get the deficit below seven points the rest of the way.
“A lot of it was us just making mental mistakes,” said Carey senior Leito Holloway. “We had too many turnovers, stuff we could have avoided. It was not only them playing good defense, but us not executing on offense.”
It didn’t help Carey’s cause any that LSUA shot 52.3 percent from the field, largely by driving to the basket for lay-ups, and getting second-chance opportunities when shots were missed. For the game, the Generals outrebounded the Crusaders 43-31, including 14 offensive boards.
“They have really good athletes out there, including four D-1 guys,” said Knight. “You make any kind of mistake, they’ll punch it away from you.
“Anytime you play them, you have to keep those guards in front of you. Any time they use a ball-screen and take it to the basket, you’re in trouble, because they’re so big and they play above the rim.”
Nevertheless, Carey gave the Generals fits in the first half, grabbing an eight-point lead, 27-19, with 9:04 to play in the period on a 3-point shot by junior Brandon Cranford.
But LSUA make quick work of the deficit with an 11-2 run to regain the lead.
Senior Adrian Williams scored seven of his 14 points in the last five minutes of the first half to keep the Crusaders’ momentum going, but the two teams finished the first 20 minutes tied 41-41.
“It was about like we expected,” said Williams. “They’re a good team, we’re a good team; they’ve got good players, we’ve got good players. Coming out the second half, we tried to keep the same intensity, but it was hard to do.”
And the second half was when LSUA’s significant size advantage came into play. In particular, the Crusaders were unable to keep 6-foot-11 wide-body William Claiborne from getting down low for easy baskets.
Claiborne scored 12 of his team-high 18 points for the Generals in the second half, capping his game with a lay-up through the lane to give his team an 83-74 lead with 2:42 to play.
“They really weren’t doing anything spectacular,” said Williams. “They were just sitting the center in the high post and coming off ball-screens. That confused us, but then again we weren’t getting any ball pressure, and they were getting to the rim easy.”
Holloway finished with a game-high 19 points for Carey, and senior Branden Sheppard had 12 points.
Despite the defeat, the Crusaders remain positive about their season, as they are 4-0 in Southern States Athletic Conference play.
“You always take it as a lesson playing one of the best teams in the country,” said Holloway. “You always want to use what they used against you to learn how to get better.”
Carey will complete its non-conference schedule on New Year’s Eve, when longtime rival Dillard visits Clinton Gym. The women’s game tips off at noon, with the men scheduled for a 2 p.m. start.
Carey Basketball Summary
Saturday at Clinton Gymnasium
MEN
LSU-Alexandria 90, William Carey 76
LSUA 41 49 – 90
WCU 41 35 – 76
LSU-ALEXANDRIA (13-2): Devin Jackson 16, Brandon Ellis 6, Malek Harris 7 (8 rebounds), Phillip Rankin Jr. 12, William Claiborne 18 (9 rebounds), JaMichael Brown 16 (5 assists), Mikkel Norment 15. TOTALS – FG 34-65 (3FG 8-19), FT 14-18 (90).
WILLIAM CAREY (7-4): Brandon Cranford 5, Adrian Williams 14, Leito Holloway 19, Rodney Mallett 3, Marques McGee 4, Ryan McRaney 9, Branden Sheppard 12, Javontae McDavid 8, Khalil Jordan 2. TOTALS – FG 30-69 (3FG 6-25), FT 10-17 (76).
