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Monday, December 13, 1999

Slow starting, finishing Islanders fall to Crusaders

Beginning and ending game with 1-for-8 slumps costs A&M-CC chance to upset Valparaiso, 75-67

By Mark Zuckerman
Caller-Times
 

David Adame/Caller-Times

A&M-CC's Arunas Drasutis (center) is sandwiched between Valparaiso's Jason Jenkins (left) and Milo Stovall during Sunday's loss to the Crusaders.

The first five minutes of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's game against Valparaiso Sunday bore a striking resemblance to the last five minutes.
   And that meant bad news for the Islanders.
   After missing seven of its first eight shots, A&M-Corpus Christi rallied to take the lead, only to miss seven of its last eight shots, resulting in a 75-67 loss to the Crusaders in front of 2,297 fans at Memorial Coliseum.
   In between, the Islanders (3-4) outplayed a Valpo team that has made four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, though it was little consolation for head coach Ronnie Arrow.
   "We had a great chance to go beat an established program," he said. "We didn't take advantage of it, bottom line."
   Leading 65-64 with 5:10 to play, A&M-Corpus Christi did not score again until Aaron Eneas' putback with 8.4 seconds on the clock and the game already lost. The Islanders also went nearly seven minutes without hitting a shot from the field.
   "I don't know what happened," said forward Michael Hicks, who led all scorers with 22 points. "We were just turning the ball over like we didn't want to win."
   Stifled by the same zone defense A&M-Corpus Christi used to shut down Texas-San Antonio Thursday night, Valpo (3-6) took the lead when Lubos Barton hauled in an offensive rebound and kicked out to a wide-open Jason Jenkins, who drained the 3-pointer to give the Crusaders a 67-65 lead.
   "That broke their backs," Valpo coach Homer Drew said. "It took some of the fight out of them, and we took advantage of it by going on a run to end the game."
   "I thought that was a big play," Arrow said. "We come up with the rebound, go down and score, and all of a sudden we're four up."
   Needing a basket to regain the lead, the Islander offense collapsed. A seven-possession span down the stretch resulted in the following outcomes: a missed jumper, a missed layup, a turnover, a missed layup, two missed free throws, a missed 3-pointer and another missed layup.
   Meanwhile, the Crusaders were going on an 11-0 run to pick up their first victory in seven tries.
   "We had the ball in the hands of the wrong guy in certain situations," Arrow said, "and the ones that had it in certain situations didn't finish it."
   The Islanders began the game just as they finished it. Making just one of its first eight shot attempts from the field to start the game, A&M-Corpus Christi found itself in an early 11-2 hole.
   "That's been our problem, starting the game," said forward Arunas Drasutis, whose 16-point effort made him the only Islander other than Hicks to crack double digits. "The guys coming out, we don't know how it feels, how the other team looks."
   But an 8-0 run brought A&M-Corpus Christi back into the game, and a 3-pointer by Drasutis gave the Islanders a 28-27 lead late in the first half. The two teams traded baskets most of the rest of the way, with neither team able to pull away.
   Three different players (Barton, Jenkins and center Ivan Vujic) scored 15 points to lead the Crusaders, who shot 56 percent as a team.
   The Islanders, who shot 51 percent discounting their early and late slumps, finished at a disappointing 40 percent from the field. Starters Toby Thompson, Damian Kirkaldy and Shaun Hemsley combined to score one point for the game.
   "We're like any other team - we rely on certain kids," Arrow said. "If they don't show up, it's tough. There are certain guys on this team that have to show up ready to play besides Mike Hicks."
   VALPARAISO (3-6)-Barton 5-14 3-5 15, Jenkins 5-6 2-2 15, Vujic 6-11 3-6 15, Stovall 5-8 0-0 11, Nuness 2-4 0-0 6, Toatley 0-1 3-4 3, Grafs 4-4 2-3 10, Price 0-0 0-0 0, Thomason 0-0 0-0 0, Nikkila 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-48 13-20 75.
   TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI (3-4)-Hicks 7-14 8-10 22, Kirkaldy 0-3 0-0 0, Hemsley 0-1 0-0 0, Thompson 0-4 1-2 1, Denmon 3-9 0-0 8, Cook 1-2 2-2 4, Ryzhov 3-8 0-0 8, Drasutis 6-9 0-0 16, Shultz 0-0 0-0 0, Eneas 4-9 0-3 8. Totals 24-59 11-17 67.
   Halftime-Valparaiso 37, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 35. 3-point goals-Valparaiso 8-19 (Jenkins 3-4, Nuness 2-4, Barton 2-7, Stovall 1-3, Toatley 0-1), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 8-22 (Drasutis 4-6, Ryzhov 2-6, Denmon 2-7, Cook 0-1, Hicks 0-2). Fouled out-none. Rebounds-Valparaiso 30 (Barton 9), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 33 (Hicks, Eneas 8). Assists-Valparaiso 17 (Stovall 5), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 14 (Denmon, Thompson 4). Total fouls-Valparaiso 15, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 18. A-2,297 (3,500).
  
  

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Staff writer Mark Zuckerman can be reached at 886-3747 or by e-mail at zuckermanm@caller.com

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