It’s gotten to the point for the Flying Dutchmen where the only thing left to do is to note the extra degrees of agony associated with defeat.
Was the Dutchmen’s eighth straight loss—a 61-57 defeat at
the hands of Florida Atlantic on Tuesday—more painful than losing wire-to-wire,
as the Dutchmen did to Manhattan, George Washington and SMU at the start of
this skid or to Wright State in the final home game of 2012?
Does it ache more than blowing a 16-point lead in the final
12 minutes, as the Dutchmen did against Long Island University, or being tied
at the half against Tulane before opening the second half on the wrong side of
a 20-0 run? Is it worse than squandering a five-point halftime lead against
Wagner and losing by eight points on a night in which the Dutchmen had their
worst free throw shooting performance in three years?
At this point, does it matter?
Anyway, while losing is familiar these days, this one was doubly
frustrating because this is the third consecutive year Florida Atlantic edged
Hofstra by four points or less (and the fourth straight year the two teams
played a game decided by four points or less).
This one also stung because the Dutchmen, for the first time
during this seemingly never-ending skid that has encompassed three federal holidays,
appeared to enjoy the clear statistical advantage over an opponent. The
Dutchmen shot 44 percent (25-of-57), their second-best performance against a
Division I foe this year, and limited Florida Atlantic to 36.4 shooting
(20-of-55).
The Dutchmen led by 10 points in the first half, took a
seven-point lead into the half and led and by nine halfway through the second
half. Florida Atlantic’s biggest lead was its last one.
The Dutchmen also got some semblance of balance for the
second straight game as seven players drained at least two field goals. Stevie
Mejia and Taran Buie combined for 26 points (13 apiece) on 12-of-26 shooting,
which is the kind of the dual efforts they’ll need in conference play. Mejia
also provided steadiness at point guard in shooting more than 50 percent from
the field (6-for-11) for the first time since the Dutchmen’s last win against
Marshall on Nov. 18 and leading the Dutchmen with seven rebounds, three assists
and three steals.
Jordan Allen had another solid game (nine points, five
rebounds) while Moussa Kone, who came off the bench after suffering a
concussion in practice, had seven points, his most since the win over Marshall
way back on Nov. 18.
Of course, as has so often been the case the last two
seasons, the little things doomed the Dutchmen. The Dutchmen continued to get destroyed
from beyond the arc, where Florida Atlantic was 8-of-24. The Owls are the
fourth straight opponent to drain at least seven 3-pointers against the
Dutchmen.
For the second straight game, the Dutchmen were victimized
for a big run to start the second half. Florida Atlantic’s 8-0 run wasn’t as
authoritative as Tulane’s 20-0 run, of course, but it put Hofstra on its heels
after it dominated much of the first half.
And the Owls ended the game on a 15-4 run over the final
7:59 in which the Dutchmen were just 2-of-8 from the field. Buie, who looked
for several games like the late-game option the Dutchmen have lacked since Charles
Jenkins’ graduation, was just 1-for-5 shooting during Florida Atlantic’s final
run.
Then there was the rotten luck that seems to befall teams
that have zero margin for error. The Dutchmen were 5-of-7 from the free throw
line, their fewest attempts since Dec. 21, 2009 against Davidson, and didn’t go
to the line at all in the second half while Florida Atlantic was 13-of-16 in
the final 20 minutes. Gee think that might have made a difference? ALFRED
MORRIS BIAS!!!!
In addition, a shaky flagrant foul against Stephen Nwaukoni with
5:11 left resulted in a costly five-point swing. Instead of having the ball
with a three-point lead, the Dutchmen fell behind by two points—and never led
again—after the Owls hit both free throws and Greg Gantt drained a 3-pointer on
the subsequent possession. That’s an agonizing way to lose, but that’s life
these days for the Dutchmen—whether the calendar reads 2013 or 2012.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Florida Atlantic, 1/1)
3: Stevie Mejia
2: Taran Buie
1: Jordan Allen
SEASON STANDINGS***
18: Taran Buie
16: Stevie Mejia
8: Stephen Nwaukoni
6: Jordan Allen
4: Moussa Kone
2: Matt Grogan
2: David Imes
***21 points vacated
Email Jerry at defiantlydutch@yahoo.com
or follow Defiantly Dutch at http://twitter.com/defiantlydutch.
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