The men’s basketball team’s 70-65 loss to Miami University Saturday night came down to one thing according to head coach Louis Orr: “Hunger.”
“We don’t make any excuses, Miami had the same schedule,” Orr said. “I tell our guys you can’t have any regrets, once the game is gone it’s gone.”
The Falcons were coming off of a three-game winning streak which included wins at Western Michigan and Ohio University. Coming back home would have made things that much easier for the Falcons on paper but that was not the case.
“It was very frustrating, knowing we didn’t come out with the same enthusiasm as we did during the streak,” junior point guard Jehvon Clarke said. “We came out flat, and we were content from the last three games.”
This loss drops the Falcons’ record down to 9-10 and 3-3 in the Mid-American Conference.
Clarke finished the game with a career high 22 points, six assists and six turnovers. Junior Anthony Henderson had a very good day from behind the arc as he totaled 15 points; 12 of those came from behind the arc.
Despite the offensive production Clarke and Henderson had, the Falcons could not put stops and good offensive possessions consistently.
The Falcons seemed to start the game with the energy and “hunger” a team on a three game win streak should. They led by as many as eight points until Miami answered their hunger with a 11-3 run of their own.
Miami would switch to a zone late in the first half and the Falcons had trouble figuring out ways to score. The Redhawks went on a 16-5 run off of that zone and went into the half with a 36-28 lead.
“I think sometimes fans and the public expect easy,” Orr said. “But it doesn’t work that way, you have to be willing to grind, it wasn’t easy for us.”
In the second half the Falcons stayed close but could not grab the lead back from the Redhawks. The Falcons had the lead down to two points with 9:30 left in the game when Redhawk guard William Sullivan made a three while being fouled Henderson. Sullivan would knock down the free throw and the Falcons would not get that close again.
The Falcons will travel to Eastern Michigan on Jan. 29 for another Mid-American Conference game.
“We still have a lot to win, prove and a lot to play for,” Orr said. “Generally the team that does the little things and plays from the gut will usually come out on top.”
